Today's weather: bit of overcast but hot and humid
Today's exchange rate: 10,310 Rupiah per AUS $
I forced myself to sleep in today until about 8:00 when Sam's alarm went off. In my typical fashion, I was up and moving straight away. We decided not to have brekky at the hotel today and instead headed down to Indo-National where we had a few more options. Our breakfast was about $15. We went over the road to Jimmy's DVD's before heading back to the hotel. We once again returned to made up rooms and new animals on our beds. I love that the hotel freshens your room first thing in the morning:) We had some time to kill before heading out so we took up on the pool lounges. It wasn't too hot yet so I didn't swim, but just enjoyed the tranquility. I busied myself with reading and chatting with mum via FaceTime before it was time to get up and get ready for the day. I had organised to pick up some jewellery between 11 and 12 from a Brazillian girl who now lived in Bali making her jewellery. Her range is something I've been eyeing off for months on Instagram and she recently released a range that she did in collaboration with another designer; By Jasmin. I had fallen in love with it as soon as I saw it and had ordered some pieces to pick up from her home in Kerobokan. I was so excited to get my hands on the gorgeous pieces.
So at 11:00, we set off to get a taxi and he luckily knew where the street was that we were looking for. We found her house no problem and were greeted at the door by Camila. She led us into her showroom, where she had many many of her handmade pieces on display. She designs all the pieces herself and because they're all handmade, they're all different. I love the uniqueness of her pieces and the details that she puts into them. They're truly one-of-a-kind pieces but some of them are beautifully simple so you can have them as everyday pieces. I had ordered a Wanderlust necklace, a bracelet for Sam and a constellation necklace with my star sign; Sagittarius. Camila had them waiting for us and they were gorgeous. Her pieces are not cheap, but considering that they're handmade and can be made to order, I was happy to pay the price. I would have loved to choose a few more pieces but I think it's a collection I'll have to work on over time.
Sam and I were both very happy with what we chose. We said our thank you's and goodbyes before returning to our waiting taxi to take us to Seminyak Square. We were both feeling a bit peckish so before beginning our shopping, we went into The Junction for a drink and a snack. We both ordered a ride paper roll each which hit the spot and paid our bill $15 before going over the road to look in Indigo & Rose.
I usually go into Indigo & Rose stores when I'm in Bali but hadn't bought anything there until today. Half the reason may half been the lovely lady working in there today. She was full of energy, she was funny but more importantly, she was so friendly and helpful. I tried on three things - 2 play suits and a dress - and bought them all. Even better, they were having a sale so I got them for 10% off. We left with smiles on our faces but not before getting a photo with the lady which she insisted upon.
We continued along Oberoi Street, looking here and there before going into Somewhere. This is another of my favourite shops in Bali and today I ended up buying 2 tops and a bracelet.
We were ready to head to lunch after our bit of shopping so we hailed a taxi and set off. We had decided to go to the restaurant Dupa located on Jalan Drupadi in Seminyak. I hadn't been to this restaurant before but it was a definite place to visit during this trip. It's a great place to go when everyone feels like having something different because at Dupa, you can find Baby Biku, Thai Corner and Swich Sandwiches all under the one roof. It's a got some gorgeous rice fields as the backdrop and doesn't have a food court feel that you might imagine it does. It's bright, and colourful, the menus for each different restaurant are all in one and you still get table service.
We settled into a table right next to the fields. It was hot not being under a fan but the view was worth it; the greenery of the rice fields against the perfectly blue sky was magnificent.
As you should do at Dupa, we ordered something from each restaurant. I had spring rolls from Thai Corner, Sam ordered potato skins from Baby Biku, and we got drinks, burgers and chips from Swich. What a way to have lunch. The food was delicious and came to about $20.
We had super full bellies and were ready to get back to the hotel for a swim and a lay down. I had seen a couple of taxis past by the restaurant but they weren't exactly abundant. And of course, just when we needed one, there wasn't one around. We walked along a little ways until we heard the familiar beeping coming from behind us. We were very thankful because it was way too got to be walking along. We jumped into the taxi and we were off.
