Bar Review – Potato Head (Seminyak)

03 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Spots, Restos & Food, Travel Tags:

February 16th – Some people had recommended that my parents check out the scene at Potato Head Beach Club in Bali. It opened not so long ago and is supposed to be the new up and coming hot spot to go out and have a drink or nice meal while enjoying the view from this beachfront establishment. Another option to the popular KU DE TA.

You might think that I’m too young or small to go to such a cool spot, but this ain’t the first bar/lounge that I’ve been to. I’ve been partying it up since a very young age, but not going too wild of course…Besides, you can’t party it up too much when your parents are attending the same party as you!

It was already passed my bedtime, but I tagged along anyways just for the fun. And the nosy busy-body that I am, I had to see this place for myself!

Since it was pouring rain, we took a taxi to get there. What a ride! The taxi driver had a rather unusual personality – we were quite entertained the whole way there. He looked a little clueless, so we had some doubts as to whether he knew where we were going, but we finally got there. There is a long driveway and a security check at the end (they made sure the trunk of the cab was ‘clean’), before they let us through the gates for the taxi to drop us off at the entrance. This Serious Business – not just any ol’ bar were going to here!

There is a boutique selling cool clothes and accessories at the main entrance, which stays open til quite late. It was still open when we left the bar at midnight. The outdoor entrance hallway is lined by a ‘waterfall’ wall which has a cool effect. Note that if your run your hand along the wall and through the waterfall (like some people did, I won’t name any names…), there is no towel at the end for you to wipe your hands dry. And be forwarned, that if you already need to pee as you arrive (and you don’t wear Pampers or Huggies, like me) then you might just want to run through the entrance hallway, cuz you may not be able to hold it in much longer afterwards…

The decor has a miami feel to it, with it’s semi-circle architecture giving you full view of an indoor courtyard, pool bar and of course, the Beach! Despite the rain, the setting was still cool. We were seated and the adults ordered some cocktails (approx 100 000 Rp/each) and a few snacks to nibble on. The drinks were pretty and tasty. Unfortunately, there were all out of chicken wing and ribs – Daddy was quite disappointed – Bummer 😦

Instead, they got:

  • Tortilla wraps, which were ‘just OK’
  • French Fries with parmesan, which were crispy but on the salty side
  • Stuffed mushrooms with blue-cheese sauce, which were tasty

At one point, we almost felt like VIPs since the manager of the establishment came to visit us at our table to make sure that we were having a good time and that we were getting everything we needed. She even greeted us in French, she must’ve heard the adults speaking French – No, she was not Indonesian… The rain had died down a bit, so we were able to take a walk around the grounds and even onto the beach. It’s too bad the floors and the giant sofas were still wet, or I would’ve had a blast crawling all over the place!! I’m sure on a clear night the ambiance would be incredible with the DJ spinning some cool tunes and people lounging around and enjoying their cocktails.

The slight downer came at the end of the night, when we got the bill and a short CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) survey. One question asked if the manager had come to our table to make sure everything was good…A blow to our VIP-moment 😦 It turns out the manager probably had to go to all the tables that night to get keep her scorecard up. “Checkmark, went to that table!”. Luckily for her, it wasn’t a full house otherwise she’d be dizzy from all the tables she’d have to go see…

Finally, it was time to go home. I was pooped and was already falling asleep in mom’s arms. Well, good luck getting a regular taxi here! We tried asking the ‘valet’ counter to call Blue Bird Taxi for us, but No Can Do! They offer their own taxi service, which we ended up taking – after negotiating a fair price. Mom didn’t feel like walking all the way to Jalan Petitenget with me in her arms just to hail a cab. So we hopped into their ‘fancy’ van and headed home.

