Day 4 in Bali: Lunch @ Sardine

We were skeptical about going to Sardine after Jas told us she wouldn't recommend this place for such a short trip.  But on our last day in Bali, we just couldn't resist going there for lunch before heading to the airport and we were definitely blown away by it! 

The decorum was absolutely charming with an indoor dining area within a bamboo hut and an outdoor sofa area and both overlook the gorgeously beautiful green rice fields.  The view was stellar and impeccable, and tantalizingly natural!  

Like the name of the shop suggested, the menu comprised mainly of various kinds of fish. The service was acceptable and they seemed attentive enough and they could explain the dish and give recommendations which proved to be quite helpful. Lunch was priced at around HK$150 to HK$200 per person. 

(1) We started with the Tuna Tartare (HK$60) which was served with Avocado & Wakame Seaweed Salad.   It was nicely flavourful but the seaweed salad was the star of the dish and it was very delicious and comforting. 

(2) The Sautéed Prawns (HK$80) on Green Papaya Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing was another excellent starter!  The sautéed prawns were exquisitely juicy and tender and the green papaya salad acted as a right citrus element to balance the oceanic taste of the prawns! 

(3) The main dish took a while to come and we had to remind the waitresses that we had a flight to catch.  The Pan Roasted Mahi Mahi (HK$90) was served with Curried Rice, Sautéed Greens, Cucumber Raita.  The Mahi Mahi was not as tender and fresh as D expected, and the curried rice lacked the chewy texture rice normally had.  

(4) The Grilled Hamachi (HK$100) served with Virgin Olive Oil & Preserved Lemon, Citrus Pearl Barley, Herb & Calamaris Salad was delicious.  The Hamachi was nicely grilled to achieve a fabulously firm and chewy texture, and the side salad was super fresh and simply unmissable!

When we were waiting for our food to come, we walked around the lovely rice field and took pictures there.  The environment was just incredibly magical and the gorgeous view must be seen in person,  and we were just fairly happy to be able to witness this place in person. 

Overall remarks:  It's hard to imagine not liking Sardine on one level or another.  No, it isn't crazily imaginative fine dining French cuisine, nor does it serve authentic Balinese food, but its ambience  flawlessly matches with its food and environment--rice fields never look so beautiful and charming before. These were definitely some wonderful and memorable images to end our short trip in Bali! 

Food: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Ambience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Service: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

INFO

Sardine (website)
Jln. Petitenget No 21, Kerobokan, Kerobokan, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Telephone: 62 361 843 6333

Day 3 in Bali: Snorkeling trip @ Adventure Scuba Diving Bali

Every now and then when I see my friend's snorkeling pictures on Facebook, it seemed like such an easy and fun activity, and I always wanted to try it.  And I finally did during my trip in Bali! We called up Adventure Scuba Diving a few days before our trip and Sam, the owner of the company, was very helpful as he explained to us what the logistics were and the payment method.  He even offered to meet us at Made's Warung on our first day in Bali to collect our payment. 

It was a perfect weather to go diving on Sunday.  Our trip began at 7:15 a.m. (it might sound early, but the sunshine definitely woke us up at 6-ish) and our diving master said she would come pick us up at Jas' place.  But as Jas' place was a bit hard to find, we met at the Umalas Hotel and Residence instead.  Once we arrived there, we were immediately greeted by a pretty and friendly Australian girl, Prashanti, who smiled and introduced herself as Pea.  As our road trip began in her van, we realized it was a private lesson with only her and this made the whole experience even more personal than we thought!  

Pea told us where we were going and brought us to a cute coffee shop called Anomali Coffee for breakfast and coffee to go.  Pea recommended the banana cake there and we thought it was really delicious and it was the perfect breakfast food!

The drive was about 1.5 hours to a bay called Padangbai and the time flew by as Pea shared with us enthusiastically about her passion for diving and her love for the ocean and animals and she even told us her life story.  Pea often joked with us but she was also very professional at the same time, reminding us that the two main principles for diving trips were "Safe and Fun".  By the end of the drive, we would have learned the different hand gestures for various kinds of fish, the cool restaurants in Bali, and that Pea knew how to speak Indonesian.  

Once Pea parked her car, she brought us to a nearby restaurant at the beach where we could use their toilets to get changed into our swim suits.  Pea inserted our SD card into her underwater camera which proved to be super handy.   After everything was set and ready, we sailed out on a boat to the Blue Lagoon, which was about 5 minutes away, and we officially started our snorkeling adventure!

The currents were quite strong at first, and although Pea taught us how to breathe using the face mask, once we were in the water, we instantly felt like we were in the movie Gravity, with absolutely no control of our bodies!  Thankfully Pea came to the rescue! And as she patiently and skillfully led us to the sea, she showed us how to snorkel like a pro.   It was like a fantasy- came-true when we were below the water and saw the fish- and there were many!  Pea was so casual and calm that made us feel so at ease.  She also demonstrated several duck-dives (which were pretty cool!) and helped us take pictures, and she even picked up the snorkeling fin we dropped in the sea and helped us get back on! 

