One of the most popular streets in Bali is Jalan Legian; the long main road that leads to Kuta on one side and Seminyak on the other. This street is loaded with shops and restaurants and is obviously a great spot for the tourist to wander around on.

One of the restaurants located on Jalan Legian is the old time favorite Café Sendok (sendok = spoon). Whenever we walk or drive by this place it is always lively. Happy tourists are sitting at the bar, enjoying a cold Bintang beer or sitting at the tables, chatting and laughing about their adventures. Though this place is German oriented, the tourists are from every corner of the world. I guess this is because the restaurant looks inviting.

So this time I get to be that happy tourist (again). Though living in Bali feels like a permanent holiday, somehow you just don’t hang around in the tourist areas that often anymore.
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Recently, we drove through the busy streets of Seminyak and we had a great laugh! A big banner said there was going to be a new restaurant and the name sounded quite familiar; Mannekepis

Mannekepis is the famous statue of Brussels, Belgium. This statue, a naked little boy doing the number one, can also be found at the entrance of the Mannekpis Bistro in Seminyak. “Great name”, we all said to each other. And soon after that; “I hope they are going to serve Belgian fries!”

Mannekepis opened its doors on the 21st of December. And a few days after, we we’re invited to grab a bite over there.
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Quite some time I was planning to pay a visit to the Umalas Stables, to see the horses and check what they have to offer for riding lessons. So the invitation of the Lestari Restaurant brought me the chance to have some nice dinner and see the beautiful animals over there. As you might understand, the brand new Lestari Restaurant (opened in June 2007) is located in the Umalas Stables.

It was already dark, but the nice security guy of the place showed us around the stables with a flashlight (I guess the horses can be a little cranky when you disturb them while resting) and he guided us to the restaurant. Basically we just had to follow the path and head for the many tiny lights in the back of the place.
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Queen’s Tandoor is located in Seminyak’s main street, Jl. Raya Seminyak. We arrived around 12:00 pm or so. It was a lunch that I will not soon forget. First of all; you get a welcomed Indian feeling by its decoration, which is a blend of a rich Indian colonial style.

We were directed upstairs and sat down at a table directly next to the window, enjoying a view of the ever-busy Jl. Raya Seminyak. When the manager came to our table to take our drink order he asked what we would like to have as a drink to start our lunch. I was thinking, “would it be a beer or something really typical Indian?”. I might get beer anywhere else (although due to the recent alcohol importing problems in Bali, beer will probably run out in a few moments), but something Indian is a different story. (more…)

Walking through Jl. Werkudara is a fun activity. It’s busy and vibrating and the traffic is rushing by. Inside Yut’z place it’s a different world. It’s directly located at the sidewalk, but once inside you don’t feel rushed up anymore but surrounded by happy tourists, soft ambience music and pleasant smells from the kitchen.

A welcome drink is always a good idea, especially when it’s a frozen margarita. So Yut’z Place got that part right for sure!

Looking through the menu we were almost overwhelmed by the choices, so we asked what was recommended. We decided to take a salad first and some garlic bread, and as a main we took the recommended Fillet Steak, a German sausage and a Hungarian goulash. As you can read, Yut’z place is Swiss / German orientated restaurant. And not only the food, also the interior has some cozy European influences mixed with lots of candle lights and modern art.

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