Porky Lunch at Pork Star

Oops! Watch out guys! Don't mention the name wrongly please, otherwise it might mean totally different giggle (if you know what I mean). Naming itself as Pork Star, this newly opened restaurant located at Legian, directly captured my attention when I heard of its name initially from my friend. Such a creative idea! 

Not stopping at the name, the concept brought out for the design was another captivating one. Even at the front part, it's already catchy with the bright pink container covered with pig family picture, looking as if they're waiting for the chefs who's cooking in the kitchen. Entering the venue, the design's still consistent, also bright pink and mainly pig pictures, kinda girly yet cute design. They do use some wording frames, which simply describe what they sell, PORK. 

The two-storey building brought very simple design, just like typical traditional Balinese suckling pig sellers. The distinctive point, this came with air conditioner so the guests didn't need to experience those moments being heavily sweating with hot dishes and warm place. 

When in Bali, my friends and I were always excited of eating pork; any type of dishes, any styles, as they usually turned out marvelous! Knowing that Pork Star mainly specialized in pork, we're highly in spirit to try their dishes. As my friend actually knew the owner through Instagram (yes you heard it right, Instagram did connect you to the people you might've never expected before), so we left the choice to them on the menu that we should not miss. 

Pork Dynamite (IDR 38k)

Coming as the appetizer, this bacon-wrapped mozzarella cheese was surely fancy light bites coming in affordable price. It was quite palatable yet I suggested to enjoy it while warm, when it's still fresh from the kitchen so you could enjoy that melted mozzarella sensation not over exaggerating. Though it's not like the best pork-based light bites ever, but with this price and quite satisfying portion, it could be great option to go for. 

Nasi Campur Pork Star (IDR 48k)

4 different styles of pork in a single plate, complemented with rice, what else could you ask for! Babi sambal matah, babi sambal hijau, babi rica-rica, dendeng; you named it. Surely heavenly indulgence especially for Indonesian palates who couldn't live without rice. When I was asked which one would be my favorite, it could be one of the most difficult questions I should answer as all of them were simply tantalizing that you wouldn't miss every single one. All the pork was tender and each type of sauces had its own signature taste delivering rich blend of spices.

Pork Star's Pork Belly (IDR 45k + 5k) 

And here it was, the brightest star in Pork Star!! Serving generous size of Pork Belly, which flawlessly combined the juicy part of the meat with the crispy skin. Having it with the fragrant butter rice (or alternatively steamed rice or french fries), you could feel that heaven on earth right on your taste bud. Not to mention the sauce which came as impeccable companion to the pork belly itself. You could choose between truffle sauce or black pepper sauce. We went for the truffle one and it's just like 'Could I have more, more, and more of the sauce please?'. So rich of seasonings and definitely luscious. Desired to express how good it was? To the level that we enjoyed it in the afternoon, yet my friends still ordered additional portion to take home for dinner!

If you said yourself a pork lover, you definitely should give pork star a try! Friendly for your pocket, yet indulging for your palate; complete package wrapped in one!

Taste: 8.5/10

Place: 7.5/10

Service: 8.5/10

Price: 8/10

Thanks for Reading! :)

PORK STAR

Address: Jl. Nakula No. 88C, Legian, Bali

Phone: (+62) 818 817 760

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 10am - 10pm

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Noh! by Pison, The New Family Member to My Most Favorite Coffee Shop in Bali

Pison Coffee, one of the best coffee shop I've been in Bali, which will surely make me keep coming back especially for their Caramel Macchiato. This time, when my friends and I went to Bali and stayed for a couple of days at Jimbaran area, we would surely not miss the chance to visit the newest comer from Pison, Noh!

I was always about to laugh when I heard the name Noh! as it made me recall back the time when my friends and I kept making fun of it. Yeah as you knew, in Bahasa's slang, we sometimes called something we pointed at as 'noh'. Thus, when we're almost arriving at the place and at the point where we could see the coffee shop already, we kept mentioning to each other 'noh, it's there'. Ok forget about all those cheesy stuffs, let's directly see what it had for us. Sit back and enjoy reading :)

Noh! was actually located at the newly opened hotel and shopping center, Samasta at Jimbaran. When you passed by Samasta, you could immediately see Noh! as the spot's actually at the front side, close to the entrance. Having small outdoor area in front and quite petite indoor space as well, this coffeeshop reminded me of typical Sydney's one. The decoration's simple yet very eye-catchy with coffee-themed wall paintings all over the corner. Yesss, those photogenic spots for your OOTD snaps, and that's exactly the opportunity my friends and I wouldn't miss so there it went our 'ala candid' session. 

