CALIFORNIA-MEXICAN BAR & RESTAURANT

Our first vacation to Bali was back in 2002 and during the three weeks, my partner and I went to TJ’s twice. We really loved that place. Tourism figures dropped enormously that year, so we were practically the only ones there. In the menu we had to read the sad fact that they had to cut out more then half of the dishes, to guarantee fresh ingredients for the clients.

Now, six years later, TJ’s is fully back in business and it’s packed! We would not expect anything less because TJ’s has been around for what feels like forever, so they managed to cope with the bad years and Kuta wouldn’t be Kuta without TJ’s.

When you’re a tourist in Bali you definitely want to try some of the local specialties. But trust me, when you stay in Bali for more then a week, you will probably have had enough of the Nasi Campurs, Soto Ayams and Babi Guling. You want to try something else, but you’ll probably not want to eat the food you eat back home.

I’ve never been to Mexico but I sure know what Mexican food is. And with the same temperatures in Bali as in Mexico, it’s not that strange to grab some crispy Nachos, stuffed Enchiladas and refreshing Margaritas while you’re in the tropics. And one of the best places to eat Mexican in Bali for sure is TJ’s.

While shopping for more souvenirs from Bali, head over to Poppies Lane One and Two and while you’re at it, satisfy your appetite at TJ’s. Though both Poppies One and Two are quite hectic with all the souvenir-sellers trying to shrink the weight of your wallet, TJ’s is more laid back and has a whole different atmosphere. This medium sized restaurant has a colorful Mexican/Asian interior and you can choose to lounge on the sofas or sit up straight near the pond side where lush greenery is growing freely.

Once seated, order a cocktail. These are not to be missed. Margaritas are good, but personally I really like the one called ‘Coco Nuts’. It reminded me a bit of a Pina Colada, but more coco-nutty. The cocktails go really well with the crispy Nachos that are well covered on the menu in many variations and with all kind of dips.

For main course you have plenty of choices. The kind owner Nigel recommended some dishes for us and we decided to go for Beef Fajitas, a Beef Burger and a Mexican Nasi Campur (which is a great dish when you cannot decide what to eat). After ordering we had a nice chat with Nigel about his restaurant (which has already been around for more then 24 years!) and about life in Bali. But the food was already coming, so we postponed the chat a bit and dug in.

The Beef Fajitas is a great dish because you get to experience the ritual of wrapping it yourself and choose your fillings. The beef is presented on a hot sizzling plate, the wraps within a cloth napkin to keep them warm and last but not least; 5 different sauces to accompany your meal. What a feast, I always tend to eat too fast when I have these many choices. While chewing I was already wondering what the next bite would taste like.

My colleagues were also very satisfied with their choices. The Mexican Nasi Campur is a colorful dish with many small ’samples’ of other main courses. The Beef Burger was tasty as well, with a good sized piece of meat, crispy fries, fair amount of salad and even some Chili Beans to make it Mexican.

After the delicious meal we sat down at the bar with Nigel to continue our chat. And what is better than getting some real Tequila shots after a good Mexican meal? Well, make sure you take it easy and don’t do more then one or two, because that Tequila is kicking! As you might have guessed I slept really peacefully that night. But it for sure was a great evening at TJ’s and worth visiting again.

Service: ****
Food: ****
Price / Quality: ***
Atmosphere / Interior: ****
Price Range: $$$

$= 0-80.000 $$=80.000-150.000 $$$=150.000-250.000 $$$$=250.000+ (price in RP p.p. / food + drinks)

Visit TJ’s profile here: http://www.barudibali.com/tjs

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