Auteur: Liselotte Staal

This gorgeous modern Asian tapas bar is tucked away above the great Taco Local. Jicama is a pearl with a roof terrace around and in the middle there is fully stocked bar. The bar is their pride, as they are just starting up. The signature cocktail of Jicama is The Merchant’s Daughter. With ingredients like lemongrass-infused gin, fresh watermelon slices, lime juice, Campari and their delicious homemade watermelon jam. This is definitely the most sweet jam I’ve ever had and it was lovely. The manager Andre told me that this was the hardest to make, but now it’s close to perfection.

As I sat down in the sun, enjoying the beautiful surroundings, Andre and Sebastian told me that the concept of Jicama is small plates to share while dining. So now it was my turn try. First up, a delicious Bao bun with twice-cooked pork belly. A steamed Bao bun with seasoned cucumber, crushed peanuts, chopped cilantro and hoisin. This makes the sweet glaze. The Bao was delightful.

One of their most wanted dishes is the KFC. Not mistaken with the fastfood, Korean Fried Chicken with gochujang dressing and pickled jicama. The dressing is a typical Korean sweet and spicy sauce. The jicama has an apple and pear texture which was really good. I loved the sauce where the batter was mixed with. The Chicken Thigh Rice Noodles were up next. Wow, this chicken was mindblowing delicious. Prepared with mum’s recipe, the lemongrass-infused chicken thigh was absolutely the star of the evening. I couldn’t stop eating the chicken thighs with market greens, cha gio, seasoned cucumber, pickled jicama, crushed peanuts and the divine chili vinaigrette!

If you want a small sandwich for lunch, their Banh Mi Tempe is delicious. A flat-toasted baguette, pickled jicama and carrot, cilantro and a lemongrass dressing. This Vietnamese sandwich is made with the best baguette I’ve eaten since arriving on Bali. The ingredients were stacked on top of each other and the sandwich fell apart in my mouth. While I’m enjoying the afterglow of these beautiful dishes, I see the beautiful ‘inside garden’ with hanging plants. I’m delighted when I hear they’re for sale.

Just around the corner of the busy Jalan Laksmana, there is the Caribbean pearl Chara. At this new spot, they love to collide the different tastes of sweet, sour and spicy. The typical food from different influences from the countries around the Caribbean, are the only things that they serve.

The Sweet Potato Fritter is made of mashed sweet potatoes, which are breaded and fried, served with a delicious tropical salsa and sour cream lime sauce. The nice sweet potato is perfectly combined with the sweet and sour salsa.

This nice starter is followed up by the Coco Loco Shrimp. Their famous fried crispy large shrimp. Topped off with some caramelized fresh coconut and served with a golden orange dipping sauce. The breaded shrimp was delightful, but the star of the dish was definitely the sauce. Spicy but sweet. It was a perfect combination on a plate.

As I always have a spot left for dessert, the Baked Apple Crumble called my name. What a beautiful presentation! A whole green apple, stuffed with a fresh apple, mix of cookie crunch and raisins. On the side, there was a creamy cinnamon scoop of ice cream. The combination of warm and cold was refreshing: the soft pieces of apple in combination with the cinnamon ice cream were absolutely lovely. For a night in the Caribbean, you’ll definitely have to stop by Chara.

On my way to the Double Six beach, I spotted this gorgeous coffee place just down Jalan Arjuna. Surati Sacred Ground is the name. My belly was grumbling and I really needed a good Shotgun Coffee Mocca. A delightful robust cup of coffee was just enough to wake me up. The menu is still changing because the old one was too much and of course, they’ll keep the hints of Bali hidden in the menu. But thank god, the breakfast menu was phenomenal. For a healthy-food lover like me, this felt like heaven. Continue reading “Healthy on Sacred Ground”