A buddy of mine told me about a new burrito place launching on Nov. 14 and asked if I wanted to come and check it out.
“Going to Canggito on Monday. It’s my friend’s new burrito restaurant in Pererenan,” he texted me.
I have not seen my friend – let’s just call him Mr. Bean, for the sake of this article, wink, wink – for a while and I do love me some good burritos, so I said yes. I asked my friend to send me the restaurant’s name and Google Maps link.
“Canggito,” Mr. Bean replied.
It took me a while to realize that Canggito is the name of the bistro – I thought it was a new nickname for Canggu. I chuckled.
I assumed that Canggito is a portmanteau of “Canggu” and “Burrito.” Interestingly, the restaurant, which is located right next to Jungle Padel (padel tennis is growing in popularity in Bali, but that’s a story for another day), is technically situated in Pererenan and not Canggu.
I guess the name “Pererenito” wouldn’t have the same ring. Plus many people still consider Pererenan (and Berawa and so on) colloquially to be Canggu anyway.
But I digress.
I arrived just a couple of minutes past 7pm and was greeted by Mr. Bean. The establishment gave off both cozy and fancy vibes with its predominantly white interior and bamboo-inspired deco.
The place was packed – perhaps because Canggito had just launched and was also offering a 50 percent discount on their menu.
In one of the corners, you can actually peer into the padel courts for a live sports experience, if that’s something you’re into.
But, Mr. Bean and I were there for the burritos. So let’s unwrap the contents of this review.
Upon first glancing at the menu, what immediately caught my attention was the restaurant’s tagline: “The art of healthy burritos.”
As you can see, even their tortilla options can be healthy as fuck, if you want. You can choose one of the following: regular tortilla, spinach tortilla, and coconut tortilla. Both the spinach and coconut tortillas are vegan and gluten-free – and we really appreciate the fact that there is no healthy option tax at Canggito.
If you want to cut out carbs altogether, you can ask the staff to serve your burrito in a bowl (although, personally speaking, is that even a burrito anymore? Or some pretentious deconstructed nonsense? But, hey, no judgment).
Also, for IDR18,000 (US$1.16) you can switch the rice with quinoa.
Now, onto the burritos. My friend Mr. Bean is a vegan fitness trainer, so naturally he picked the Vegan Breakfast Burrito for his dinner. He wanted the Jackfruit Burrito, which is also vegan and gluten-free, but unfortunately, it was not available during our visit.
His burrito came first. Instead of wrapping paper, Canggito opted for banana leaves as part of the presentation – and it looks neat.
The breakfast burrito was filled with rice, scrambled tofu, beans, guacamole, jalapeno, lettuce, and onion pickle. Mr. Bean allowed me a nibble and the freshness of the ingredients hit me from the first bite. Even though I am not a vegan, the portion for me represented a light bite rather than something filling enough for supper (then again, the dish is called the breakfast burrito).
I was particularly famished so I ordered a Lobster Burrito and a Lamb Burrito. The lobsters, according to the restaurant owner, were bought from fishermen in Tabanan – not that far from Pererenan – so they are quite fresh. I have never tried lobster in a burrito before so I was intrigued.
As for the Lamb Burrito, I felt I had to give it a try because the owner said it is his favorite.
I asked for the Lobster Burrito to be served with a coconut tortilla, while I requested the spinach tortilla for the Lamb Burrito.
The Lobster Burrito tasted fresh as the mixed cheese and poached lobster blended well with the onion pickles and mango salsa. Dare I say that, out of the entire menu, the Lobster Burrito was the one that tasted the “most tropical”, though the Jackfruit Burrito may yet challenge that.
The Lobster Burrito is the most expensive wrap on the menu at IDR198,000 (US$12.75), undoubtedly owing to the main ingredient. The owner also mentioned that some caviar went into the Lobster Burrito, though curiously this was not written on the menu. The sandwich is definitely fresh and interesting enough for occasions when you want to indulge yourself or try something new.
If you are unsure, you can always opt for Canggito’s Lamb Burrito, which includes mixed cheese, rice beans, roasted lamb, aubergine, jalapeno, yogurt, English spinach, mint, and onion pickles. This one is definitely filling and rich with flavor, meaning you will leave Canggito feeling satisfied. One Lamb Burrito will set you back IDR128,000 (US$8.24).
In my quest for a healthier lifestyle, I ordered Canggito’s Peanut Butter Smoothie, which contained banana, cinnamon, and coconut milk. Unfortunately, this one was a little bit of a disappointment because it seemed slightly watered down and it did not have that extra “umph” that I would get from other smoothies. When I order a smoothie, I expect it to be thick and give me a boost to go about the rest of my day.
I have to say the service was quite slow that evening (Mr. Bean and I shared a table with other patrons and I noticed their dishes came so late – after we had finished our meals). But all of that was probably down to first-day jitters. I don’t doubt the service will improve as time goes on.
Overall, Canggito is a welcome addition to the Pererenan/Canggu culinary scene. I do love good burritos and Canggito absolutely delivers – no word yet on food delivery, though – so I am willing to overlook the minor negatives.
*All photos by the reviewer
FIND IT:
Jl. Sempol, Pererenan, Kec. Mengwi, Bali, 80351. Phone: 081339633969
For more information and bookings – check out their website. Also, check out their Instagram.