We had a total of 2 snorkeling sessions in total, and each session was 45-minute long.  Despite not being very good with water, Pea still encouraged us and said we were fantastic and impressive.  Time in the water flew by quickly, and after we finished, we returned to the restaurant at the beach and had lunch with Pea where she ordered a Nasi Campur for us.  Nasi Campur was different from Nasi Goreng as it was served with various kinds of meats, peanuts and fried shrimp krupuk.  We were all very hungry after snorkeling, and the dish certainly tasted authentic and hearty enough to satisfy us. 

The ride home was smooth and Pea even turned on her personal hotspot for us so that we could use her wi-fi in her van.  She showed us the amazing pictures of the fish and coral reefs she took and told us she would send us the pictures later.  After Pea dropped us at Jas' place, it was almost 3 p.m.  I quickly realized I'd left my sunglasses in her van, so we called her up to see if she had them.  Pea was so nice that she offered to bring the shades back to Jas' place when she didn't have to! So we got to see her the next morning again and we hope to see that happy face again very soon! 

Overall remarks:  As my first time snorkeling, it was a truly amazing and memorable experience and this was all because of Pea's dedication and professional attitude.  Of course, we also have to give credit to her fun, down-to-earth and overtly friendly personality which made Pea someone we respect and admire!   A snorkeling day-trip was priced at US$100 per person and we thought we got more than we paid for: an adventure in the  stunning and beautiful ocean with a cheerful and wonderful girl, and we cannot help but love this unique and breathtaking experience!  Adventure Scuba Diving is definitely highly recommended!  Do yourself a favour- book a snorkeling trip with them and try to go with the one and only Pea!

Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Safety: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Service: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

INFO

Adventure Scuba Diving Bali (website)
Telephone: 62 (0) 821 4571 1594

Day 2 in Bali: Lunch @ Potato Head Beach Club

We woke up to a new sensation the next morning - extremely hot and very, very sunny!  The good weather made us want to go out and dive into a swimming pool right away (and we did so literally at Jas' place).  After Jas went to her Saturday pilate class, we headed out for lunch at the Potato Head Beach Club.  Jas recommended us to try the Asian restaurant, Lilin, there, and we made a reservation accordingly.  

Once we arrived at the Potato Head Beach Club (it was a very short drive from Jas' place) in Seminyak at 11:30 a.m., our first expression was "WTF!" when we saw that the day-beds near the infinity pool were all occupied already!  These people definitely woke up early!  Without the day-beds, it would be quite inconvenient to go swimming.  Not only were we frustrated about not being able to get a bed, the poor service further infuriated us!  The girl at the reception was absolutely horrendous at conveying useful information and for example, we didn't know we needed to wait-list for the day-bed and we didn't know that there would be a HK$500 minimum spending for the day-bed.   And after being wait-listed  we didn't know how they were going to inform us because we would be sitting in the restaurant... Since the Potato Head Beach Club restaurant was closer to the swimming pool, and there was practically no one at the Asian restaurant, we decided to settle down at the Potato Head Beach Club restaurant for lunch instead. 

The Potato Head Beach Club restaurant had both indoor and outdoor sections, with its cool  modern and stylish decoration with lots and lots of colourful wooden teak shutters and natural lighting that looked like a villa of paradise and we definitely felt comfortable and relaxed despite our frustration.  We chose the outdoor section which faced the beach.  The menu was quite limited and heavily focused on the typical American casual food with American prices. Guess Uncle Sam rules here! Lunch was priced at around HK$150 to HK$200 per person. 

(1) We were fairly parched when we got there so we immediately ordered some Fresh Coconut and it was disappointing.  The Coconut juice tasted very sour and was not cold at all! 

(2) The Wagyu Beef Burger (HK$155) was served with PH Burger Sauce, Romaine Lettuce, Tomatoes, Dill Pickles and Fries and it was simply the perfect brunch food!  The lightly toasted buns were crispy, and the beef was lean and juicy with the right amount of PH Burger Sauce that left us with an intense taste (although we couldn't tell it's Wagyu Beef, it didn't matter!) D also noted that the steaming fries were excellently fried and very delicious!

(2) The Grilled Chicken with Herbed Mustard (HK$140) came with the Roasted Pumpkin, Feta, Spinach, Tomato, Balsamic Jus and had a fabulously tender and moist texture.  The chicken was wonderfully grilled and the roasted pumpkin was delicious.  The balsamic sauce was also unmissable.  This dish would not disappoint. 

During our lunch, we saw that many more people were constantly arriving (mostly tourists) and were all waiting for the day-beds as well.  After we finished our food, we were quickly informed that our day-bed was finally available, so we happily moved to our day-bed and were ready for a swim.  Once we settled down at our bed, we were amazed by the view which was magical in every way- the infinity pool was fantastically gorgeous!  It was definitely worth waiting for! (I would suggest bringing an extra towel though). 

Overall remarks:  Many beach resorts had a fantastic pool and beach, but Potato Head Beach Club was even more magical and beautiful because of its impeccable infinity pool and that made this a very special and exclusive experience if you are able to ignore the glaring problems with the service.  Although the dishes were simple, they were good enough for its price  Do come here earlier to get a day-bed (as there were not many) to avoid the long wait or else prepare yourself for the possibility of experiencing some of the worst service!  

Food: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Ambience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Service: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

INFO

Potato Head Beach Club (website)
Jln. Petitenget, Seminyak, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Telephone: 62 361 475 7979