As my friends and I had had our light breakfast in the hotel, so we're actually not that hungry. Considering that we still wanted to visit multiple places upon that as well, so we chose to go for their light bites and our option landed at the Bruschetta, plus the Almond Croissant, which you might have correctly guessed as my request since something sweet's a must for me. 

Bruschetta (IDR 45k)

Presentation wise, this dish might look gorgeous with that bright red color. Nonetheless, that also meant it mainly contained tomatoes, which was served on top of sour dough. Luckily, it still had a hint of goat cheese in the mixture to neutralize the sour taste from the fresh tomatoes. Overall, this starter wasn't made for me I guessed. I preferred the sour dough to be softer and the toppings to have more variety of ingredients; perhaps meat, cheese, or mushroom?

Almond Croissant (IDR 30k) 

After having quite a dilemma between chocolate or almond, we finally opted for almond. Being re-heated, this almond croissant successfully gave that appealing aroma which simply made no one could hold any longer to have a try. Well, it might be not the most scrumptious almond croissant ever, yet you still had that satisfying flaky pastry and tasty base as well as filling. 

Ham and Cheese Bagel (IDR 50k)

As I mentioned in prior that we didn't order anything heavy, so actually this didn't belong to me. Yeah, it's my other friend's who came later, yet I did try it yeay! Literally like what you saw in the picture, it's indeed a very simple combination of bagel, ham, cheese, and lettuce. Fortunately it didn't belong to me, otherwise I would be quite disappointed. Yes, they did mention it's Ham and Cheese Bagel, yet I just over-expected initially that it would have something more special than just stuffing simple ready-to-use ham and cheddar cheese. Though the taste was okay, I couldn't find anything distinctive from this dish.But yeah, if you just wanted simple ham and cheese and didn't fancy something beyond, this might suit you well.

Finally coming to the beverage part, the main attraction drawing me here, the COFFEE!! And YESSS! Exactly the same taste as the one I had in Pison's main outlet. Such a pampering one with bold coffee flavor, slight acidity, and clean after taste. Both the cappuccino and the piccolo were indeed cups of seduction!

Cappuccino (IDR 35k)

Piccolo (IDR 30k)

Iced Mocha (IDR 48k)

When in need for the cold version and more flavor beyond coffee taste only, Iced Mocha couldn't serve you better. The chocolate touch did come as extra happiness in this drink, delivering more indulgence for your palate. 

Iced Chocolate (IDR 45k)

If you were non-coffee guy or simply fancied something sweeter, their Iced Chocolate could be the perfect alternative. A huge glass of strong dark chocolate which wasn't overly sweet, just like what my taste bud always loved. As it belonged to my friend, at first I just had a try. Please blame it to this beverage, there it came the second, third, and following sips *giggling*. 

Strawberry Juice (IDR 40k)

Desired something fresh instead of anything milky? You could go for their fresh fruit juices, just like this one. Well, I guessed the color could pretty much represent how it tasted and what's inside it. Yes, coming in that gorgeous red look, this strawberry juice had bold strawberry flavor meaning less water content. So fresh and surely worth the price paid.

Thanks to Pison for always serving me spoiling cup of caffeine. And this time, another impressive one from the non-coffee ones, which was surely a great plus point. It could be even more delightful in case the foods could have richer taste as well. Looking forward to having my morning doze here ;)

Taste: 7/10 (Food), 8.5/10 (Beverage)

Place: 7.5/10

Service: 7.5/10

Price: 7/10

Thanks for Reading! :)

NOH! BY PISON

Address: Samasta Lifestyle Village, Jl. Wanagiri No. 10, Jimbaran, Bali

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 10am - 9pm

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Spanish Lunch by the Beach at AKUA Bali

When you looked at the restaurant, it might not look like typical Spanish restaurant especially in Jakarta, which usually came in more formal and elegant design. Nonetheless, covering itself in more casual design, AKUA actually made its ambiance become more homey and hence cozier to spend longer time. 

