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 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

Lunch @ Beef & Liberty

來自上海的Beef & Liberty，在金鐘星街開了於香港的首間分店，標榜專做用草飼牛肉的高質素漢堡飽。餐廳在Pizza Express樓上，要進去用Pizza Express的升降機才能到達，比較難找。主菜如Cheese Burger ($92) 和Bacon Cheese Burger ($108)都不錯，但比預期中小份，而我們也吃不出牛肉有甚麼與別不同。反而前菜Crispy Chicken Wings ($62/4 pieces) 頗出色，雞皮香脆，雞肉嫩滑，加上韓式辣醬，互相配合得很美味。相比之下，Beef & Liberty的招牌漢堡包比較遜色，缺乏獨特魅力，而價錢也較貴，午餐大概每人＄200 到＄250。

If only J has made her hatred for Chinese food less explicit, we wouldn't have the chance to go to the recently opened Beef & Liberty for her sort-of farewell lunch last weekend.  Nestled on top of the Pizza Express on Star Street in Admiralty,  most of us are misled by its name and thought it's a burger joint run by the Liberty Exchange group, but Beef & Liberty is actually a Shanghainese brand which is known for using 100% Australian grass-fed cattle for its high quality burgers, or so it claims. 

The weather was rather cool and gloomy that day.  Yves and Brown Sugar, being their sporty-selves, suggested we walk from Causeway Bay to the restaurant which seemed far at first, but it only took us around 20 minutes to get there in the end.  When we arrived at the building, we saw T standing at the entrance for Pizza Express, looking clueless by himself.  It turned out that to be able to get up to Beef & Liberty on 3/F, we needed to use the elevator at Pizza Express, and this was confusing.  

Once the elevator opened to 3/F, a friendly waitress greeted us with a smile and led us to our booth next to the window.  Although the restaurant wasn't a big place, its high ceilings and decoration rendered a casual and hip vibe.  The booth was however quite small for 6 people.  When we saw that there was a very reasonably priced "All Day Set" on the menu, we were quite excited until C drew our attention to the smaller print underneath which stated that "All Day Set" was not available on weekends, which was a total bummer!  As J and Julie were "fashionably/excusably/absolutely" late again, we decided to order some drinks first.  The price tags of this place were on the hefty side and lunch was priced at around $200 to $250 per person. 

(1) The drinks we ordered failed on multiple levels and it was definitely not the best way to start our meal.  The Liberty Iced Peppermint Tea ($32) Brown Sugar ordered looked good but tasted like normal iced tea soaked in peppermint leafs with too much ice. 

(2) We knew we wouldn't be getting freshly squeezed lemonades for the Liberty Fresh Lemonade ($32) but this un-fresh drink could use a more suiting name: iced lemon water.  It was so tasteless and bland, and we were disappointed to tears to have to pay for this. 

(3) Our table of 6 decided to order some starters to share.  The Crispy Chicken Wings ($62/4 pieces) with Korean spicy sauce were intensely satisfying.  The size for each chicken wing was big enough.  Although the use of Korean spicy sauce was perhaps inspired by the widely popular Korean TV show, we were certainly blown away by the alluring spiciness and the delightfully crispy skin.  Speaking as a lover for wings, this dish was absolutely enticing for my tastebuds and was easily one of the most memorable dishes! 

(4) The Sticky Rib Fingers ($68) were slow roasted US pork ribs covered in honey bbq marinade and spring onions.   But there was just simply much more bone than meat for this dish with an overwhelming taste of honey sauce which made my fingers fairly sticky. 

(5) Julie, being just back in town, went for the classic Cheese Burger ($92) with beef, cheddar cheese, butter lettuce, pickles, and house BBQ sauce.  You can tell the waitress how cooked you want your beef to be and Julie opted for Medium Rare. The burger was accomplished where the beef was exquisitely juicy and tender, while melted cheddar cheese and the house BBQ sauce composed a complex and fine taste!  Though we couldn't tell the difference between their grass-fed beef and the other ones (i.e. the grain-fed ones), we were satisfied but we just wish the portion could be bigger! 

(6) Yves and J ordered the same Cheese Burger but they added extra $20 for it to be served in a bowl.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept, it is a more healthy option for those counting carbs, and the Cheese Burger would come with a tender leaf salad without the buns!  But we couldn't help but wish the salad could use more salad dressing or some more citrus elements to help balance the fattiness of the beef and they could also keep the house BBQ sauce too! 

(7) The Bacon Cheese Burger ($108) T and C ordered was delicious.  The beef was tender and moist, and the bacon had a fabulously crispy and chewy texture, and they were always a fantastic match to me!  The cheese and house bbq sauce further accentuated the indulgent flavours! 

(8) The Green Chili Burger ($98) ordered by Brown Sugar was marvellously prepared with green chili sauce and jalapeno relish.  The mayo and the beef complemented the spicy flavors well but stronger flavouring was needed. 

Overall remarks:  Burgers at Beef & Liberty were delicious but they were not particularly outstanding. We don't need to be having top quality beef burgers to enjoy a meal- most meals I have are far from good or healthy but I like them and I enjoy them.  Beef & Liberty's biggest disappointment is wasting a perfectly good opportunity to become the next hit burger joint in Hong Kong and being unable to live up to its expensive price tags and our high expectations it set up.  If only the dishes were worthy of the restaurant, it does just about everything right -- the decoration, the service and the goodwill idea.  For a farewell party, we were happy with its ambience.  For a burger place, it is just a blank void as vacuous as the brand itself. 

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

INFO

Beef & Liberty 
2/F, 23 Wing Fung St., Admiralty 金鐘永豐街23號2樓
Telephone: 3460 4900