Shanghai Baby (Seminyak)
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Jakarta100bars
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Shanghai Baby is one of the must-try new restaurants/bars in Bali in 2016. Designed by the Australian Grant Chyene, it was built on three stories in a 1930s Chinese art-deco style. The restaurant is on the ground floor, the lounge club on the first floor, and the rooftop on the second floor. The food served is modern fusion Cantonese with a few Szechuan and Vietnamese specialties. It is well presented but not that special. The most interesting part of Shanghai Baby is the lounge/club area on the first floor, which is currently one of the trendiest nightlife destinations in Bali . On weekends especially, it gets packed with a crowd of older expats, rich locals and possibly prostitutes. The original concept is that of a "bottle club", meaning that instead of a dance floor you have sofas and tables. For this reason, it is best to go there with a small group and order a bottle. Prior reservation is essential. You can still come for a drink at the bar even thoug
Livingstone is a restaurant, café and bakery, located in Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak. It is bright, clean and modern, just like the kind of venues you would find in cities like Singapore or Sydney. I visited during Lebaran so it was full with Indonesians, most of them seemed like they were from the upper class, probably from Jakarta or Surabaya. The staff was very friendly but they were overwhelmed and it was hard to get their attention. They also made a mistake in my order. I imagine this was because of the high season so I didn't really mind.
The Dusty may be the smallest café you will find in Bali. It was recently opened by a young Frenchman, Nicolas Vitetta. It is similar with a bar in Jakarta called Treehouse for those who know. The design combines classic items like the big chandeliers, with some cheaper, recycled ones. I'm not sure about the definition of hipster but it could be one of those places where they hang out. Located just next to the bar Maria Magdalena in Jalan Dhyana Pura, it serves a small menu of mostly healthy food, including sandwiches and salads. "Party Belt" Bruschetta (Rp60,000+15%) "Astral Totem" (Rp67,000+15%) I had the "Party Belt", a duo of Bruschetta (quite expensive at Rp60,000+15%) and the Astral Totem, a Quinoa Salad (Rp65,000+15%). It was not fine dining but both tasted good and it was fresh.
The Manhattan Fish Market is a restaurant chain specializing in seafood dishes, either poached, grilled, fried, baked or flamed. They are originally from Singapore, with branches in several countries in Asia and Middle East. In Indonesia, you can find them in Bali and Jakarta for the moment. I took one of their signature dishes, the Small Flame (Rp129,000 +16% tax and service), which seemed very appetizing on the picture from the menu (you can see all of it here ). Small Flame (Rp129,000++)
Watercress is a café/restaurant located on Jalan Batu Belig in Seminyak. It is mostly appealing for the healthy options of its menu , particularly for breakfast. It also serves a small range of pastries (American ones), healthy juices and extracts, and coffee from the brand Revolver (whose main branch is on Jalan Oberoi). On the day I visited, most of the customers seemed to be Australians, which is not surprising considering the owner is Australian himself. He may have some French blood too as the playlist was made of songs popular in France a few years ago. Watercress could be easy to miss as it is small and simple. I would have ignored it but it was quite busy from the outside and it made me curious to try. We had just eaten so we only went for a Lassie (Rp35,000+16% tax and service), a Smoothie (Rp35,000++), a Blueberry Muffin (Rp30,000++), and an Apple Rhubarb Crumble with Ice Cream (Rp55,000++).
Barbacoa is one of Seminyak's buzzing spots in 2014. It is a Latin-American themed restaurant located on Jalan Petitenget, in front of the Fave Hotel Umalas and Sardine. It has a large air-conditioned main room with a bar, and an outside area with rice field views. When I visited, it was busy with people who seemed to be for the most part chic and trendy. Typical Seminyak crowd.
Warung Sobat is a cheap open-air restaurant serving a mix of Indonesian, Asian and Western food. They currently have 2 locations in Seminyak, one on Jalan Batu Belig (Warung Sobat I) and one in Kerobokan (Warung Sobat II). It is owned by a Balinese family. It is nicknamed the "canteen" by the French community in Bali, which makes up about 30% of Warung Sobat's customers. This is due to the casual and homelike atmosphere, the decent (yet unspectacular food), and the high number of regulars. I tried the second branch for diner with a friend. The place was almost full and it was not easy to get one of the two waiters attention. The menu is a long list of any dishes that you could possibly think of: Steaks, Pastas, Soups, Salads, Seafood, Asian and Indonesian favorites, etc...
My experience in Mozaic could be summarized in simple terms: It is the best restaurant I have tried in Indonesia (if you are a reader of this website, you will know that I visited a lot of them!). Mozaic is located in Ubud, about a kilometer away from the central market. It is not too big, with the main dining area in a quiet garden. The standards of service are as high as one can achieve in Indonesia I believe. The table set-up is perfect, the staff is great, and the atmosphere ideally romantic. It was opened by French-American national Chris Salans, who also opened Mozaic Beach Club in 2012. The restaurant has received several awards, in particular being included in Restaurant Magazine's list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants.