Restaurants in Bali

If you are coming to Indonesia, you are in for a treat if you sample the local cuisine. Indonesian food is characterized by a combination of flavors, spices, and cooking techniques that are unique to the country. Here are some examples of the variety of Indonesian food:

• Nasi Goreng: This is a classic Indonesian fried rice dish that is cooked with various ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, and meat, and flavored with sweet soy sauce and spices.

• Sate: Sate or satay is a skewered meat dish that is commonly served with a spicy peanut sauce. It can be made with chicken, beef, lamb, or even tofu. You probably have tried this if you have sampled Indian or Thai food.

• Gado-Gado: This is a vegetarian salad made with a variety of steamed or blanched vegetables, such as potatoes, green beans, and cabbage, which are mixed with a peanut sauce dressing.

• Rendang: Rendang is a spicy meat dish that originates from the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra. The dish is slowly cooked in a rich coconut milk and spice mixture until the meat becomes tender and flavorful.

• Soto: Soto is a hearty soup made with chicken or beef broth and spices, and typically served with noodles, vegetables, and boiled eggs.

• Bakso: Bakso is a popular street food made of meatballs served in a savory broth with noodles, vegetables, and tofu.

• Nasi Padang: Nasi Padang is a famous Indonesian meal consisting of steamed rice served with a variety of side dishes, such as curry, fried chicken, and beef rendang.

• Martabak: Martabak is a type of stuffed pancake that is often filled with meat, vegetables, and egg.

Indonesian food is known for its bold and complex flavors, and it is a great option for those who love spicy and savory dishes. This post will be about restaurants in Bali but specifically restaurants at the Grand Hyatt Bali. The Balinese food restaurant in this resort is called Watercourt. However, there are plenty of other places to sample.

Le Petit Chef

I have a separate post about this restaurant because it is so long. Le Petit Chef is a very popular dining experience that combines food with animation and storytelling. The experience features a projected animation of a small chef who cooks dishes in front of diners, in an entertaining and interactive way. You can find our review here.

Pasar Senggol

This is a special event restaurant that usually is only open on Saturday evening. It is designed as a contemporary Balinese night market with an array of stalls offering authentic Indonesian and Balinese dishes. 

If you make a reservation, you will find it is really a nice buffet dinner of authentic Balinese cuisine. Your reservation is for a table and then within about 30 minutes after you are seated, there is a very nice show of authentic Balinese cultural dancers and performers.

For an added attraction, there are local handcraft and artisans that line the path to your table. The pathways leading to the restaurant’s entry are lined with local artisans who create and sell their wares in true market “bazaar” style to the hotel guests and Pasar Senggol diners. 

Nampu

Nampu is the hotel’s Japanese concept, and they do a really good job. They offer a teppanyaki set menu or an a la carte menu that includes sushi, sashimi, tempura, Yakitori and quite a wide variety of foods. 

I really enjoyed the Sashimi at the restaurant. I am sure that they had a Japanese trained Sushi chef on staff. The meal was excellent. 

Madeline had a beef tenderloin meal and she loved it. 

The service at the restaurant was terrific and since we spent so much time living in Japan, it was very nice to experience a Japanese style restaurant while we were in Bali. We noticed that they even have a Tatami room for special occasions and/or large groups.

Watercourt

This restaurant is the hidden gem of the resort. You take a long walk to an almost secret restaurant with water features all around it. Inside you feel as if you are in a Balinese palace. The restaurant pays tribute to the legendary water–palaces of Bali with an exquisite combination of traditional edifices and magnificent fountains, carvings and clear freshwater pools. The Watercourt serves International and Indonesian food.

I was not sure Madeline was going to like it initially, but she loved it. They had delicious spring rolls on one occasion and a Balinese wok dish with chicken and shrimp on another day.

In the evening service, they sometimes have strolling musicians who were very good. They probably can play any music and took some requests in stride along with their normal routine. 

Garden Café

This restaurant is easy to find. It is located in the center of the hotel Grand Hyatt Bali, adjacent to the Lobby. The Garden Café serves an array of classic dishes from Asia to Europe. It is surrounded by cascading waterfalls and lagoons. When we were here, the Italian restaurant, “Salsa Verde” was under renovation so some of the pasta dishes were moved to the Garden Café.

One of the nice touches was the freshly made bread served before the meal. It was delicious. Madeline loved the Italian influence and had a delicious tomato bisque soup and a caprese salad. I enjoyed spaghetti Bolognese. We went back and tried some other things.

Poolside Bar

As you might guess, this restaurant is for those of you that want a little pool time and some nourishment to go along with it. You can beat the heat with a sip of the tropical freshness from an array of original and classic cocktail blends and crushes at the Pool Bar, located by the pool amidst the tropical gardens and close to the beachfront. The restaurant also offers a light meal lunch fare for your gastronomic delight under the sun.

Veranda Lounge & Bar

This lounge is 26 feet above sea level, so you get very nice views of the ocean beyond lush bougainvillea gardens, The Veranda Lounge and They offer a high tea service in the afternoon and in the evening they have nightly entertainment in this Lobby lounge. There is a wide variety of international coffee and tea blends, healthy smoothies, and a distinctive selection of creative tropical cocktails.

Grand Club Lounge

This is probably our favorite place of all. We eat breakfast here every day. We come back in the afternoon just to relax and read our books and get a Coke Zero from the bar along with the occasional cookie. 

The club is open to people that have a club room or have taken the offer to upgrade to club level service. I highly recommend that you do it. The lounge is wonderful with water all around you. We have seen plenty of herons, fish, ducks and other wildlife just enjoying the lily ponds and tropical gardens.

In the evenings, they have a cocktail reception for two hours with light hors d’oeuvres. They also have a man come every evening to play the gamelan for an hour or so. 

You can hear his music along with listening to the bubbling water or the chirping birds.

Hopefully you will consider the Grand Hyatt Bali a destination vacation. We did! As I said, we’ve been there twice already and would love to come back again. The service is wonderful. We met the Guest Experience Manager, Morissher Loduwijk, who looked after us every day. It was his suggestion to try the Nasi Goreng at Watercourt. He also made our spa reservations and all dinner reservations. He checked on us regularly to ensure that our stay was wonderful. The resort is so large and so peaceful that you can easily soak up the cultural vibrations. The people were wonderful to us, and we felt like they were family members welcoming us back. You will love this resort!