The kids were all at HQ and also enjoyed themselves with cousin Hughie. They even went for a sleepover at Taiku's house, which they always love!
Bali was fabulous, and I'll report on the most important thing first, i.e: FOOD! :)
So this is Rossi Vivo, one of the first restaurants we went to after the first day of diving. It is an upscale restaurant on Jalan Kuta, right in front of the main Kuta beach. It is a gorgeous, classy place, with a swimming pool of it's own.
They serve fancy and delicious food with prices to match.
L-R: angel hair pasta with asparagus, smoked salmon and caviar, in vodka sauce/ a puffed up pizza calzone/ squid ink risotto.
Here is Warung Mama Putu, a roadside stall which is just a little fancier than the usual shabby roadside warung. It was just 5 mins walk from our hotel, Puri Mesari in Sanur.
We were really hungry from diving and thoroughly enjoyed the good food here!
L-R: There was satay babi (much better than the tough, dry ones at the hotel!!), grilled barracuda, grilled cuttlefish, grilled king prawns, nasi goreng and mee goreng/ Avocado juice with chocolate sauce!/ Avocado and shrimp salad.
I love avocados! We only have imported ones here and they cost a bomb! RM5.99 to 8.99 per avocado!!
This is apparently the most famous babi guling (roasted pig) place in Bali. Babi Guling Ibu Oka in Ubud. This is her house, her shop down the road was full.
The babi guling here is without doubt, done to perfection! The meat is amazingly soft and tender, it pulls apart so easily. And the divine crackling is thin and so crisp! It is no wonder that the place is packed everyday! The accompanying dishes like the soup and vegetables however, are just so so. But the sambal was wonderfully super spicy!
When we visited to the kitchen, we found the staff turning the spit by hand and the babi roasting over real firewood! It takes 4hrs to roast one pig! These details are what makes the perfect babi guling at Ibu Oka!( I sound like an advertisement!) lol!
In Ubud, after everyone had a good massage at Sang Spa, we had dinner at Bumbu Bali. It's owner was a chef at a 5 star hotel. They offer authentic Balinese food, among other things. They conduct cooking classes as well, and one was under way when we were there.
L-R: Chicken cooked in coconut milk was rather tasteless/ The satay babi with rice was okay only, though the rice was very nice, with crunchy beans cooked into it/ The bebek bertutu (smoked duck) was very good!
On the last night, we changed hotels to Sun Island Hotel near Kuta. Hubby and I rented a motorbike and went gallivanting round town! :) This is when we discovered this soto ayam stall together with a satay babi stall surrounded with many people waiting to be served! This is a sure sign of good food!
The soto ayam was just a spicy soup with a few sad pieces of chicken and some strings of glass noodles. But I did enjoy it, as it was very tasty, with plenty of spices and MSG! lol!
Oh the satay babi!! This satay babi I think was the best thing we had during our whole stay in Bali! And the cheapest too! (Only 30sen per stick) It was soooo juicy and tender and tasty! No wonder there was such a large crowd waiting for this heavenly satay! It was wrapped in paper and served with whole chillies and salt. Sigh.... yummy...
This is Segara Asian, at Discovery Mall, Kuta, right on the beach and facing the sunset! It was definitely a magical location. Unfortunately when we were there, the sun was behind the clouds :( But it was still a pleasant evening, with a magnificent view.
The place is lovely, with a pool and huge colourful paper lanterns.
The food however was just slightly above average.
L-R: Duck three ways/ virgin pina colada and Bintang beer/ grilled cuttlefish
So that was the food chapter.... diving chapter next!
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