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.
Little Sumo Girl 