The March Plan, Part 3: Tamukami Hotel

For the last leg of my trip, I'll be returning to the lovely Tamukami Hotel in Sanur. I stayed here last July with my mum and we absolutely loved it. It's a gorgeous boutique hotel with all the rooms overlooking the beautiful lagoon style pool. Nestled down a laneway off the main street, it is quiet but still in a fantastic location and fantastically run by an old Belgium couple. Maybe it's the fact that they live on the hotel grounds that has the staff on their toes and the hotel running so smoothly. I cannot wait to return to this gem.

 

Click here to visit the website.

 

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Jadi Home Cafe: The Second Installment

A little while ago, I wrote this post about Jadi Home Cafe. My mum and I had eaten dinner there back in July during our mother-daughter trip and absolutely loved it. Last month, I had my sneaky 3 night getaway and I insisted in eating here again. The only night we had free for dinner was a Sunday night and that just happened to be the only day the the restaurant was closed. My dad and I popped over before we realised this and I was so disappointed when I realised I wouldn't be able to eat there this time. That was until Srie, the owner and cook, said she would cook just for us. How nice is that?! Now let me explain how generous this was of her: The restaurant is located within Srie's own home. She is the only cook (she has a few helpers) and makes everything from scratch and fresh daily with ingredients she has gone and bought herself from the markets that same day. I can imagine that at the end of the week, she is very tired and looks forward to having her day off, but she opened up just for us. We were so grateful and I was so looking forward to dinner here.

We ordered a few dishes for 7:00 and when we arrived, our dinner was bubbling away on the stove. The smell was divine. We were the only ones there that night and a couple of people asked me if it felt weird or awkward. Well no, not at all. You are like a guest. The kitchen it open to the dining area so we chatted to Srie while she cooked, we went up to her stove to snap pictures of the dishes and smell the beautiful aromas from the spices, we wandered around and enjoyed the rustic and homely feel she has created for her guests. It was lovely.

Before too long, our dishes were ready. I always recommend ordering a day in advance. This means that Srie will be able to start cooking before your arrival so you won't have to wait too long and it makes things easier for her too, so she knows exactly what to buy at the markets. When Mum and I ate here in July, we both ordered beef rendang not realising that the serves were big enough to share. We loved the dish but we were disappointed we didn't order something else to try too. So this time we ordered chilli lime chicken, chicken in coconut and the salt and pepper prawns. Rice for each of us and veggies were included. All the dishes were divine. Srie somehow manages to get so much flavour into her dishes. The chilli lime chicken was our favourite. It had a bit of bite to it and the chicken was just falling off the bone. The coconut chicken was also delicious. Though it could have done with more chicken, I found myself literally drinking spoonfuls of the sauce when we had eaten all the chicken. And the prawns; yum!! They had a delicious and crunchy batter on them with the perfect balance of salt and pepper. I easily could have eaten many many more of them. We shared all the dishes and though we were full, we were once again disappointed we didn't order something else to try too.

The bill was a very reasonable $25 for 3 dishes and 3 drinks. It doesn't get much better than that!!

In you're in the area, definitely pay Srie a visit and tell her I sent you!!

Jadi Home Cafe us located down a laneway off Double 6 in Legian (down the same laneway as the Pearl Hotel and restaurant)

Telephone: 081 7972 0903

Email: srichrisnawaty@yahoo.com

 

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29 Sleeps To Go!!

That's right, in just under a month I'll be one my way back to Bali!! I have 11 nights all together; 7 with my sister, 1 alone and 3 with my parents. As usual, I just can't wait to get back, stay in new hotels, eat at new restaurants, explore new areas. Here and here are the first 2 places I'll be staying. I haven't yet revealed my last hotel choice so stay tuned!!

 

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Photo of the Week: Being a Mermaid

This photo was taken in November at Blue Lagoon, Padang Bai in East Bali. We, my girlfriends and I, had stopped here for a swim and bit of relaxation during our transfer from Sanur to Ubud. It was a bit of an overcasty day but still humid enough for swimming. The water at Blue Lagoon was just perfect; a small swell and beautiful temperature. The ocean floor at this little hidden beach is mostly coral, except for a path of sand on the left side of the beach. This is where you're instructed to enter the water for snorkelling. As we swam further out, we saw so many beautiful fish. The would obliviously swim under you and all around as you dove into the water. It was just beautiful.

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Taco Beach Grill

Before my weekend trip to Bali last month, I had a serious hankering for some Mexican food. A number of people recommended I try Taco Beach Grill, located in Seminyak. After checking the reviews on Trip Advisor, I decided it was a must and luckily for us, it was located within walking distance from our hotel. We headed there for lunch one day and found it easily, with its big blue sign on the street. We were the only ones in the tiny restaurant, which we were thankful for because despite the numerous fans around, it has hot!

I was really looking forward to having lunch here; the restaurant has a reputation for fresh, authentic Mexican food with a bit of a Balinese twist and even better, they have gluten-free options, which Mum was so happy about. Everything on their menu is made in house, including their taco's (gluten free) and tortilla's. It had been recommended to me that we try their chilli poppers so Dad and I decided to split one. Now I love spicey food so I was a bit worried about this but turns out, they're not spicey at all. I wouldn't get this again simply because of the fact I do not like capsicum, and that's the flavour it had.

We also ordered a serve of guacamole, which comes with a selection of salsas and freshly cooked tortilla chips. Now I am not what you'd call a fan of avocado. In fact, I hate the stuff. But this, this guacamole I could not get enough of. It was delicious and not too avocado-ey if I can describe guacamole in such a way. The salsas were spicey, sweet, salty and the chips were perfect with a shimmer of oil still on them, so it was obvious they were fresh. The staff happily brought us more too when we ran out but still had more salsa and guacamole to get through.

I had also heard great things about their Babi Guling Tacos so I decided on that for my main, Mum ordered Vegi Taco's and Dad got a Shredded Beef Burrito. I absolutely loved my taco's. The flavours were beautiful and they were so so filling. Mum loved her veggie taco's and being the very small size that she is, was full after eating one of them. Each taco dish comes with 2 serves so it would have been great to order a few different types and have a bit of taste testing. Dad's burrito was also a massive size with a couple of sides like Spanish rice.

We left with impossibly full bellies, but man was I happy. I would definitely return. Although it was quiet at lunch, I've heard the restaurant gets very busy at night so it's best to book ahead. They also deliver for free within Seminyak!

Taco Beach Grill is located on Jalan Kunti, between Legian and Sunset Roads.

Website: www.tacobeachgrill.com

Email: info@tacobeachgrill.com

Telephone: 0361 854 6262

 

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