Showing posts with label bali food blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bali food blog. Show all posts

PLATARAN CANGGU

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First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR! As I am typing this post, I still can't believe that we are in 2019 and on the second week of the first month. My first trip this year was the sweet escape with my family to one of my favorite places on Earth, you guessed it, BALI! I will share more stories on the upcoming blog posts, but in this entry I am going to be sharing you guys my experience visiting the newly opened Plataran Canggu!

I have always been a huge fan of Plataran since...forever I guess, Plataran Menteng is my go-to restaurant when I bring my foreign friends because it's show off worthy: gorgeous glamorous venue, amazing food and service, what's not to love! Being a regular Bali visitor, I am more than thrilled to know that they finally open here so when I am craving for Indonesian food, I now have more options to explore!

I was totally sold to the vibe of the space, imagine lush, calming, green surrounding altogether decorated with this rich Java-Balinese culture value as seen from the architecture and interior details! Totally comfortable to hang around and spend some quality time with your favorite companion and what they have in store, anyway they have two seating areas: indoor and al-fresco, anyway don't worry about the al-fresco seating despite the Bali humidity, thanks to the lush surrounding, it didn't feel hot (I didn't think I sweat lol).
Interior details, very vibey with mostly wood constructing the space! Just like home.
When I scan the menu, the price range doesn't differ much, just slightly cheaper compared to Plataran Menteng! I had some of their best-sellers and some Balinese feast (well just because, BALI!), let's dive into the review!

Complimentary Crackers
If you're a Plataran virgin, when you dine at their restaurants, they'll give you some Indonesian crackers to accompany you while your food is prepared, the crackers then served together with their homemade chili (Red Chili and Sambal Matah), simple delicacy!
Salad Salmon Pomelo - IDR 99k
Such a refreshing starter for to prepare the palate before diving to more food! Inside you'll find generous salmon cuts, salmon roe, pomelo, lemongrass, mint, coriander and all dressed in spicy coconut sauce! Beautiful combo of fresh ingredients which complement one another naturally both flavor and texture wise, you got this beautiful sweet, savory, and tangy combo on each bite!
Nasi Goreng Ijo - IDR 70k
They're known for their Cardamon Steam Rice (IDR 15k) which is basically plain rice with this cardamom aroma which is giving you this 'illusion' of coconut milk rice, but this one was certainly something more interesting, their Nasi Goreng Ijo is DELICIOUS! I didn't expect to like it as much as I did because I initially thought this is just something to munch and pair my mains with, but turns out I finish so much alone! It's not overly spicy for my liking and the flavor is not overly intense so you can still pair this with most food here (read: what I ordered).
Tumis Pucuk Labu - IDR 49k
Another one that I happen to like A LOT! The garlic seasoning was on point, the chayote leaves were absolutely fresh and crunchy, they give fried anchovy on top for texture and a hint of flavor!
Tahu Telor Asin - IDR 75k
Another winning dish for me, their Tahu Telor Asin is another must order! They use Japanese egg tofu for this one, then battered, perfectly fried them and coated the fried battered tofu with their homemade salted egg sauce! SO GOOD! The crunch and thickness of the batter was perfect and the salted egg sauce was really everything: it was fragrant, creamy, buttery!!!
Ayam Dharmawangsa - IDR 125k
Their Ayam Dharmawangsa is a legacy delicacy that has been around for quite some time! It's this chopped fried chicken fillet with shredded mango salad and sweet sour seasoning, anyway I didn't check but if they have the Bistik Ayam Oma in Plataran Canggu, you should go for it, one of my all time favorite menus from Plataran!
Ayam Kari Deli - IDR 125k
If you ask me to name one favorite from the lunch, their their AYAM KARI DELI is one that stands out for me! This has been my all time favorite menu from Plataran, and one that I always *ahem* brag to my foreign friends, this one's mild spicy (for me), but so thick, rich, so flavorful, but in the same time well-balanced. The serving comes with the fragrant buttery Roti Prata and Pomelo (the pomelo's so good at balancing the palate after all the thicky goodness), the downside? The serving here is half of the Jakarta portion (picture below for comparison), but flavor wise, AS GOOD!
Dendeng Batokok - IDR 129k
When you talk about Plataran's iconic signature dishes, you JUST HAVE TO include this on the topic: their Dendeng Batako has been a staple when it comes to the best dendeng batako in Jakarta, thinly sliced dendeng, dry fry and seasoned with this Balado chili jam that might appear spicy but it really didn't! Their dendeng is so crunchy and just best paired with rice (read: nasi goreng cabe ijo).
Udang Ramayana - IDR 149k
Another one that you have to order when dining here: Udang Ramayana! Battered shrimp with generous garlic topping! I would love this even more if the batter is less thick and less buttery but the generous fried garlic really help balances everything!
Lawar Kacang Panjang - IDR 45k
Now off to some of their Balinese menus: THIS IS SURPISINGLY ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE MENU from my lunch! Their Lawar Kacang Panjang is SOOO GOOOD! It consist of long beans, coconut, peanut, all seasoned generously! The ingredient's super fresh, flavor is rich with a hint of spicy (do request for less spicy if you can't handle spicy food)!
Ayam Betutu - IDR 89k
Now another one that stood out from my lunch! If you think of this rich and boldly seasoned ayam betutu then Plataran Canggu's the one that might fit what you're looking for, because of how rich this ayam betutu is, this is a tad salty (but with the sambel ijo fried rice, sorted!)! The chicken was fresh, tender, juicy, no complaint on that one! Anyway, the water spinach on the side might look simple but trust me it's THAT GOOD!
Sate Lilit - IDR 59k
Their Sate Lilit is also worth considering: meaty, well seasoned, you know what I am easy to please, as long as sate lilit is tender, well seasoned and still keeping the Balinese flavor around it, I am sold.
If you're craving and looking for good Indonesian food in Bali, and truth be told not that many options (referring to all around Indonesian food not Balinese food), then Plataran Canggu is one that you should definitely consider! Good food, beautiful venue, lovely service. Nothing to against!

