Seminyak is one of the central tourist hubs in Bali, more high end than the nearby Kuta, it’s packed with lively restaurants, bars, cool hotels and shops. At the beginning of the holiday we ventured down to town from Jimbaran but the two hour taxi journey deterred us from heading there again until right at the end of holiday. This time traffic was better and it took us just over an hour, so I guess it’s just a matter of luck but be aware traffic is bad and give yourself lots of time if you’re coming into Seminyak from Jimbaran or Uluwatu.
I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to try Sarong Restaurant, one of Bali’s best Asian restaurants founded by Scotsman, Will Meyrick.
There was the option of the plush interior or a small outdoor garden area but we loved the lively buzz inside the restaurant and the stylish interior with it’s gold accents and water feature.
The menu was inspired by Will Meyrick’s love of Asian street food and the chef has a commitment to locally sourced ingredients and Asian cooking techniques. The cuisine is a fusion of Indian, Thai, Sri-Lankan and Indonesian which sounds slight crazy but it definitely works.
Our first starter was sashimi of salmon with pickled radishes, edamame flowers, mushroom, baby watercress and yuzu dressing; isn’t it stunning? And I loved the light, clean flavours.
We also had tuna betel leaf with lemon grass, green tomato sambal matah and bumbu pasih. The marinated tuna and the rest of the components were actually stacked on an edible leaf which you could eat all in one delicious, spicy mouthful.
Though the menu was packed with delicious looking curries, we’d had a big lunch and chose two fairly light dishes to share: Laotian style grilled chicken with soy coriander and white pepper lemongrass. Along with Tandoori snapper marinated in mint chutney yogurt garam masala and green chilli. Everything we ate was perfectly cooked and utterly delicious and I can see why Sarong is one of the top restaurants in Bali. In fact, it was our favourite that we tried in terms of food and atmosphere. Will Meyrick has a second restaurant called Mamasan, also serving Asian street food we didn’t get to try it this time but I’ve heard some great reviews.
As we were in the party spirit we decided to head down the the road to Balinese party palace, Potato Head.
I wasn’t expecting to, but I loved Potato Head, it’s a beach club with two restaurants, two bars, a huge lawn and an infinity pool with views out to the beach and the ocean.
The curved design of the club is supposed to resemble the Colosseum and I loved the look of the multi-functional space.
It was pretty full with people but not so much that it was uncomfortably packed or difficult to get a space to sit down…
I just loved the chilled out vibe here and you can basically come at any time of day, the club opens at 11am and you can pop in any time for lunch, sunset drinks or partying into the night.
Unable to resist the lure of hotel snooping we walked along the beach to next door and the Woo Bar at the W Hotel where a silent disco was taking place…
It sort of looked like a private party so we decided against grabbing our own set of head phones and thought it was probably about time to head home.
All in all, one of my favourite nights of the holiday, put Sarong and Potato Head on your must do list if you’re heading into Seminyak. I’d advise booking ahead for Sarong as it can get very busy.
Sarong Restaurant Bali
Jl. Petitenget No, 19
Kerobokan
Bali
80361
+62 361 4737 809
Potato Head Beach Club Bali
Jl. Petitenget No.51B
Semintak
Bali
83061