Once a snoozy green outpost of padi fields, Bali's Seminyak district has been swamped in recent years by a flush of villas, clubs, bars, spas and upmarket restaurants. Since the arrival of La Lucciola restaurant on the beachfront near Petitenget Temple, Seminyak has become a culinary haven. Its heart, if not stomach, is the restaurant row of Jalan Laksmana (also known as Jalan Laksmana Oberoi).
Ginger
48 Jln Laksmana, tel: (62 361) 736 715
Little Ginger covers plenty of bases with its description: 'Pan Asian tapas bar and wine lounge.' Towards the Oberoi Hotel and beach end of Jalan Laksmana, this quiet place has wines (principally Australian) from 150,000 ($120) to 550,000 rupiah a bottle, or by the glass for about 40,000 rupiah. Relax on the leather loungers, listen to unobtrusive ambient music and work your way through the tapas menu, which includes an Asian tuna plate, sashimi or gyoza (average price 18,000 rupiah). The vegetable nachos (24,000 rupiah), however, seem something of a Mexican standoff, coming buried under an odd froth of cheese.
The Metro
52B Jln Laksmana, tel: (62 361) 736 280
Combining open-air and indoor dining, sports pub, pool room and music venue, the spacious Metro Restaurant and Sports Bar gives you plenty of options. In the middle of restaurant row, this unpretentious, but well-run, establishment can comfort-feed you with, for instance, a 450g Australian T-bone steak (89,000 rupiah), grilled whole garupa or red-beef curry (35,000 rupiah). Your Balinese dining companions will call for more chilli and sambal sauce, and the beef in the curry can be pretty tough. Servings are generous and you can finish off with delicious pisang goreng madu (banana fritters with palm sugar sauce) for 91,000 rupiah.