Have fun in Bali!

Plataran Canggu
Jalan Pengubugan, Canggu
Bali 80361
+62 361 411 388
Average spending for two: IDR 500k
Dresscode: none

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RIVARENO GELATO BALI - ITALY'S BEST GELATO NOW IN BALI!!!

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First of all, special thanks to RivaReno Gelato for inviting me to Bali for the grand opening of the so-called Italy's Best Gelato, being an avid fan of gelato (and I guess for a lifetime) I was absolutely super excited, so again, thanks for having me on the grand opening! I remember when I posted about RivaReno Gelato on my story, I have tons of people replying to me saying they've tried this one in Sydney and some even said that RivaReno is better than Messina!

Welcoming RivaReno Gelato to Seminyak neighborhood, RivaReno is located just beside Vin+ at Petitenget! Super nice strategic location!
RivaReno Gelato is originated from Bologna, which is one of Italy's most prominent gastronomic city, and the name RivaReno itself is a tribute to Reno river and Bologna itself (Bologna is located at the shores of Reno river), their very first shop was opened in Milan back in 2005 and since then they have expanded their business to places like Italy, Spain, Malta, down under Australia and I guess we're more than proud to welcome the brand to... BALI! I heard they initially wanted to open in Jakarta but thank goodness they chose Bali, I personally found it's an awesome debut location!

A little trivia: RivaReno is founded by four people: a former gelato maker, a lawyer, former journalist and former Italian car executive, I guess it's true that passion knows no background or you don't need to be from a certain background to have a dream to open a terrific gelato shop! Anyway, let's do a little virtual tour of the shop shall we!

Spirit espresso machine, also known as one of the most expensive espresso machine in the world!
The store was simply designed, clean, neat and, well air-conditioned (first world problems because Bali could be so friggin hot sometimes), and oh, if you see the photo below, they have electrical outlets too in case you urgently need to charge/you wanna spend time working here while having their gelato, so very welcome!
Their gelato's guarded safely in the Pozetti Pan, a little trivia: Pozetti Pan aka Carapina is one of the greatest way to store gelato as it will lock the moisture, texture and humidity of the gelato at their best state!
RivaReno has their own gelato lab inside their stores and we were granted the access to experience the lab and gelato/sorbet production process yay! I can tell you that from what I saw with my very own eyes, their gelato and sorbet are free from artificial colorings & ingredients, preservatives, monogly & diglycerides, just all natural like Alpine milk, cream and FYI they use real grape sugar as sweetener! The whole production steps is giving me this ASMR vibe, just so satisfying and calming in a way LOL!

Let me introduce to Mr. Nicola Greco, the gelato master and one of RivaReno founders too! I witnessed the making of Nicola Greco's signature Raspberry Sorbet and short to say, IMPRESSED!
 
They use nothing but high quality fruits too, well lucky for them as they're based in Bali and Bali is the home to a lot of great fruits (and exotic ones)! Their sorbets consist of average 70%-90% fruits, water, base-frutta and natural sugar, and not to mention that extra something special touch for that unbelievably smooth gelato. I am a firm believer that one's cold hands may creature results that differ!
Electronic scale for that precise measurement! I swear I just saw and knew about this machine from my visit here, this machine is freakin' REVOLUTIONARY HAHA!
Prepare, scale, mix and freeze!
Cattabriga EFFE 6B artisan gelato machine (right)
Look at that pretty terracotta red color and smooth sorbet texture. Everything!!!
I think it's safe to say that I just had one of the smoothest sorbets I've ever had in my life!
There are four serving options small, medium, large and extra large and with price ranging from IDR 50k (small)-95k (extra large), I know some of you might think that it's a tad more expensive compared to the other gelato houses in Bali, which is true and I can't deny, but the quality is something that RivaReno is taking the cake for: flavor and texture wise, absolute BEST! Anyway if you ask me to name my favorite flavors then it's the classic Pistachio, Cremino Dark with Pistachio (this one is too good), Cioccolato (with African chocolate). Don't be surprised if the gelato easily melts or not in the most photogenic shape, that's because the gelato is THAT smooth and they use no artificial ingredients (and not to mention Bali can be just freaking hot at times)!

Besides gelato they also have various interesting menus like Gelato Sandwich, Gelato Cake, Semifreddo Cake, Milkshakes and more!
Cremino Dark

After experiencing the production process to actually trying their products, I think it's safe to say that RivaReno is indeed one of the best, if not, the best gelato in Bali at the moment. It's seriously that good. That good!
RivaReno Gelato Bali
Jalan Petitenget No. 3
Seminyak, Bali 80361
Opening hours: 12 PM-11 PM
Average spending for two: IDR 150k
Dresscode: NONE!
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Map for Rivareno Bali