Balibola (New Menu!)

It’s been almost a year since my last (and actually my first) visit to Balibola (see the earlier review here) and finally I could be back again, experiencing their new set of menu and once again enjoying their warm service. 

The place hasn’t changed much from 11 months ago, except the front corner had its walls being redecorated. Used to be plain pink and plain blue, now it showed more colorful design with bolder theme. The indoor space seemed to stay as it was, still being gorgeous for the sight. It felt like opening chic magazine pages looking at how the interior was set up. 

The menu was another attraction for my friends and I. All the pics looked appetizing, all the dishes descriptions seemed to be super appealing. It took us awhile before able to pick our final decision. It’s just like everyone suddenly turned to be super indecisive. 

Vegan Cookie (IDR 25k)

Before going to our main orders, we started with this ‘prelude’. I was expecting the soft-type one, while this was actually the crunchy kind of cookie. It tasted okay, despite I would say nothing really stood out that might make it more distinctive compared to any other similar ones. 

Fully Falafel (IDR 88k)

Now the real actor started to take the stage, beginning with member of the savory gang. The dish featured a trio of Falafel balls, accompanied by grilled eggplant, red pepper, tabouli, hummus, rocket, and salsa sauce. The whole dish could be perfectly enjoyed with the special Tahini dressing that came as perfectly match to the group. The balls were so flavorful and I would say they cured my craving on Mediterranean dish very well. For you whore more explorative, actually you also had the option to create your own composition for the balls you desired. 

Pink Bliss Bowl (IDR 70k)

Moving to different kind of dish, now you saw the cutie pink bowl, presenting pink homemade yoghurt topped with pink roasted granola, coconut, raisin, and tropical fruits including strawberries and mango. Presentation wise, it played beautiful mix of colors, giving that fresh look. If you fancied something sour, you might love this one as the base itself was quite sour and the toppings were served in similar kind of taste. For me, I personally preferred the toppings to be sweet so they could well-balance the healthy base. 

Vegan Nana Pancake (IDR 95k)

Going for something sweet? This wonderfully crafted dish could be your perfect option. I found it very funny when I saw the dish came with an Instagram sign next to its name on the menu, which apparently represented that the dish came in Instagenic presentation (well I bet just few years back then you would never expect this sign on your menu). The yummy stacks of fluffy banana and oat pancake were served warm, and combined with the oppositely cold coconut ice cream. I extremely loved that idea of playing with opposite temperature as my palate got excited having the two altogether. The toppings of grilled caramelized banana, berry compote, and whipped cream added colors to the dish explicitly as seen from the appearance and implicitly as felt from the mix of sweet and sour taste. Seemed to still desired to give extra happiness, you were also given an injection of vegan chocolate to further spoil your palate. As this pancake came in sizable portion, for my tummy’s space I would prefer to have it shared ;)

Berry Nana Chia Pudding (IDR 72k)

Getting hitched by the pic of the dish, this ‘beauty-served-in-a-cup’ turned to be the creme de la creme in the dining session. Struggling to be able to enjoy all elements in one spoon-fed, I ended up having each one by one starting from those on top. Nonetheless, it turned out still being super palatable. As if having its own appetizer, main course, and dessert, I first enjoyed the frozen fruit smoothies with the granola and slices of banana and berries. They just went well together and got even better once I reached the coconut milk layer which complemented the earlier group’s sweet taste very very well. As the main actor of the dish, the chia seeds came at the very end as it’s put right at the bottom. This was also the thickest layer, which I found delectable to be combined together with the remaining other components. Such flawless beauty!

In a nutshell, Balibola would surely make it to my Bali’s must-visit place especially if you’re staying around Seminyak. Their creativity in continuously inventing new concepts surely deserved the repeating visits!

Taste: 7.5/10

Place: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading! :)

BALI BOLA

Address: Jl. Petitenget No. 8X, Seminyak, Bali

Phone: (+62) 812 9167 2276

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 9pm

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Clean Slate

I guess I’ve made a trio of visits to this place before finally being able to put myself back on writing again! As always, super energizing being able to be back on a blank digital paper and flow out what popped up in mind into paragraphs that could guide people finding their ways to spoil the palate. 

Used to be Tobi’s Coffee, now the spot has transformed to Clean Slate. The first time I was aware of this place, and put my first footstep on its front door, I right away realized this was Tobi’s as the setting was almost precisely the same. Not to mention, Tobi’s used to be one of my most fave coffeeshop around Tangerang area, even since I was still staying in Jakarta. 

Not focusing on coffee only anymore, now the selections were richer in foods, though still not providing less options for the beverages as well. Trying to satisfy the various demanding taste buds, they did serve rice-based dishes, pasta, classic brunch menus, till simple appetizers like chicken bites and fries. The price was pretty ‘pocket-friendly’ for college students, who was the big chunk of consumers around the area. This would be applicable on the meals, as the drink might cost you slightly more, if compared relatively to similar kind of places. 