Having glass doors covering the whole venue, which was actually located right across the beach, AKUA allowed the guests to enjoy the 'natural air conditioner'; fresh wind blowing and seagulls roaring, while at the same time being spoiled by the stunning panorama of the beach and people doing watersports or simply chilling. 

It's actually quite a huge one, having both indoor and outdoor seating. When it's not raining, even sitting in the indoor space, you could still enjoy the fresh air as all the glass doors will be widely opened. Unfortunately, when my friends and I were there, it's raining terribly that they had to close all the doors *frowned*.

Call it a coincidence, the owner's originally from Spain, no that's not the coincidence as I'm not done yet. So what's it? Surprise surprise, the owner's wife's actually my friend's childhood best mate. Yes, you heard it right, the wife of the very friendly guy giving us warm welcome right after we entered the restaurant. Such a beautiful coincidence, wasn't it? My friend @yennymakanmulu and the owner's wife, were even neighbors, whom were as close as family. It then turned to be an unexpected reunion for them who haven't met for uncountable years.

Lemongrass Tea

Desired to quench my thirst with something refreshing, I opted for this Iced Lemongrass Tea, which supposedly came with ginger. As I hated ginger, I requested it to come without ginger. Quite a delight drink since they used real lemongrass instead of only instant tea with lemongrass flavor. 

Coco Banana

This belonged to my friend yet I did try it. Quite interesting right, having banana smoothies with coconut touch. As both the fruits did have strong flavor, it was a very tantalizing one as you could taste both of them without having one dominating another. Rare to be found, yet looked like a valuable treasure to be attained.

Tortilla de Patata (IDR 45k)

Starting with this very simple dish, which didn't only look simple but indeed had simple combination of ingredients. It's actually signature Spanish tapas, which could be found in I guess all Spanish restaurants. Mixing the duo of eggs and diced-cut potatoes, this appetizer gave me a huge surprise as I initially wasn't that interested looking at its appearance but once I had my first bite, I was hypnotized right away with its taste! Voila!! Perhaps it's the most tantalizing omelette I've ever had in lifetime. 

Gambas Al Ajillo (IDR 58k)

Another round of light bite, but with extra happiness from the shrimp. OMG seriously, no wonder Spanish guys love their country damn much. Different from the first impression I got from the first one,  this second one has stolen my heart away since the beginning. Especially when it came to the moment I smelled the aroma; I was stunned for awhile as it was so tempting! That palatable garlicky smell might kill any vampire on the spot as it's super bold, yummm! Not being able to hold ourselves any longer, when all my friends and I were done with our snaps, we immediately enjoyed this sauteed garlic shrimp with the bread served on its side. Though we had this dish not warm anymore unlike how it's recommended, it was still finger-lickin' awesome! Strong garlic flavor, perfectly complemented with the hint of olive oil. Umm, I guessed I didn't mind having this as main course ;). 

Paella Seafood (IDR 225k)

Oowww. I revised my prior statement. I would go for another main course as the paella was certainly irresistible. Served in a quite gigantic plate, this Spanish rice which was said to be for two, for my size could be for up to 4 people especially because I didn't fancy rice that much. Blending various spices, this paella was so rich of flavors and the seafood toppings were given so generously, mixing prawns, mussels, and squids. The price paid was so worthy with this abundant quantity and ingredients, not to mention that all the seafood was so fresh, pampering my taste bud and tummy very well. 

This delightful premiere experience will surely bring me back here for their other dishes. Every single choice we picked led us to be beyond satisfied. And at the next visit, I would certainly follow the owner's suggestion, eat while warm, to get the ultimate delicacy ;)

Taste: 8.5/10
Place: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Price: 8/10

Thanks for Reading! :)

AKUA BALI
Address: Jl Pemelisan Agung 27, Jimbaran, Bali
Phone: (+62 361) 709071
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8.30 am - 10.30pm
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