I decided to go there with my partner, who is a type difficult to satisfy with anything, because for the 1st she is a Woman and for the 2nd she is the demanding one. I thought she is the best person to take there, as I knew she would care for the critics, while I can enjoy the food:)
The restaurant attracted us from the street already, as it is nicely decorated from outside with some exotic paintings and plants. And upon closing the eyes, we could feel the gentle smell of burning ethnic incense sticks.
Opening the door was like opening the gateway to another world, far away from Warsaw. Charming and glamour decoration of the interior was the first thing, that stroke our eyes. Any piece of furniture and outfit, which can be found inside, comes from Indonesia – original, dark, handmade furniture, portraits on the walls, monuments of Indonesian Gods, knives, forks, ceramics, wooden floor and many other pieces of art and table stuff. I think my partner was having a difficult time to find something she wouldn’t like.
We were greeted at the door by a smiling waiter, who took us to our table, covered with various, original Indonesian stuff, and passed us menus. Well, instead of calling it menu, I should rather call it a book or even better encyclopedia, as it was similarly voluminous. The menu, which includes various meals from different regions of Indonesia, is of wooden-covers with papyrus-style paper, nicely decorated and enriched with ‘tasty’ descriptions of meals and colorful photos. Well, if the choice of meals was smaller, then it could be easier to decide, but unfortunately for some indecisive ones, it’s not.
Going to any Indonesian restaurant, I would probably think of taking some seafood. Going to Bali restaurant, this is a must and ensures unforgettable experience. On the menu, we found a dish, which name and description sound both impressive and ‘mniami’ – Jimbaran Grilled Seafood Basket – a mixture of seafood grilled on coconut coal, a meal for two served on Jimbaran Beach on Bali Island. It sounded really good, less good however sounded the price (PLN 300). However, there were many good reasons to go for it, such as promising gourmet experience or that once in a while people should taste something unusual, that’s at least what my partner said.
As we expected Jimbaran Grill to be quite a big dish, we took something small for a starter – Gado Gado (PLN 29), which is a mix of vegetables with fruit served with peanut and hot mango dip – a well known Indonesian meal. Fresh vegetables and fruit with interesting-taste dip was a good choice indeed.
Our main meal was served after a short while. An impressive-size plate with seducing smell and even more seducing look landed on our table. Jumbo shrimps , king shrimps, tiger shrimps, calamari and two kinds of tropical fish, all decorated in exotic way with grilled water-melon in the middle. The eyes of my partner re-confirmed my impressions. We enriched this royal meal with fresh and fruity Italian, white wine Pinot Grigio (PLN 110).
No doubt, this was the best seafood we have ever had in Warsaw, because of its different taste, which comes from the way it’s prepared and the smell of coconut coal that surrounds it.
We couldn’t leave without dessert of course. I took Bali Rujak (PLN 25) – a spicy, sweet fruit salad served on Bali with tamarind juice, cardamom and hot chilies. Interesting mixture of sweet and hot but might be too hot for dessert, at least for the European. My partner took Buah Campus (PLN 25) – coctail of exotic fruit in sweet dressing.
We went out from Bali restaurant, feeling a bit dizzy, but I don’t think it was the effect of wine – rather the overall relaxing atmosphere of this place.
To sum up, overall dinner deserves premium notes. Also service is professional and helpful to advise on food and drinks. I can certainly recommend this restaurant for both – private, romantic evenings as well as business ones, as there is a separated VIP room, where businessmen can find privacy and special treatment.
A dinner lubricates business.
Lord William Stowel
