(Day I)

Our first day was nice and relaxing but one thing's missing: food! Specifically, Balinese food. Balinese cuisine is foreign to me so of course I was so excited to get some in mah belly. The first restaurant we went to was Bumbu Bali.

The restaurant isn't your traditional air-conditioned place. It was an open one, the night breeze serving as your AC. I thought it was homey and intimate at the same time with all the candles and incense and low lights. It's really unfortunate I wasn't able to take pics of the resto but just head to their site to see. We were seated at the Bougainvillea area near entrance and hot kitchen. Anyway, on to the main part: fooooood!!

Well, first let's start with our drinks. My sister, brother-in-law, and I all ordered cocktails. Heh.

(L-R) Bali Blue (vodka, Blue Curacao, salak, & sour sop juice. Shaken with ice and garnished with cucumbers), Turbo Coke (cherry brandy, triple sec, and lime juice. Shaken with ice and topped with cola.), Galiano "Milk Shake" (Galiano, Baileys, and Lime. Shaken with ice and topped with soda water.)

My order, if you were wondering, was Bali Blue. I definitely tasted alcohol because it was strong unlike the cocktail I had in my previous post. I just wished they put more ice in my drink because I didn't really like it at room temp. So I became resourceful: I put my sister's leftover ice in my drink. Problem solved! :P

For appetizer, we had Lawar Kuwir which was minced duck salad with duck sates. Now I don't really eat duck but this gets a thumbs up from me. It was so yummeh! The salad was sweet and spicy. Our order included a veggie salad of some sort which I liked, local fish chips (?) and sauces. Yummmm.

Our main course! Their presentation's superb, don't you think? Anyway, here's what we had: Sate Campur (beef, chicken, pork, duck, & seafood sates), Hasil Laut Bumbu Kuning (assorted seafood in yellow turmeric coconut sauce), and Be Celeng Base Manis (pork in sweet soy sauce). Our platter included more veggie salads which came with a kick and rice cakes. 

Hands down, my favorite were the satays (plus the peanut sauce OMG). I think I went satay crazy during our stay because all I ordered were satays. :)) I loved their duck satay the most. If you're not a fan of spicy dishes or your tolerance for spicy food is low, try the Be Celeng Base Manis. It's sweet mostly but there's a teeny tiny hint of spiciness. So yummy with hot rice. The Hasil Laut Bumbu Kuning was spicy and creamy and the seafood was amazing. Not a big fan of the rice cakes because I thought they were dry. We thought the rice cakes were sweet so we saved it for dessert but turns out it just tasted like rice. I think we should've eaten the cakes along with the viands instead.

Overall, Bumbu Bali was superb. The dishes were amazing, the atmosphere's very zen, and my belleh's full and satisfied. If you ever find yourself in the Nusa Dua area, make sure you stop by because the food's amazing.

Some things to keep in mind:

1. Make a reservation. I'm not sure if they accept walk-ins but making a reservation's safer. 

2. Do not come starving. They don't reheat food, they cook your orders on the spot. We had to wait 20-30 mins-ish for our main courses and around 10-15 for our appetizers.

3. Slather up some mosquito repellent lotion, especially if you'll dine at night. Each table has a mosquito coil underneath but we all know those just don't cut it. No to dengue!

4. Bumbu Bali isn't just a restaurant; it's also a cooking school! They have half-day classes that include village and fish markets visits (optional), breakfast, classes, and lunch. My sister and I initially wanted to try it but since we became full-on vacationers, we passed and opted to eat instead. :P

See you in Bali Day 2! <3