When people think of Sanur, they think of the area’s white sand beaches, convenient footpaths, affordable housing, and easy access to all their daily needs.
But another thing that Sanur is quite famous for is its abundance of beachside restaurants offering fantastic deals, especially for Sunday brunches.
We recently received an invitation from Byrd House, a beach club in the heart of Segara Village in Sanur that is located adjacent to Segara Village Hotel. Boasting a bird’s nest-inspired interior design (hence the name), it is apparent that the spacious establishment aims to go above and beyond with its handcrafted cocktails, speakeasy bar and even spa treatments to pamper its guests.
We arrived at the club on Tuesday evening and were greeted by the waiters who immediately sat us down and offered the menu. When we glanced around, we could not help but expect to see mostly seniors patronizing the place – there’s a running joke among people on the island that Sanur is mostly for retirees or families with kids.
We were not entirely wrong. However, it was nice to see a diverse set of guests there as well. The table to our left was occupied by a group of young women, while to our right was an Indonesian couple sitting with their young daughter and some foreign friends.
For our appetizer, we wanted to order the Java Oyster but were told that the dish was sold out, which, naturally, made us all the more curious because they say humans always want what we can’t get. At any rate, we settled for the classic Mediterranean Bruschetta.
For IDR65,000, you get three varieties: the classic with tomatoes and parmesan, another with blue cheese and pickled pear, and a third topped with Tuscan chicken liver pâté.
The first two were quite decent and we could see how people would like the combination of savory blue cheese and slightly sweet pears. However, the highlight was the Tuscan chicken liver pâté, which left us salivating even while writing this review.
The pâté literally melted on our tongues and, combined with the crunchy bread, it was perhaps one of the best bruschettas we’ve ever tasted.
Next up was the Porchetta Pizza with thinly sliced pork belly porchetta (yum!), broccoli, and parmesan, as well as Linguine Seafood Pasta with clams, mussel, squid and prawn in a wine-infused tomato sauce.
Again, they were quite decent taste-wise, although not as memorable to us as the pâté. That said, they did taste fresh and handmade and went perfectly with the two accompanying glasses of wine. Mind you, when we arrived at Byrd House, the smell of petrichor was quite strong after the rain and the temperature was quite chilly (for us Indonesians, at least). So pasta and wine seemed like a good idea.
Now onto dessert! When we went to their patisserie, we were impressed by the assortment of desserts and pastries that Byrd House offered. And unlike some places that abuse the term, they clearly earn the title of “patisserie” as everything they offered was homemade and well-crafted. And, for the first time in our visits to such a place, we found it difficult to just choose one of the many desserts on offer (which are all priced at IDR 45,000-50,000).
So we tried the Black Forest (both delicious and an homage to children’s birthday cakes, although we have to say we didn’t taste too much rum in there which was a bit of a downer for us – since we love rum), the Oreo Choco Cheese Cake (a little too sweet and sugary for us, but we love that the cheesecake texture remained consistent throughout), and the Choco Strawberry Cake (decent, but not that memorable).
The winner, by a landslide, was their Tiramisu. In our experience, it can actually be quite difficult to find good tiramisu in Bali, so Byrd House’s offering is definitely a standout. From the first bite, the taste of the coffee immediately explodes in your mouth and the sweet aftertaste lingers as you keep munching those sumbitches into oblivion.
Now you know a dessert is good when we start using profanities.
All in all, Byrd House beach club is a perfect getaway in the Sanur area, especially as it overlooks the quiet and beautiful Segara beach. While it is located adjacent to a hotel, you do not actually have to enter Byrd House via the hotel.
When we first set foot inside, we have to admit that we were worried that Byrd House would be too Canggu-esque, but we were wrong on this occasion. Byrd House somehow manages to maintain the humble Sanur vibe that everyone loves and keep its prices quite reasonable (the most expensive dish on the night was the pizza at around IDR130,000).
If you happen to be in Sanur and want an elevated beach club experience, Byrd House is definitely a must-visit.
Editor’s note: The reviewer received a complimentary meal at Byrd House.
All photos (except header) by Amahl S. Azwar
FIND IT:
Jl. Segara Ayu, Sanur, Denpasar Selatan, Kota Denpasar, Bali 80228
Opens everyday from 6.30pm to 10pm
Phone: 0812-3866-7935
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