Bali Café on Soi Buakhao

[Evil Penevil]

 

Bali Café is a new restaurant and guest house on Soi Buakhao about 100 meters north of the misnamed Action Street complex.  The menu features a half-dozen Indonesian specialties, a few Dutch dishes and the rest international and Thai items.

It's an open-front restaurant with "indoor" and outdoor dining areas.  The interior is clean, comfortable, well-ventilated and attractively decorated, although I don't see much that is Balinese about it.

There is a big screen TV as well as an even larger projection TV, which doesn't just show sports or YouTube music videos.

I'm a fan of Indonesian food in general and nasi goreng ("fried rice") in particular, so I tried Bali Café's version of the iconic Indonesian dish.  It came with the usual accompaniments:  two small pork satay skewers, a fried egg and  krupuk udang (shrimp crackers) and cost 189 baht. 

It  was good but not great.  I would have liked more taste.  It had plenty of heat from chili peppers, but the other flavors were a bit weak.

What distinguishes nasi goreng from most other Asian fried rice variations is a richer and bolder taste that comes from ingredients like tamarind, shrimp  paste and caramelized sweet soy sauce (kecap manis). It's that characteristic taste I thought could have been stronger.

I next tried the smashed fried chicken (ayam penyet), an East Javanese staple. The chicken is pounded ("smashed") with a mortar and  pestle or back of a cleaver to soften it.  It's typically served with sambal (a spicy condiment) and slices of cucumber, which is how it came at Bali Café.

The chicken had been boiled in a broth of herbs and spices, then deep-fried and finally "smashed," which makes it crispy and tender in the same bite. Very good and light years from KFC.  The sambal was also good and the perfect condiment for the chicken.  It cost 179 baht.

I also had seafood mie goreng (fried noodles), another mainstay of indonesian cuisine.

There was plenty of squid, shrimp and vegetables.  The flavors shone through more brightly than with the nasi goreng.  It cost 149 baht.

Bottom line: So far I've been happy with the meals I've had at Bali Café and won't hesitate to try some of the other items on the menu.  Prices are reasonable, although the portions weren't particularly large.  Almost all the items on the menu were under 200 baht, with the most expensive at 220 baht,

The one downside for me was the level of the background music.  Too loud!  At least some nights there's a DJ and live band and I shudder to think what the volume would be then.  I'll definitely confine my return visits to the afternoon or early evening.

On Jan. 5, Bali Café is having a party.

The non-Indonesian menu items are the standard Pattaya line-up of farang and Thai dishes. I'll include photos below of most menu pages to give a better idea of prices and what is on offer.  I'm not sure about Bali Café's hours as I didn't see them listed on the menu and I forgot to ask the waitress.

Evil

 

[halfaboy]

Happy with this review and happy with this type of restaurant. Will visit for sure. I did not see a nasi rames on the menu, but maybe it's not listed.

Thanks a lot !

[Evil Penevil]

 

1 hour ago, halfaboy said:

Happy with this review and happy with this type of restaurant. Will visit for sure. I did not see a nasi rames on the menu, but maybe it's not listed.

Thanks a lot !

You're welcome!  Nasi goreng is listed on the menu.

Evil

1 hour ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

[halfaboy]

I noticed the nasi goreng (fried rice). Nasi rames is something different. Usually it is a dish with steamed rice surrounded with an assortment of green beans, peanuts, sateh, ikan (fish) etc. etc. The composition of this dish can vary from restaurant to restaurant. What they have is common for me is that after finishing the dish I am usually really full (for the rest of the day). If you want to have a look at a few examples google on 'nasi rames speciaal'.

Have fun....

 

Edited January 4, 2019 by halfaboy

[Evil Penevil]

4 hours ago, halfaboy said:

I noticed the nasi goreng (fried rice). Nasi rames is something different. Usually it is a dish with steamed rice surrounded with an assortment of green beans, peanuts, sateh, ikan (fish) etc. etc. The composition of this dish can vary from restaurant to restaurant. What they have is common for me is that after finishing the dish I am usually really full (for the rest of the day). If you want to have a look at a few examples google on 'nasi rames speciaal'.

Have fun....

 

Sorry, my mistake.  In haste, I read "nasi rames" as "nasi names."  Maybe time for visit to an optician for an eye examination. It's been awhile.

Evil

[jacko]

Plenty of different types of Nasi rames pops up with a google, here is one pic.

Might be off to Bali for a short trip in a few months.

 

 

[halfaboy]

8 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

Sorry, my mistake.  In haste, I read "nasi rames" as "nasi names."  Maybe time for visit to an optician for an eye examination. It's been awhile.

Evil

No plomplem. Looking forward to your next review....

[Butch]

Great review Evil, the price point seems to be very reasonable indeed. Thanks for posting it up, I'll give this place a look sometime in the future.