This is a kid-friendly spot, with a cool setting and also a resto that serves brunch. We had a good time tonight, but we’ll most likely come back to try the food, on a nice sunny day and during my waking hours. These late night outings are messing up my whole schedule…

Food: **1/2
Deco/setting: ****
Service: ***
(out of 5 stars)
Denpasar, Indonesia, 80361

The official website still only mentions the first spot which opened in Jakarta: http://www.ptthead.com/

You can also check out the blog: http://ptthead.com/blog/

Resto Review – Poco Loco

28 Feb 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Restos & Food, Travel Tags:

February 19th – We decided to go for a nice evening walk and head out to find a restaurant in Seminyak/Legian area, ideally something other than Indonesian food.  We’ve been in Bali for only a month, and already my parents have had their fair share of Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice), or ‘Nasi Boring’, as they have to come call it 🙂

Despite not having taken my afternoon nap, I’m always happy to go exploring the town. Within approximately 10 minutes, we found Poco Loco, which is actually easy to miss, as the restaurant is set beyond a parking area and ‘garden’. So, it just seems like there is a vacant piece of land between the crowded buildings on Padma Utara, but when you look up, you see that there is actually an establishment there. I’m used to it anyhow, cuz from my stroller I miss about 80% of the things that do not appear directly in front of me….

At first glance, Poco Loco almost looks like a small amusement park with its multi-coloured ‘flags’ and vibrant furniture. Dad checked the menu and it seemed appealing to him – he really likes Mexican food 🙂 The restaurant opens at 6pm and it was a few minutes to six. We decided to continue our walk to see if we could find anything else around, otherwise we had our ‘backup plan’. It’s a bit un-cool to be the first customers at a restaurant, and besides the staff looked like they were still setting up.

After having seen the menus of other restos close by, which weren’t too inspiring, we decided to stick with our first choice and headed back to Poco Loco. Aahh, there were other customers now, so we were able to maintain our ‘cool-factor’ too, phew! As you can imagine, there were also kids at the other table – Who really has supper at 6pm besides families with young children??

The restaurant is actually huge and has at least 2 floors, and maybe even 3. I couldn’t really tell from where we were sitting. I think it would be a fun place to be at for a celebration, bday party or to watch a World Cup game, or an NHL hockey game if we were back home. We had our choice of table and the staff was nice and friendly. I didn’t see their high chairs, cuz I had brought my own chair this time…Mom and Dad started out with a large bottle of Bintang (beer) while going through the menu, and meanwhile I was chatting it up with the other kids (who seemed a little shy or perhaps I was just too loud for them?)…Finally, I gave up trying to make small talk with the other kids and poured my soul out to the Bartender instead, who was a much better listener when he wasn’t busy mixing daiquiris for the other table!

Dad took the BBQ ribs from the Specials of the day and mom took the vegetarian burrito. The veggie burrito and the beans from mom’s plate were quite yummy for my taste 🙂 The only thing I had to be careful for, were the chopped chili peppers that were sprinkled on top, which looked like tomatoes at first. Thank god, mom realized the difference before my tongue was on fire! The ribs looked tender but were not the ‘Fall-off-the-bones’ type ribs that dad really enjoys…Overall, mom and dad seemed to enjoy their meals as well, although it may not have been their best Mexican meal ever. But hey, it’s nice to have a change for your tastebuds sometimes… Trust me, I know! I eat almost the same things everyday, so this was a welcome change for me as well – Ole!!

Food: ***
Deco/setting: **1/2
Service: ***
(out of 5 stars)

Poco Loco
Jl. Padma Utara, Legian.
(0361) 756.079

Resto Review – Mang EngKing

27 Feb 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Restos & Food, Travel Tags:

On February 12th, a couple of friends came to Bali for a visit. Since they were doing an express visit, we met up for dinner…way past my bedtime, but who’s complaining…Any chance I get to stay up late is good for me!

