Bali Heaven Official Blog

The Bumbu Bali restaurants is one of the most well know restaurants providing authentic Balinese food. As the name indicates, even the setting is influenced largely by Balinese architecture. Since the doors of the restaurant were opened in 1997, it has won several awards and has been selected by the readers of Miele Guide as one of the top 5 restaurants in Indonesia and recognized as the leading Balinese Restaurant in Bali.

Location of the Restaurant

This restaurant is located in Jl.Pratama in Tanjung Benoa in Nusa Dua. An area well known a haven for water sport lovers, offering a broad range of water-based activities like Jet Ski, Banana Boat, Fly Fish, Snorkeling, Parasailing, Fishing, Glass Bottom Boat and Diving.

Upholding Balinese Tradition

An amazing thing about this restaurant is that delectable creations and virtually unknown Balinese cuisines that use spiced flavors can be enjoyed at this authentic Balinese restaurant. Exotic ingredients that characterize the unique cultural heritage of Bali find place in the kitchens of this wonderful restaurant. Some amazing recipes include Nasi Goreng Mawut or fried rice with noodles, Lawar Gedang or green papaya salad, Ayam Betutu or roasted chicken in banana leaf, Base Gede or basic spice paste, Kuah Siap or chicken stock, Nasi Kuning or yellow rice, Pesan wong or mushroom in banana leaf, Kambing Mekuah or lamb stew with cardamom and Sate Ayam which is chicken sate. The restaurant is now spreading its tradition through cooking classes for other food enthusiasts.

The Menu

Some of the most delectable creations of this Balinese restaurant are traditional items cooked in a style true to its origins. These include slow roasted chickens and ducks in banana leaves, wonderfully and freshly grilled seafood, soups made from banana stems, mushrooms, green papayas, Balinese cakes with wonderful modifications, tropical fruits, black rice pudding etc. Some of the best dishes have inspired many books such as Bali Unveiled: Secrets of Balinese Cuisine, Feast of Flavors from the Balinese Kitchen and Street food of Bali. In a way the menu represents all sorts and forms of traditional dishes and ceremonial preparations that one is likely to witness in their tour of the tropical island. The varieties presented at this Balinese restaurant will open the world of Balinese cuisines and everything that you can smell and taste in the form of food in one place. Heinz von Holzen with several acclaimed publications about Balinese cuisines and the food guru of Ritz Carlton hotels and the Grand Hyatt is the godfather of this restaurant too.

Cooking Classes

The Bumbu Bali restaurant is also popular for offering cooking classes for as many 12 students on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for 80 dollars. The class starts with a visit to the vegetable market, fish market and finally handing out of the menus and recipes after a coffee break. Participants will learn to make such traditional Bali dishes as Sate Lilit or minced seafood sates, Base be Pasih or Spice paste for seafood, Base Gede or basic spice paste, Nasi Goreng Mawut or fried rice with noodles, Nasi kuning or yellow rice, Ayam Betutu or roasted chicken in banana leaf, Kambing Mekuah or lamb stew with cardamom and many other recipes using pork, tomatoes, shredded chicken, marinated fish and braised lambs.

Warung means a restaurant in Balinese local language. Warung Murni or Murni’s Warung is one of the most famous ones, capable of drawing visitors and tourists all on its own. Run by an American Balinese couple, Warung Murni was opened in 1974 and is one of the original eateries in the country serving various kinds of food.

Location of the restaurant

Warung Murni is located in the scenic place above the reputed Campuhan or the meeting point of the two rivers of Ubud. The 3 storey building is known for its coziness and the picturesque quality is enhanced by the Ayung River flowing at its feet. There is a steel cable in front of the hotel which is supporting the bridge next to it and the surrounding greenery is breathtaking. This bridge is called the Tjampuhan suspension bridge and it overlooks the Tjampuhan River.

History of the place

When this restaurant was opened in 1974, it became Ubud’s first real restaurant and till date remains one of the favorite of the people. In the entrance to the lounge, there is a large Ganesha statue, the Elephant God worshipped by Hindus for success in any task they undertake. This statue was commissioned in 1997 and was completed in 2002. Murni bought the property in 1975 and that is when the business started to expand, after starting out with just one bamboo table and a shop that sold sarongs, paintings and carvings.

Levels at Murni

Murni’s Warung has 4 levels. In the first level you will walk across a display cabinet of pastries and cakes, so you have an idea about what dessert you will order and in what quantity. You can also take a look at the high walls elegantly decorated by art from Murni’s own collection.

