168 AUSTRALIA’S BEST BARBECUE JOINTS QUISINE. Dinah Ting Dinah Wagyu beef at Korilla BBQ restaurant in Brisbane QUISINE. Chef vs Critic ↓ ↓ Is there a restaurant that really Bali Where do you go for the nails the Bali vibe? best seafood? WM La Brisa (labrisabali.com) When a chef and a food critic agree on an eatery WM You’ll have to go to a local in Canggu, which is quite hot and bar, it pays to take note, writes Akash Arora. warung [a small restaurant right now. This restaurant’s or café]. My favourite is design captures the beach- Menega Cafe (menega.com) in house feel with lots of palms, Jimbaran. You can bring your fishing nets, ropes and THE CHEF THE CRITIC own wine and choose live fish distressed wood. The food or crab from the tanks and is clean, fresh and healthy. watch them prepare it right It isn’t necessarily the biggest in front of your eyes as you standout but everyone in Bali dig your feet into the sand. is into healthy, organic food LN Traditionally, Jimbaran at the moment so La Brisa Fish Market is where you go really speaks to that. for seafood. Unfortunately, LN The Lawn (thelawncanggu. the bigger restaurants and com) in Canggu. It’s tropical hotels have started getting and bohemian, with plenty Will Meyrick Louise Newsham first picks but there’s one of hipsters and hippies and The force behind some of Bali’s best Editor of Honeycombers Bali remaining restaurant where everything in between. The restaurants, such as Sarong, Mama (thehoneycombers.com), the you can still get excellent food is a mix of coastal and San, Tiger Palm and Hujan Locale island’s premier lifestyle website seafood: Menega Cafe. modern dining with tonnes ↓ of good options. They have What’s your go-to Indonesian great cocktails, too. restaurant? ↓ WM Warung Wardani (Jalan What’s your favourite fine-dining Yudistira 2, Denpasar; +62 establishment? 361 224 398). It’s a Balinese WM Ku De Ta (kudeta.com) restaurant owned by a lady in Seminyak. I’ve been going who makes her own satay there for 15 years and while ayam fresh every day in the the restaurant downstairs back of her house. She has struggles a bit, the Mejekawi her loyal customers. restaurant upstairs is LN Local warungs are best for remarkable. The executive chef, Indonesian food but if you Ben Cross, is doing interesting want to go to a restaurant, things with contemporary Ulekan (ulekanbali.com) is food. They bring in a lot of an excellent choice. I go there guest chefs and it has a beautiful with my Indonesian friends view of the ocean. for dinner every week. The LN It’s not a typical fine-diner sauces and pastes are bursting but Locavore (locavore.co.id) with local flavours and are in Ubud is the No.1 in Bali. super spicy. It’s from the It’s won countless awards people behind Watercress and no-one’s doing what and Milk & Madu. chefs Eelke Plasmeijer and ↓ Ray Adriansyah do. They use And your favourite warung? local produce and grow some WM Babi Guling Candra (Jalan of it themselves; they even Teuku Umar 140; +62 361 221 have friends who hand-rear 278). It’s where everyone goes the animals they use. I can’t in Denpasar to get their fix of recommend a dish because the roast pork dish babi guling. the menu is always changing. LN Warung Yess (warungyess. Recently, it made history by com) in Mengwi – it’s my local being the first Indonesian warung, just north of Canggu. restaurant to jump so far up They do great nasi campur the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and tempeh manis, which list, climbing from 49 to 22. Ulekan is the go-to restaurant for a traditional Indonesian menu they roast with lemongrass 166 travelinsider.qantas.com.au ↓ and herbs for a beautifully What’s a great family-friendly caramelised, crunchy texture. restaurant? They also do the best sambal; (From top) Expat. WM Sundara (sundarabali.com) in fact, they have four different Roasters’ head trainer in Jimbaran has a wonderful types of fresh sambal sauces. and barista, Yande Jaya kids’ club so you don’t have ↓ Wirawan, demonstrates to worry about the children What’s the hottest place for the perfect pour; at all. I go there for Sunday cocktails right now? Ku De Ta’s sourdough brunch and spend a whole WM 40 Thieves (Jalan bruschetta with day. The menu is a good mix Petitenget 7, Badung; +62 878 grilled mushrooms, of local and international. 