Category: Travels

Bali 2013: Day 2

Phew, finally I found some time to blog about this trip. Read the 1st day here.

On our 2nd day in Bali, we decided to check out Kuta Beach.

After taking two pictures of the beach, we left. Even then I felt like we had stayed far too long.

Firstly, it was hellishly hot! I felt like I was going to melt. My feet were burning, it was like walking on burning glass. Secondly, there were so many touts! I don’t like touts, leave me alone!

# – Kuta Beach picture 1.

# – Kuta Beach picture 2.

After spending less than 5 minutes there, we left Kuta Beach in our rental van to go to Tanah Lot. As usual, we were stuck in a traffic jam. Almost an hour before we managed to leave Kuta alone!

# – Traffic jam. Yawns.

While stuck in the jam, I tried this coconut juice in a packet. I was a bit skeptical cause packeted coconut juice sold in Malaysia are nasty. This one was very nice though.

# – Hydro Coco.

Finally we reached Tanah Lot! I was mistaken as a local and got my ticket dirt cheap. Too bad G will never pass of as local anywhere in Asia :P

# – My ticket only 10,000 rupiah, whereas G’s was 30,000 rupiah. Score!

There were so many people at Tanah Lot! I thought to myself, Tanah Lot would be such an amazing place if it was quieter. Too bad it’s never going to be that way.

# – Tanah Lot entrance.

# – Tanah Lot.

We joined the trail of people queuing up to be blessed with holy water.

# – Holy water.

# – Q-ing up.

I think we donated like 5000 rupiah each for some rice to be stuck to our foreheads and frangipanis behind our ears. We also got to wash our hands and face with the holy water.

# – Getting blessed.

Then we went up the side of the temple, but we were not allowed to go all the way up. So we hung around the stone staircase for a bit and camwhored.

# – Trying to be artistic.

After mucking around for a bit, we decided we had enough so we started exploring the nearby shops.

# – Saw phallic carvings.

# – Saw coffee beans pooped out by civet cats.

Then we went to sit down at one of the restaurants overlooking Tanah Lot. We decided to wait for the sunset.

# – Camwhored again.

By now, I must had taken over 200 shots of Tanah Lot from various angles permissible by how much I could twist and turn my arms. But I ain’t posting any of them.

Then, the sun set.

# – Pretty.

On the way back, we stopped by a pretty famous Babi Guling restaurant called “Babi Guling Chandra” in Denpasar, found by my white husband.

During this trip, we went to two babi guling places and while both were good I prefer Chandra more.

# – Babi Guling Chandra.

# – Babi guling special. Delicious!

The meat was really moist, the urap (some kinda salad) was juicy, crunchy and flavourful, the sambal packed a punch, the satay was meaty & juicy, the crackling O M G!! They ran out of the crispy skin but I didn’t miss it.

And then, I absent-mindedly bought two bags of cracklings called “Krupuk Babi Rejeki”.

# – Yeap, I forgot to take pictures of them so these I nicked from somebody else. Krupuk Babi Rejeki

I wish had bought more cause ladies & gentlemen those are the best gawddamn cracklings I have ever tasted in my life. It was crunchy but not jaw breakingly so. It was so well-seasoned, once you popped you can’t stop. It cost 40,000 rupiah a bag and it’s so worth it. Amazing stuff.

Apparently you can only get them in Babi Guling Chandra, so don’t miss it.

Babi Guling Chandra
Jl. Teuku Umar 140
Denpasar – Bali
Tel: +62361 221278

Till the next post!

Bali 2013: Day 1

We went to Bali for hubs’s 35th birthday. Can you believe it, neither of us have been there despite wanting to for the longest time. I think in some silly ways we were a little spooked by the so-called Bali curse…apparently unmarried couples who have been to Bali together will break-up.

Of course I think it’s all bollocks since about 50% of couples whether married or unmarried will break up eventually (don’t ask where I derived the figure, just look around you, man). So if you’re going to split, leave Bali out of the equation.

That said, you never know.

Because it’s for the hubs birthday, I decided to eschew the budget carrier and paid full price for comfort and emergency exit row seats. It was a 3 hour flight after all, not long but not too short either.

# – On our way to airport.

Then, I was sandwiched between my 6’5″ tall husband (nice) and a dude with spillover back flesh who kept camhoring in the plane (not nice).

We stayed at Rama Beach & Villas in our own private garden villa. It’s in Kuta, 10 minutes from airport (with some traffic) and 10 minute walk to Kuta beach.

# – Nice king sized bed.

# – Our garden.

Got the place from TravelZoo, which is my favourite website for holiday deals. The deal I bought included free massages, airport transfers, daily breakfast and etc.

Before leaving, I mailed the resort to check if they could leave a note in our room on the day we check-in wishing my husband happy birthday. Instead, they surprised us with a delicious moist chocolate birthday cake. I was really pleased! Wonderful, wonderful service.

# – Cake!

# – Happy birthday to hubs.

We lazed around for a bit before collecting our car key from Best Bali Car Rental. I recommend their service because it’s very stress free, everything was done via the website and emails. Most importantly, very reasonably priced. I also rented a GPS device from them. Full payment upon picking up of the vehicle.

They will drop off and pick up the car at airport or your hotel, so very convenient. Full payment upon picking up of the vehicle. I chose the self-drive package for more freedom.

We initially wanted to rent a Suzuki Jimny for novelty as well as cheap, alas they proved too popular. Our Jimny was replaced with an Avanza for the same price. It was a comfortable ride until something happened…will talk about this in subsequent post :P

Petrol was quite cheap, about RM50 for a full tank but only Ron92. If you saw the word “Solar” at the fuel pumps, becareful cause it’s actually diesel. One of the attendants were literally running towards us screaming Nooo in slow motion when the hubs reached out to use the “Solar” pump.