Level 2 with the famous Ganesha statue is the lounge area, where guests can sip on a drink and get nostalgic even as time gently drifts by. The aesthetic elegance of the ambience free of sophistication lends a natural aura to the restaurant missing in most modern eateries.

Level 3 of Warung Murni is reserved for parties. There is an amazing ambience where one can enjoy all out. Warung Murni has wedding and birthday cakes, Balinese music, Balinese dances, menus that can be personalized, aromatic incense and romantic lighting, floodlit trees and river gorge in the backdrop, display of art, champagne, Australian, Chilean, French and local wines, la carte and buffet menus and waiters and waitresses in Balinese costume all adding to the amazing feeling lent by the place perfect for socializing and parties where everyone can have a relaxed soothing time.

Level 4 is a personal favorite of many of the couples. You arrive to a place built right above the river. A candlelit dinner amidst an exotic locale with the sound of gushing stream in the background and greenery to view is really as good as it gets. All in all these 4 levels provide one of the most authentic setups for eating in true Balinese style.

Gado Gado Restaurant & Bar

Gado Gado restaurant & bar is a very famous Bali restaurant because of its location next to the beach and also because of its modern European style cuisines, with an experience accentuated by the high quality of service provided. The Asia Pacific Management Forum had voted the place as the best restaurant in Asia where guests can have a late but warm breakfast, a nice lunch by the sea and a candlelit dinner along with a few drinks with friends at night in a romantic setting. Neither the sand nor the stars seem too far away. The restaurant is consistently voted amongst the best in all Seminyak restaurants in terms of food quality and the pricing on the menu.

The History
Gado Gado was originally founded in the 80s when it was one of the most fashionable clubs on the island. The legendary night club had live trees on the dance floor adding to the effect too. The club has matured now with age and the restaurant, one of the most highly rated in Bali, was opening in the summer of 2001.

The Ambience
The ambience of Gado Gado is an intermingling of cultures and varying influences. There is a traditional alang-alang roof and a modern open space European ambience underneath. The restaurant is very close to the sacred Hindu temple, Pura Camplung Tanduk. The wooden deck of the restaurant is cooled by the breeze blowing from the Indian Ocean right in front. The flexibility of the place has always been one of its strengths. The multi-functionality is at display even as the spaces can be rearranged to accommodate as many as 600 guests, making it a preferred destination for events and parties.

Gado Gado Events
The restaurant is a common venue for many events starting from birthday parties, Christmas parties, corporate dinner parties, fashion shows, romantic candlelit dinners, private parties, product launches, wedding reception and New Year Eve celebrations.

The Menu
Gado Gado restaurant menu provides a wide variety of options to the visitors with starters like crispy fried pickles and chilli aioli shrimp, the popular Mediterranean Trio or hummus, tapenade and tortilla chips with roasted pepper spread, and the fried green tomato. The salads include Baby spinach, iceberg wedge with blue cheese dressing, Caesar with romaine and lavender butter croutons and mixed greens. The menu also includes sandwiches, shrimps and tender chicken for kids, pasta varieties like linguini Alfredo and flatbread pizzetta with veggie, five kinds of cheeses, and other ingredients.

The Main plates too have some good variety with vegetarian dishes, seafood platters with shrimp and fish, andouille sausages, prime sirloin steak, pan seared bone in pork chops, grilled chicken using high quality basmati rice, Tikka sauce and vegetable medley and the cedar plank salmon made with sautéed spinach and garlic mashed potato. There are daily specials in the menu along with desserts. The menu also boasts of some exotic Martinis including classic gin martini, French martini, citrus and red rose martinis.

As proclaimed by him, Kuni has 3 major passions which amazingly intermingle and blend to provide a fine dining experience. This is the passion for food, passion for ambience mostly the right amount of lighting and passion for making every single guest welcome and fully satisfied with the experience at the restaurant. These are also the fundamental principles behind the success of the place, which is one of the more popular Japanese restaurants in Bali.

The Location

Kuni’s Bali restaurant is located in Jl. Laksmana 80 (ex. oberoi), Seminyak Bali not far away from the Indian Ocean. There are quite a few famous hotels in the proximity like the The Oberoi. It is very close to the Peti Tenget Temple in the picturesque locality of Badung, one of the tourist hubs of Bali.