6226 7657). It’s a hidden bar goat’s cheese and LN Biku (bikubali.com) in – you walk into a ramen shop sweet-and-sour onions Seminyak has a high tea for kids then take the stairs at the and it’s in a joglo, a traditional back to this really small but Indonesian building, so it’s like always packed room with a an exotic Alice in Wonderland long cocktail bar. It’s where tea party. There are plenty of everyone’s going right now. games and activities for the LN 40 Thieves. It’s a fairly new, kids and the food for adults is Prohibition-style watering great as well. Their pavlova hole with just a few guys is the best I’ve had in Bali. behind the bar. You can order ↓ cocktails off the small menu Finally, what’s the hottest new or have them made to order. restaurant in Bali? Whatever you have, it’ll be an WM Can I recommend my awesome drink. Thai restaurant, Som Chai ↓ (somchaiindonesia.com), in What about a relaxed beach bar? Badung? It’s very theatrical. WM Starfish Bloo at W Bali You walk into a bar where hotel (wretreatbali.com) in girls in burlesque outfits are Seminyak is my favourite. on swings, with fans and They have a big Sunday umbrellas. It’s moody and brunch menu and it’s perfect low-lit and it looks like a fancy for families. You can go with fresh, healthy menu. It’s a ↓ back alley in Bangkok. There’s the kids, swim in the pool, vegetarian restaurant with Who does the best nasi goreng? a big golden door at the back, have brunch and cocktails that typically hippie Canggu WM Quite frankly, my wife, which leads into a grand and spend a whole day there. vibe – all open-air, sunny and Wati, who uses her family dining hall with high ceilings, LN Komune (komuneresorts. surrounded by palm trees. recipe. So you’ll have to come long mirrors and pictures of com) in Keramas. It’s a lovely ↓ to my house or my restaurant, Thai kings. spot with a pool and fantastic And for your caffeine fix? Hujan Locale (hujanlocale. LN Aya Street (ayastreet.com) food and drinks. And it’s a lot WM There’s a great place in com) in Ubud. There are so in Badung. It’s a Peruvian less crowded than Seminyak Ubud called Seniman Coffee many versions of nasi goreng; restaurant that does great or Canggu. Studio (senimancoffee.com). my favourite is when you fry ceviche. The interiors are ↓ They roast their own beans the rice with the spice paste. awesome, with lots of crude Where do you go for the in front of you and even run LN You’d think Indonesia’s metals against bright lights. best breakfast? barista classes. traditional dish would be It takes you straight out of WM Nüde (Jalan Raya Pantai LN At Expat. Roasters (expat best served in a warung Bali and into New York or Berawa 33; +62 852 3821 roasters.com) in Seminyak, but that’s not the case. My Miami. It’s the place to see 4003) in Canggu is good for they serve their coffee with favourite place is actually and be seen. breakfast: poached eggs, great care, right down to the Kaum (kaum.com). They call avocado on toast, coconut best possible temperature. it nasi goreng cabe asap and bowls… all that kind of stuff. And their staff are regularly it’s wok-fried, with slightly It gets busy, particularly on trained by expat Aussie and smoky rice, a homemade the weekends, so do book. founder Shae Macnamara, spicy chilli paste, fresh, juicy LN The Shady Shack (Jalan who’s an award-winning prawns, a hint of saltiness Go to TRAVELINSIDER.QANTAS.COM.AU Tanah Barak 57; +62 819 1639 barista. They even take their from fermented krill and a for the best luxury resorts in 5087) in Canggu. It overlooks baristas to Melbourne to suss light, herbaceous zest from Bali, an insider’s guide to Ubud a rice field and has a really out the latest coffee trends. lemon basil. It’s yum! and the hippest Airbnbs. travelinsider.qantas.com.au 167 Reviews Smokin’ hot Carnivores rejoice – barbecue joints are popping up everywhere, with smoked and woodfired meat centrestage. VIC ↓ BLUEBONNET BARBECUE 32 St Georges Road South, Fitzroy North with accoutrement such as ginger soy squid (03) 9972 1815 bluebonnetbbq.com.au Open and grilled saganaki – not to mention the Saturday-Sunday for lunch and seven days for dinner fridge full of craft beers. Not-so-fun fact: the huge smoker known as ↓ Loretta caused a fire that burnt its previous MEATMAIDEN home to the ground. But Collingwood’s loss is Fitzroy North’s gain, with a repentant Basement, 195 Little Collins Street, Melbourne Loretta now relocated to the courtyard (03) 9078 7747 meatmaiden.com.au of the pub formerly known as the North Open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner Fitzroy Star.