Cafe Love: Cafe Bali, Seminyak

 

Its been a few months now since our visit to Bali, but gastronomic memories come flooding back regularly when I see our holiday snaps. You see, I had expected to eat pretty well at very decent prices but I was blown away at the cosmopolitan cafe and restaurant culture. I guess I had naively thought it would be a lot of Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice) served in casual, outdoor eateries or warungs so I was surprised and delighted that there were so many foodie experiences to be had in Seminyak where we were staying. There were places with exceptional food, top service and delightful settings - my holy trinity of the eating out experience - although not always all three at once.

 

 

The place that tops my list of interiors is Cafe Bali located on Jalan Oberoi (also known as Jalan Laksmana) in Seminyak. After recommendations from my sister-in-law and a friend, I should visited earlier, but I left it until quite late in our trip so only had the chance to go once. 

 

The colonial style interior with plantation shutters and high whitewashed ceilings had me excited from the entrance and it didn't disappoint inside. We ate on the front verandah where the tables were covered in bright pink, yellow and teal floral tablecloths and decorated with bowls of floating flower petals. Large white light coverings made for a relaxed yet festive vibe.

Inside the cafe proper, the large floor area is made even more spacious with soaring ceilings lined with exposed beams.

Several styles of chairs add to the shabby chic vibe. With unique displays in every area, I could easily pass a few hours here.

I love the eclectic display of antique mirrors providing sparkling reflections along one wall. 

A wander to the bathroom was surprisingly full of delights at every turn!

Stepping out the back of Cafe Bali, a little oasis awaits in the form of a pool nestled against the back wall painted with Moroccan-influenced floral motifs. Calming teal (of the water) is again paired with pinks and yellows, carrying on the colours used inside.

Turning to the stair alcove, a hand-painted balustrade cheers the climb to the facilities.

The charming black and white bathroom at the top of the stairs is one of my favourites of our ten day holiday. Is that strange? To have a favourite bathroom?!

Checkered tiles, a chandelier, wallpaper, pops of pink petals and a healthy dose of charcoal - what's not to love?

Back to reality at my table, time to get my head out of the gutter and eat some food. The menu here is diverse with soup, sushi, pasta, steak and asian dishes.

To start we shared the siomai or shrimp and chicken dumplings for 28000 rupiah (approx $AUD3). These were not as light and flavoursome as I had hoped and the meat appeared highly processed but they were ok.

The smoked salmon blinis with capers (55000 Rp.) made for a nice, simple lunch in the afternoon heat. Nothing particularly special about these but enjoyable all the same.

The Mister had Indian chicken curry served with saffron rice, lentil dahl and naan (59000 Rp).

As my comments indicate, the interior overshadows the food at Cafe Bali. The menu appears to be trying to include a bit of everything with no obvious specialties. The prices are really reasonable and the atmosphere is lovely, so even without standout food, I would come back here in a heartbeat just to inhale the design and fitout. I'd highly recommend a visit for anyone visiting Seminyak. It's a little French, a little Moroccan and a whole lotta modern, relaxed Balinese chic!

Cafe Bali

Jalan Oberoi (also known as Jalan Laksmana)
Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

Cafe Bali page on Trip Advisor