The Ambience

Japanese modern is the concept running behind the aesthetics of the place. The décor is stunningly simple which is what makes it very pleasing to the eye. It is accentuated by the plants, the tables and the bamboos each fitting perfectly into the location and culminating to provide a wonderful picture. A lot of focus seems to have been paid to the serenity of the place and space available for guests by avoiding Japanese kitsch, found at many other restaurants making them garish and overly sentimental but in poor taste. The dining room is situated in the middle of the garden, so that guests can choose to dine inside in the light of the candles or in the open air under the beautiful stars of the Bali skies. The garden is full of colorful tropical plants and trees.

The Food

Kuni’s offers high standards in Japanese traditional dining with a wide range of items like the very popular gyoza and tempura and also innovations like the delicious prawn spring rolls and Thai type squid salad. You can also go for sushi and sashimi treats which are selected with utmost diligence and care by selecting fish freshly from the sea. From the local waters, the tuna is used to create the Magro sashimi delicacy, a favorite of many visitors.

The Kuni’s is not limited in the variety. You would be surprised to find Kushi Yaki section in the kitchen where you would see grilled food on skewers. One can view this section which is behind the glass at the restaurant’s entrance. To accentuate the Bali dining experience, Kushi Yaki combinations are carefully and expertly prepared using fish, beef, chicken and vegetables in order to accompany other dishes and meals. The versatility of the restaurant is what makes it so popular especially for groups of guests with individual preferences. For the vegetarian there are many dishes in each of the menu sections. For the noodle lovers, there are plain noodles as well as buckwheat dishes. There are traditional Japanese delicacies as well as recipes borrowed from local cuisines to give the visitors a complete dining experience where they are spoilt for choices. Not to mention the simple, classic and elegant ambience that adds to the magic of a soothing and satiating dinner.

This is one of the most popular restaurants in Bali with a truly international and cosmopolitan flavor. Ku De Ta is one of the best beachside restaurants because of the ambience, the themes, the parties and the dinner.

Location of the restaurant
The restaurant is located adjacent to the Temple of the Dead or Pura Dalem, at the end of the Jl. Oberoi – Seminyak Bali. The restaurant is famous for its fresh water shower on the beach side and is thronged by a lot of tourists for a beach side lunch, dinner or breakfast. The restaurant is open from 8 am in the morning until midnight.

The Magnificent Ambience
The ambience is amazing with excellent venues that suit all kinds of mood, whether you want to have evening drinks viewing the blue waters or you want to witness partying and music. The garden deck entrance sets the tone of the place with a stone frieze, a mini cascade, paper lanterns and tree boughs. The stern deck has designer recliners, where you can relax sipping your drink enjoying the water spilling in beautifully lit tunnels giving the feeling of the woods.
You can head to the sunset box in the evening which is low slung eerie vantage point to view the sun setting as you listen to sunset tracks played by international DJs in the background. For the nature lovers, the tree bar with its shades similar to the colors of the jungle, low tables, inner rings of rich patina, lounge chairs and forest inspired textures, is the ideal setting.

Pergola, an idyllic arc is an open airy gallery, with a tranquil pool with blue waters on one side and a garden with a variety of vines on the other side. The magnificent ceiling fresco has shifting colors with a rainbow glow providing perfect contrast to the groomed walls and iridescent ferns.

You can head to the day beds where one can gather, meet friends, relax, drink and enjoy the beautiful charm of dusk and the onset of twilight gazing at the stars in the azure sky and the moon. There is pool side dining too where you can sit on tropical stone verandahs under the star lit sky, in a romantic setting accentuated by the incandescent lights and the glimmer of the Indian Ocean in the distance. If you love to socialize, Sexion 9 with its hardwood benches, timber pavilions and sophisticated semi open feasting halls, is the best place to check out the varieties on the menu.

Dining and wine
Ku De Ta boasts of one of the most complete menus that any restaurant can offer in the island. The team of 80 kitchen staff which includes, pastry chefs, butchers and bakers most of whom are internationally trained provide you with the most mouth watering delicacies from smoked salmon to Vietnamese coleslaw and confit duck cassoulet. The menu is truly international. Add to it specially enhanced smoothies, tealeaf blends and customized cocktails along top shelve liquors and premium spirits and you can feast yourself and drink till you overfill your appetite.

Ku De Ta
Jl. Laksmana 9, Seminyak Bali.
phone: +62 361 736969

Open daily from 8am – midnight.