After a taxi drive through the busy streets of Legian and Oberoi on a Saturday night, we got out in the hopes of finding a cool resto on foot. Well, I wasn’t actually doing any walking as I was nicely snuggled in mom’s arms 🙂 But, after five minutes through the chaos, we hailed another taxi and headed to a restaurant, of which no one knew the name, and had a vague idea of where it was situated. All my parents knew was that the structure was made of bamboo and that they served Indonesian food…Hmmmm….That should be easy enough to find, there are hardly no bamboos here in Bali, only a few Indonesian restaurants!! (Boy, when I grow up I hope I’m not going to be as naïve as my parents). We finally made it to the restaurant, but it wasn’t without some ‘communication’ challenges with the new taxi driver…

When we first entered Mang EngKing, we still weren’t sure to be at the right place. But as we arrived at the main reception counter, we knew we had found it! Finally, cuz I was starting to get hungry!

We ask the hostess for a table. Since we don’t have a reservation and there are no tables left, she informs us that we will be on the waiting list – approximately a 30-minute wait! I’m going to die…I’m starving. My parents better have some backup stash to feed me with! We ask if there’s a bar where my parents and friends can have a drink while we wait, and while they start feeding me! The hostess leaves us there without an answer. We assume it’s because she did not understand us. It’s alright cuz it gives us a chance to take a good look at the setting. The restaurant is essentially outdoors, as if floating on a little pond, with bamboo huts and private tables all around the pond. The setting was quite impressive…

A few minutes later, a waitress comes to see us. First, she asks if we speak English – my parents and friends all answer yes. She nods her head, and starts speaking Bahasa Indonesia at an incredible speed. Huh? did we misunderstand something? Anyhow, it doesn’t really matter as she shows us to our table…YES – Food! It’s funny cuz we were supposed to be on the waiting list, but we got a table within less than 5 minutes. Perhaps, they were trying to say there were no more Private tables/huts…Aaahh! This is what happens when you have language barriers. Luckily I don’t have to worry about this too much, cuz my parents know my routine and I make it pretty clear my ‘Likes’ and ‘Dislikes’!

The adults order 3 coconut drinks and one large Bintang. The waiter comes back to tell us there are no more coconuts. They look at the menu and start ordering different drinks, but when they ask if there is Coconut on Ice. “Yes, there is… No problem”, the waiter replies! …ah so there are still coconut drinks, just no Whole coconuts…Boy, did I mention there were communication challenges tonight? Apparently, the coconut drinks on ice were sweeter than expected, so they most likely added syrup. Not like I really could say, since I still only drink milk and water…boring!

I was dying to go crawling on the floor, but mom did not let me for fear that I would fall into the pond. And besides, while waiting for our drinks, we noticed a little movement on the floor. It was a little mouse. Another reason why mom would never let me go on the floor. She would freak out from the germs, and she’s afraid of mice/rats and every kind of rodent for that mother. I think she had her feet in the air for the next 5 minutes.

They order a menu packet for 4, which is very reasonably priced – less than 400K Rp. The food comes quite quickly and consists of:

  • Giant prawns on sticks (sweet sauce) – tasty, but a bit of a hastle to eat since you have to remove the shells yourself.
  • Stir-fried prawns with veggies that looked like Okra, but when you looked closer you notice that it is in fact green chilly slices – Heats up the mouth pretty quickly.
  • Vegetable plate with peanut sauce – Tasted good, but came with shrimp chips on top, which were not fresh and all soft
  • Grilled carpe with a little sweet taste – yummy!
  • Another whole grilled fish – which was quite tender!
  • Sambal and a green sauce – which were not necessary since the dishes were all quite spicy enough for our taste
  • Steamed rice
    Note: I did not end up actually tasting the food, as my parents gave me my backup dinner, which turned out to be for the best, as I never would have survived the ‘heat’ in my mouth. The food critique comes from the adults…

Overall, everyone enjoyed the meal and the setting. The staff was very friendly and the service fine, considering the minor communication issues. It was a pleasant evening in good company, which finished with a Large Bintang (beer) that was ordered at ‘The last Call’ at 10pm. Guess they don’t stay open too late, even on Saturdays…

The resto was starting to close around 10:30pm. They brought us the bill and our friend offered to pay, but mom told the waiter No, and he listened to her. It must be because she looks Indonesian now…Or she must’ve figured out how to breakthrough the language barrier, without even speaking!