# – Token camho picture. My comfy holiday garb…flowy loose top, harem pants and sandals.

For our first dinner in Bali, we headed to Ubud for Naughty Nuri’s Warung & Grill pork ribs.

# – In our ride for the next few days.

It was a little over an hour’s drive thanks to the narrow roads and heavy traffic. We were okay though because we took it as an opportunity to check out Bali.

# – Naughty Nuri.

The environment was really cozy with paintings, vintage & humourous posters. The ribs? They were to DIE FOR!

# – My favourite painting at Naughty Nuri’s.

# – Pork ribs…yummy yum yum.

# – Clean bones.

We also ate other dishes like grilled pork sausage, fried potato wedges, salads and chicken satay. We added another portion of ribs later on.

# – The chicken satay.

Our bill came up to 409,400 rupiah, about RM130 with beers. Quite reasonable.

# – The bill.

Naughty Nuri’s Warung & Grill
Jl. Raya Sanggingan
Ubud, Bali
GPS: S8.49243 E115.25328
Phone: (361)977547
8am-10pm daily

Another hour drive back to hotel later…we crashed, but not after popping by a convenience store opposite the resort for local beers and snacks.

Till next post!

Review: Degustation at Bluestone Restaurant, Melbourne.

On my final night in Melbourne, I decided to treat myself to a degustation menu. I did my research and booked Bluestone for its proximity to my hotel (walking distance), the price, and the reviews – generally good.

# – The entrance.

I reached at 7pm sharp and was their very first diner. A very pleasant middle-aged man whose name has now escaped me showed me my table, and asked if I would like some wines. I asked for tap water instead and it was served to me with a smile.

# – Bluestone Restaurant.

I was also served some freshly made bread with extra virgin olive oil and this curious thing that was beetroot infused salt.

# – Bread dipped in evoo and beetroot infused salt. Unusual but tasty.

My first course soon came. I was slightly disappointed with the portion but then I remembered I had 7 more dishes to come. Haih, asians!

# – Hiramasa kingfish sashimi with wasabi emulsion, finger lime and pickled radish.

I wasn’t particularly wowed. To me, there were too many tart ingredients (even the wasabi emulsion was sour) for such a small of amount of fish. I could hardly enjoy the natural taste of the fish, and to my untrained palate, it might as well be chicken. I was looking forward to the next dish…also fish.

# – Pan seared ocean trout with blood orange sorbet.

What a winner! Flaky, fatty fish with still crispy skin. Absolutely delicious with the mild blood orange sorbet. I love hot & cold dishes and this was one of my favourites of the night.

Then, it was poultry time!

# – Smoked duck breast with sprouts and berries.

Look at how pink the duck breast was – loved it. This was also a favourite of mine, the duck was neither over nor underdone. The sweet berries complimented the savoury duck while the sprouts sneaked in now and then to keep flavours from getting too overwhelming. GORGEOUS!

# – Brocollini sorbet.

I had to look up “brocollini”. Apparently it’s a cross between brocolli and kailan. And it did taste like a mixture of both vegetables! Very refreshing and made a wonderful palate cleanser.

Next up, the crustacean.

# – Grilled Morton Bay Bug with buddha’s hand sabayon.

I was looking forward to this dish the entire night. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the least favourite of mine. I think it had something to do with the restaurant having a really busy night. The lobster was ghastly overcooked and the sabayon was so salty it no longer held any citrus flavour of buddha’s hand :(

I did tell the staff what I thought. He later came back and told me that they’ve tasted it and agreed it was too salty even for a savoury sabayon.

Well, 1 out of 8 isn’t bad at all. I prefer to focus on the good dishes.

# – Flinders Island Wallaby with bush pepper & capsicum paint and chard parcel.

Loved every single element on its own and together. It was my first time eating wallaby and I could only describe it as buttery, melt-in-your-mouth beef like meat without the beef odour. Someone showed me a picture of a wallaby which is like a small kangaroo…so cute. But it’s so delicious!!!

The next dish was gazpacho, made with strawberries instead of tomatoes. Hmmm.

# – Strawberry gazpacho laced with balsamic reduction.

I wasn’t expecting so much sweetness it being a gazpacho and all but who am I kidding, it is strawberries we’re talking about! The sweetness from the fruit was cleverly calmed down by the balsamic reduction though. I enjoyed it very much and thought it’s a wonderful prelude to the next dish – DESSERT!

# – Rosella cheesecake with baby wild limes and macademias.

HOLEEEEEEEEEEE MOLEEEE! The highlight of my night! I thought the deconstruction of the cheesecake was brilliant, especially great for people like me who dig cheese more than the base. The cheesecake was so smooth and luxurious, the crushed macademias a perfect companion with sweet & fragrant roselle syrup and tart baby wild limes. What a combination. I was eating this so slowly trying to maximise my enjoyment. Later, I regretted not ordering an extra plate.

Finished my fantastic dinner with a cup of hot Earl Grey tea, which should be drank with everything. I love earl grey tea, I drink it everyday but Gareth thinks it tastes like dishwashing liquid. Different strokes for different folks.

# – Like an Earl.

At AUD$99 for 8 courses without wines ($160 with matching wines), I thought it was very reasonably priced. The other restaurants I looked at all mostly started from AUD$110 without wines.

Overall, I had a very enjoyable time. Although I was alone and it was full house, I was never short of attention. Yes, service was a little slow due to the crowd and they had only 3 frontliners that night but my glass was never empty and that says a lot I think.

Bluestone Restaurant,
349, Flinders Lane,
Melbourne 3000
Tel: +61396204060
https://www.bluestonerestaurant.com.au/