Trying to give a try on each group listed kn the menu, I came over with bigger group in my second and third visit so we could order more. 

Chili cheese (IDR 60k)

As the name implied, this dish which featured spaghetti as the main carbo, basically presented the spicy cheese sauce, combining something creamy and spicy and hence making it satisfying yet not causing you to get bloated easily. Though you got the choice of beef bacon or crispy fried chicken as the protein to accompany your carbo, I preferred going with the latter one as they came in bigger pieces and for my liking it suited the dish better as I could get the ‘play of texture’ with the combo of creamy sauce and crispy yet juicy chicken. No worries if you couldn’t afford too spicy food, as it’s somehow justifiable as long as your remembered to mention that when placing your order. 

Nasi Gila (IDR 47k)

Moving to another type of palate which was more into Indonesian’s, I bet you’ve been able to guess what I meant. Yes, for sure something with rice! This next dish basically brought out the comfort food we usually enjoyed at hawker. For sure don’t compare the price with the version you got from the guy with cart that might pass by residential area, as you would surely say it now costed a fortune! Great thing, not only the presentation, the taste did give you different kind of experience, which wasn’t less satisfying. The portion was also fulfilling and the taste was rich with generous toppings of beef bratwurst, chicken chunks, meatballs, scrambled eggs, and not to forget, crackers! Now you could enjoy this type of dish without being overly sweaty as you could sit nicely in fully air-conditioned room while having it ;)

Salted Egg Rice (IDR 55k)

Now we reached my number 1 favorite from Clean Slate savory list, Salted Egg Rice! Just like how I fell for any dish with Salted Egg sauce, it was flawlessly served with medium-well sunny side up with perfectly runny yolk! Just like our first Chilly Cheese, again this gave us the duo of creamy sauce and crunchy bites, for which you could pick either calamari, chicken or dori. Having had chicken and dori, I would say both were worthy to try. My next would surely be calamari so I could complete my checklist on trying all the toppings :p

Nutella Oreo Waffle (IDR 40k)

Just like my usual routine, the dining session would be having flaws without having sweet ends. Bluntly speaking, I expected more excitement from the desserts selection. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t miss my nice finishing just because the options were more into classic ones. So there was my double stack waffle landed on the table, with overflowing nutella and oreo crumbs, further topped with ‘more sinful indulgence’ of 2 scoops chocolate ice cream. Surprisingly, the waffle batter was aromatic with strong butter hint you could taste tight at the first bite. Having that accompanied with heavenly Nutella, for sure nothing could go wrong! Being served warm and freshly baked from the oven, my heaven on earth moment was just right on sight. 

Crunchy Choco Lava (IDR 35k)

Seems to not yet consuming enough calories, here’s another load of sugar! Feeling like being in Charlie’s Chocolate Factory, it’s another chocolate-themed one, the all-time favorite Choco Lava! You might notice the word ‘crunchy’ carried in its first name, and it wasn’t there for nothing since they indeed tried to add this element by pairing the dessert to crunchy chocomaltine. IMHO, it might get too much for those who’re not as much sweet-tooth as I was, nevertheless being a dessert-holic I enjoyed my hyper daily sugar consumption. If only the chocolate filling could be runny as the term ‘lava’ implied, I bet it would turn out much more pleasant! PS, the standard ‘crown’ to the dish would be choc ice cream instead of vanilla, but you always had the option to personalize your preferred flavor ;)

Hot Cappuccino (IDR 35k)

As for the drink, for sure the classic white option's always available and for an easy morning in the weekend this would be my number one option. The basic one from the house, not really to wake me up but more to spoil my palate which by nature enjoyed coffee. The beans here were quite bold I might say, with a hint of acidity in the taste. For those who're not that much into coffee, you might wanna request it to be made lighter by either adding milk or flavors.

Green Hazel (IDR 43k)

One of the choices you had was surely opting for fusion kind of drink like this duo of green tea and coffee. Served with double shot of espresso, the green tea flavor didn't overwhelm the coffee taste at all. Moreover, the idea of mixing it with hazelnut syrup as well was pretty nice as I found all of them mixed together made a great 'show' on my palate.

All in all, I would call myself a satisfied customer looking at how many times I've revisited the place despite the distance wasn't that close to either my house or my office. My colleagues and I always found our reason for coming back and trying their other menu, even sometimes had their foods delivered to our doors for dinner.

Taste: 7/10
Place: 6.5/10
Service: 7/10
Price: 7/10

Thanks for reading! :)

CLEAN SLATE

Address: Gading Serpong Ruko L'Agricola C11, Tangerang

Phone: (+62) 817 4962 488

Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 9pm

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jessicagaby@ymail.com