Food: ***1/2
Deco/setting: ****
Service: ***
(out of 5 stars)

Here is the website, so you can see some photos and the menu. Unfortunately, they don’t have an English version, only Indonesian.

http://mangengkingbali.com/

Resto Review – Corner 66

13 Feb 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Restos & Food, Travel Tags:

Sunday, February 6th started out as a regular relaxing family day with a stroll at the beach…For some reason, I was feeling a bit moody that day. No explanation, just one of those days.

Lunch time was quite ‘painful’. I think mom and dad found me quite testy and I was dreading afternoon nap time. So, I made it clear that I did not want to sleep. The plan worked and we went to the pool instead…Yes! I managed to postpone nap time and as a result, dinner time was later than usual. Mom & dad seemed exhausted, I don’t get why cuz we pretty much chilled all day…

Rather than having dinner at home, we (They) decided to go out. We headed to Corner 66 which is just a 5 minute walk from home.

We were greeted by a friendly staff, and as usual, they were smiling alot with me. They offered me the high-chair, but when dad saw that there were no straps on it, he said ‘No Thanks’. They didn’t seem to understand cuz they brought it over anyways. Dad went ahead and strapped on my own chair with all the security straps…Obviously, he doesn’t trust me to sit still through dinner….hmmmm….

We had to wait a bit for my veggie plate, but at least there was some entertainment… The shiny multi-colored lights that hung from the pillar were fun to look at for a while. They reminded me a bit of the decorative balls on Grandma’s Xmas tree, except they weren’t half as nice as Grandma’s tree. Her tree has flashing lights 🙂 There was also a candle on the table, that mom quickly hid from me 😦  Then, there was the plasticized Wheatgrass brochure on a wood stand that could be split into 2 for double the entertainment. The cocktail menu was also plasticized so I could drool all over that too.

The restaurant, as the name states, is located at the corner of ‘Double 6’ and ‘Werkudara’ streets. It’s sad to say, but daddy only figured this out tonight…But I can’t really blame him – old folks are a bit slow sometimes…Since it’s an open air restaurant, we get to see all the passers-by, the motorbikes and cars…This is always fun for me…Plus there were flat screen TVs for the sports fans.

The food arrived within a reasonable delay. I didn’t really notice the time since I was keeping busy. My veggie plate consisted of grilled vegetables (carrots, peppers, eggplants, zucchinis) on a bed of lettuce, dressing on the side, with a slice of baguette (soft and tender). Some of the veggies were a bit hard for my taste, but I only have 4 teeth! The main problem with the dish was that it was too salty! I ate it anyways, but was glad to have a piece of bread every few bites to get rid of the salty taste. Not the best veggie plate I’d had here so far. (In my opinion, the one across the street at Marzano’s was far better for about the same price ~ 25000Rp)

Mom was slightly disappointed with her Tempe Burger. She was expecting a big piece of grilled Tempe, but instead she had Tempe Manis between two buns with lettuce and tomato. Tempe Manis is a popular dish with a sweet flavour, but the small slices of tempe make it really messy to eat in a burger. Dad’s pork snitzel was standard, but nothing too extraordinary. Both dishes were served with fresh fries and ketchup on the side.

Overall, the food was alright and the location was convenient for us, but I wouldn’t purposely go out of my way to come. If you’re in the area and wanna have some simple food at reasonable prices with a nice airy feeling, then you can consider coming around the Corner….

Food: **
Deco/setting: ***
Service: ***

For more info, check out:
http://www.guidegecko.com/bali/legian-barbeque-restaurants/66-corner-restaurant-cafe/p,608175063

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