Back at the hotel, we spent some time laying around the pool, swimming and napping before returning to our room. I needed a bit of a lay down before getting ready for dinner. Tonight, we were going to La Finca. I had eaten here in January (see here) and loved the food. Because we had gone at lunch, it was pretty quite so I was keen to come back for dinner to get the real La Finca experience and Sam was looking forward to some delicious Spanish Tapas.
We walked up to Legian Road and got in the first taxi that came along. The driver didn't know where La Finca was but I was confident that I could remember how to get there once he got us to Batu Belig. I was very proud of myself, we found the restaurant with no problems at all. It was empty when we arrived so we had our choice of tables and got settled in.
Having eaten here in January, I made a number of suggestions of what tapas dishes we should get. We decided on the meatballs and crispy potatos with spicy Bravas sauce, both of which I had tried in January, plus grilled squid and roast beef stuffed eggplant. We also got a complimentary bread basket that came with sundried tomotoes and a yummy aioli. The bread was beautiful and fresh and everything went together so well. It was a perfect start to our meal. Our tapas arrived along with a half pitcher of sang ria, and man were those dishes good. The meatballs were even better than I remember them being in January with their beautiful sweet flavours. The potatoes were deliciously crispy with lots of chorizo mixed though and the sauce was my kind of spicy. The grilled squid was beautifully cooked and had lovely flavours. I'm not a huge fan of eggplant but I tried it anyway and loved it.
In between the tapas and our mains, we had a chance to chat to the staff. Our waitress, Amai, was lovely. She was very gracious, but so friendly and funny. We chatted to one of the waiters that had been working at La Finca for about a week, but had previously worked on a cruise ship that went around Australia and Asia. For our mains, we had both ordered chicken thigh stuffed with feta, chorizo and basil. It was served with crispy potatoes and grilled veggies. I had seen photos of this dish and was really looking forward to having it. It was absolutely perfectly cooked, with the skin nice and crispy but the inside still moist and the stuffing was delicious. We were already so full from the tapas but ate as much as we could. We each ordered a cocktail called Bonita Bali. It was my perfect cocktail; nice and fruity and not too strong. It also came out in a glass as big as my head!!
While we were eating, the restaurant owner Thomas came over to chat and see how we were enjoying our meals. It's obvious that he plays a very big role in the running of the restaurant and is open to feedback from his guests. I honestly had nothing bad to say about our food so far, it was all fantastic, along with the great service and chilled out atmosphere. La Finca has easily earned a spot as one of my favourite restaurants in Bali.
I was determined to have some room left in my tummy for dessert so we took some time to let our meals settle before telling the waiters we were ready. Thomas was incredibly generous and treated us to a dessert platter. It's enough for 2 people and is a great way to get a taste of the different desserts they offer. It consisted of freshly cooked Churros with molten chocolate sauce, a foam Catalan style caramelised cream pudding, a citrus cheesecake which Thomas told us was actually a recipe from the chef's grandma, orange bitter chocolate Malibu truffle and little chocolate croquettes.
As full as we were, we polished off the dessert. It was a perfect way to finish our meal and a great size for sharing after having a big meal. I highly recommend it. I can't even choose a favourite dessert off the platter, everything was mouth watering and full of flavour, but it's safe to say that the Churros were way better than the ones we had at Motel Mexicola last night. We were also treated to a small bottle of a Spanish drink called Hierbas Carafe. Sam loved it, but it was too strong for me.
Our bill came to under $90 which we were very happy with. We said a big thankyou to the staff and Thomas before one of them called us a taxi and we were off. We stopped in at Circle K for more water before heading back got the hotel room. We were tossing up whether or not to go around the corner to a bar until I found out that a couple of ladies I knew were at a bar right next door to the hotel. The bar had a karaoke night so we sat with them and enjoyed the good and bad singing, along with a couple of cocktails.
Tonight is our last night at Rama Garden. Where are we off to tomorrow? To Lembongan Island and I can't wait!
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