Earlier this year, the founders from Ole-Ole Bali and Bumbu Bali launched a brand new Balinese restaurant called Bali & Spice. Located at the Lower Ground floor of Da: Mén USJ shopping mall, Bali & Spice is best described as ‘an immediate accessible respite from your hectic day’, a dining place for quick dive into a visual and sensory feast.
If you’re someone who loves Balinese cuisine, Bali & Spice is probably not an unfamiliar name. This is because Bali & Spice is attached under the same company as Ole-Ole Bali and Bumbu Bali. Bali & Spice was founded by Eddy Tan, a professional chef who married a Balinese local while working in Bali, Indonesia.
The restaurant itself looked amazing, definitely a feast for the eyes. The low lightings paired with the graceful decoration (wooden furniture, artificial plants, etc) gives the illusion that customers are dining beside the shores at Bali.
These beautiful photographs were taken by Kim Mun, a professional photographer.
At first glance of the menu, it’s apparent that the restaurant serves a wide variety of mouthwatering items, ranging from mocktails, soups, salads, Balinese platters and more.
Lemongrass Mojito (RM 13)
The Lemongrass Mojito is a sweet and refreshing drink that gives you the sensations of beachy nights in Bali when you sip on it.
Chili & Mango (RM 13)
Chili & Mango is a mixture of mango, lemon, lime, orange and touch of Red Chili Padi in sparkling soda. These unique combination of these ingredients will get your taste buds dancing with joy.
Balinese Fried Squid Salad (RM 21)
The perfect dish as a Starter, setting a clear and flavourful tone for the rest of the meal. Balinese Fried Squid Salad is a combination of rempeyek (anchovy crackers), spicy lemongrass, fried squid, cherry tomato, onion, jambu batu, etc and topped with shallot dressing.
This was an absolutely delicious bowl of goodness. All ingredients in this dish gave a mouthful experience of crispiness, sourness and juiciness. The shallot dressing was the best part of this dish as it was bursting with explosive flavours.
Now, on to the main dishes.
Siap Bumbu (RM 33) – Served with Balinese Roasted Chicken with Lemongrass Marinate.
Just like the other main dishes in this restaurant, Siap Bumbu is an all in one platter dish that consists of roasted chicken with lemongrass marinate, yellow rice, lawar kacang, rempeyek, sambal terasi, and sambal matah.
As the picture suggests, the platter was bursting with flavours. The marinated chicken was tender and juicy, which was a perfect combination with the aromatic yellow rice and lawar kacang. Both sambal terasi and sambal matah boosted the flavours in this platter even more than it already was.
Iga Mepanggang (RM 45) – Comes with Charbroiled Coconut and Palm Sugar Beef Ribs, served with Tamarind Peanut Sauce.
Another MUST TRY dish, the Iga Mepanggang is a hearty and satisfying feast that consists of beef ribs, yellow rice, lawar kacang, sambal terasi and peanut sauce. This exquisite platter comes with a combination of yellow rice and jam packed with mouthwatering flavours.
The peanut sauce was an odd but satisfying addition to the dish as it brought out a unique taste the beef ribs. Although not as spicy as expected, Iga Mepanggang will definitely satisfy your taste buds with its savory and aromatic sweetness.
What better way to cleanse your belly than doing it with a cuppa coffee/tea.
Gula Merah (RM 15)
One of the most underrated hot beverages in the menu, Gula Merah had the perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness combined with the creaminess of milk. It tasted a lot better than most coffees served in popular cafes, a MUST TRY for all coffee lovers.
Fresh Lemongrass & Ginger Tea (RM 9)
If you’re more of a tea person, you can opt for Fresh Lemongrass & Ginger Tea instead. Just like all items in the restaurant, the combination of Fresh Lemongrass & Ginger Tea was at perfect balance and made to perfection.
Pisang Bakar (RM 13)
By now your belly would probably be full, however Pisang Bakar will have a smooth sailing ride to your tummy.
A simple yet unique dessert, Pisang Bakar is caramelized grilled banana, served with a large scoop of premium vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with sweet shredded coconut and peanut candy toppings.
This dessert produces a savory sensation in your mouth with its sticky-sweet caramel paired with cold vanilla ice cream and blazing grilled banana.
Overall, Bali & Spice is not a cheap restaurant but it’s definitely worth its price. I usually don’t spend over RM20 for a Friday night dinner (because I’m cool like that), however this is a meal I would gladly spend my entire wallet for. We personally recommend you to try Bali & Spice at least once, it’s nothing like you’ve tasted before.
Address: LG-17, Lower Ground Floor, Da:men USJ 1, Subang Jaya, Selangor
Tel: 03-8011-8752
Daily: 11AM–10PM
Read also: #FoodReview: Pho Street, Paradigm Mall
