Sometimes, we just want to indulge in a little bit of fancy eating without shelling out more than Rp 250,000.
Lucky for us in Bali, we can. Whether it’s because you’ve had too many jajanan pinggir jalan and your Bali-belly body is begging for nicer food, or whether you are wanting a little bit of luxury because all you’ve eaten lately is warung meals, we’ve put together a list of restaurant specials where you can experience champagne taste on a beer budget.
1. SEMINYAK ITALIAN FOOD
Italian classics meet whatever fresh produce is in season, overlooking Double Six Beach. If ravishing beautiful pasta and sipping Italian wine while you hear the waves crashing doesn’t sound like luxury to you then, well, you must be really hard to please.
If it does sound like your kind of luxury, Seminyak Italian Food has lunch specials from Monday to Friday where you can enjoy select pasta dishes (there are six to choose from) and a glass of wine for just Rp 160,000++. If you’re not a wine aficionado, you can swap it for a bottle of Heineken or juice and soft drinks.
2. MOZAIC BEACH CLUB
The hip and trendy Mozaic Beach Club has a different special for every day of the week. The food specials, ranging from tapas (Mediterranean and kaki lima style) to Aussie scotch-fillet, are all priced Rp 250,000++ and under, though if you want to include drinks with that you might have to shell out a bit more rupiahs.
On Thursdays and Fridays, you can get the works for less than Rp 250,000++. On Thursdays, you can munch on grilled-chicken, peri peri sauce and fries—accompanied with a beer for Rp 170,000++. Fridays are the day to chow down some beer battered fish and chips (served fusion style with curry and chunky tartar sauce of course, we are in Asia after all) and then guzzle down some ice-cold albens cider, all for Rp 190,000++.
3. METIS
You’d think that eating a two-course or three-course French-Mediterranean cuisine would cost you an arm and a leg—especially if the location is in the middle of a luscious Bali rice paddy. But a weekday lunch at Metis (if you choose the set lunch special) will only set you back Rp 105,000++ for a two-course meal and Rp 140,000++ for a three-course meal.
As far as fine-dining on a budget goes, Metis’ lunch menu is definitely a winner, with dishes such as salmon and prawn terrine with lemon fresh herb mayonnaise. A perfect date spot if you’re looking to impress or sweep a certain someone off their feet without causing too much of a dent in your wallet!
4. CHANDI
Pan-Asian fusion has never tasted so good. In this “glamour-meets-health-nut” eatery, appropriately located smack bang in the middle of Seminyak, you can lunch on a range of exceptional foods at a bargain.
The lunch set menu at Chandi costs just Rp 120,000++ for a two-course meal and Rp 145,000++ for a three-course meal. You can choose a range of appetizers, mains and desserts including four kinds of dim sums with three kinds of sambals, beef rendang wrap, vegetarian sate and fruit profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce. Is your mouth watering yet?
If you’re dining for two, you there also is the option of the “Lunch Rijstaffel for 2“, consisting of 12 dishes in small portions, for the grand price of Rp 180,000. The dishes are Chandi’s twist on Indonesian classics such as sambal kacang and sayur asam. You will need to book one day in advance.
5. CHEZ GADO GADO
If your idea of eating #LikeABoss in Bali is having a long,lazy, beachfront lunch, then look no further than Chez Gado Gado, one of Indonesia’s oldest casual fine dining establishments.
On a wooden deck, overlooking Seminyak beach but protected by the comforts of shady camplung tanduk trees, you can have a three-course lunch for Rp 195,000++. Appetizing starters you can look forward to include thai fish salad and cured barramundi with crispy rice, main choices range from classic western dishes such as rump steak with mushroom sauce and french fries to bali classic ayam betutu, topped with dessert choices of panna-cotta, brownie ice-cream and french toast with marinated strawberries and cream. Drool…
If sophistication is what you’re after, pay the SIP Wine Bar a visit and opt for the three course “All Day Snap Lunch” at just Rp 110,000++ or the “SIP Stimulus Dinner Prix Fixe” package at just Rp 195,000++.
SIP Wine Bar was the creation of the late wine sommelier Christian Vanneque, who wanted to establish “a little piece of Paris” in Bali. The food is traditional french fare (think french onion soup, chicken lyonnaise and crepes) with banquette seatings to give it that eloquent ambience. Aspiring vino connoisseurs will definitely love this place, though you will have to shell out a little bit more rupiahs for a glass (though some of the wines have a sneaky “sip” option—costing around Rp 20,000 to 30,000).
7. Chocolate Cafe Jimbaran Corner
If an extravagant boozy Sunday brunch is what you’re after (but your budget doesn’t quite stretch to a champagne brunch at the St. Regis), saunter to Kupu Kupu Resorts and head to the Chocolate Cafe—a very stylish hangout spot boasting Belgium-based indulgent goodness such as waffles, crepes, pastries and of course, chocolate.
Between 9 am and 11 am on Sunday, you can tuck into an all-you-can-eat brunch consisting of an extensive array of breakfast and lunch dishes, a combo of western AND asian style for just RP195,000++. As a bonus, you also get free flowing wine, non-alcoholic drinks and our favourite of all, cakes. Om nom nom.
++ price do not include tax and service charge
Photo at the top: Facebook Metis Restaurant & Gallery Bali
