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

Brunch @ Le Salon Restaurant et Croissanterie

C visited Le Salon Restaurant et Croissanterie, a newly opened French restaurant in Hysan Place, with family for Mother's Day.  While it is known for its unique flavoured croissant, it's perhaps even more famous for its chef Mr. Tony Cheng, and for being the sister restaurant of another renowned fine dining restaurant the Drawing Room. 

We were seated near the window with a wonderful view of Causeway Bay. The chairs are comfortable and quite fancy too. Le Salon means "the living room" in French so it had a more casual atmosphere but the black and white colour scheme imparted a rather modern and clean charm to the restaurant; for a moment C thought they were eating in some five-star hotel. 

The restaurant was not too packed when we arrived, so we got to enjoy the peace and the attentive service from the staffs who were mostly fluent-English speaking and tall young men. 

(1) C found the Sauteed Prawn with French Chanterelle Mushroom, Spinach & Topped with Bayonne Ham a pleasant surprise. C was not a big fan of prawn, but the sauce was definitely delicious and felt like a perfect complement to the fresh prawn. 

(2) Mom ordered a French Chicken Salad with passion fruit and mustard dressing, and it was a good choice for a starter. The citrous taste of passion fruit mixed with the spicy mustard dressing really calmed your stomach and prepared it for what to come. The chicken was not too dry and still warm and tender.

(3) C's personal favourite was the Cream Mushroom Soup. The cream was not too thick and it was a great alternative if you like soup.

(4) Mom's Seafood Ravioli stuffed with Tiger Prawn, Scallop, Fish Fillet, Creamy Porcini & served with Spinach Puree turned out to be a fine, light choice for the ladies. It was not too heavy, but each ravioli was stuffed with rich flavours that melted adoringly in your mouth. The spinach puree was well done for adding extra flavours to the raviolis.

(5) Dad's Pan-fried Tenderloin and Braised Short Rib was decent. The short rib was amazingly braised with an alluring fatty taste which was better than most places.  

(6) The Pan-fried Leather Jacket Fish Fillet was both exciting and surprising- it was super crusty on the outside, but the middle was warm and tender. To dip it in the white sauce was sheer deliciousness.

(7) The French Choux Pastry with Praline Cream was rather disappointing. Although it was visually appealing, it was just to creamy and tasted so-so.

(8) I liked the Lemon Tart with Lemon & Lime Sorbet a lot. The warm tart with the chilly lime sorbet just worked superbly well together.

(9) I also ordered a Tiramisu Croissant just to see what the hype was about. The taste was unique but the result was very average and, sorry to say, I did not understand how people would line up for it.

VERDICT

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

Overall remarks: Le Salon Restaurant et Croissanterie is an acceptable place for French cuisine if you know what to expect. The food and ambience are above average, the view was impressive and the price was very reasonable for what it had to offer. The lunch was very enjoyable with C's family. 

INFO

Le Salon Restaurant et Croissanterie (website)

Shop 1302, 13/F, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay

Lunch Set $188 for main and dessert per person, $238 for starter and main per person, $268 for all 3 courses per person