4D3N Bali Trip: Morning Walk at Legian Beach, Bali

Anyeong! Noona just came back from an early New Year dinner with friend because apparently she was too busy to meet Noona over the New Year weekend (geez). Oh well, Noona should have accepted the fact that she should be grateful enough that someone is willing to make some time for her since she does not have that many friends. She starts to wonder if she should start socialising more in the year 2017. Or maybe she should start enjoying dating herself. After all, loving yourself is not really a bad thing in life, no?

Or maybe she should start spending more time with her Omma. Just like the last time she walked with her Omma at the sandy Legian beach in Bali. Omma always manages to wake up so early (like before sunrise kind of early) and hence, she would wake me up every morning during our stay at Padma Resort Legian to walk alongside the beach.

Despite having to wake up early, Noona enjoyed the walk alongside the beach. The sensation of stepping on the wet sands is just precious.

The thing is, Legian Beach is not really situated on the east side of Bali and hence, you can't really see sunrise from this side. The sunset, however, will be more beautiful from Legian beach's side. 

Watching the seawater comes and goes really have a positive effect on your soul. Noona can forget all about her heavy workload and life struggles for a moment when she's busy watching the natural movement of the seawater. If only she has an ipod playing Coldplay's songs right now but wait a minute, the purpose of this morning walk is to be closer to Omma and not to Chris Martin's voice. LOL.

One benefit that I notice if you wake up early to walk on the beach is that you have a lot of space to take cool picture with the wet sands, the coming seawater and blue sky as your backdrops. No one is around to photobomb you. Woots!

At some parts of the beach, you can see the lovely trail of seawater creating imprints on the sandy beach. Chuwa~~~

If you would like to enjoy the sea view on a more enjoyable seat, there are seats with umbrella beach available for use at the private parts of the beach which belongs to Padma Resort Legian. Unfortunately, Noona was too busy playing outside the hotel during her trip to Bali so she did not really have the chance to slack here. 

4D3N Bali Trip: Iiga Warung, Uluwatu

Anyeong! What day is it today? Please don't tell Noona that it's already 2017. 

*taking phone*

Oh, it's the last Friday of 2016, which also means this is the last day Noona taking leave in the year 2016. Yikes. She can hear the calling of the paperwork from her office far far away *shudder*. To run away from reality, why don't we continue our flashback to Bali trip again? LOL. If you have not known by now, Balinese love to eat dishes which use pork as its meat base. So it's not surprising that there are a lot of restaurants selling pork ribs in this lovely island in Indonesia. But since there are so many selection, which one is the best? In order to find out more about the pork ribs competition in Bali, we tried to dig information from Wayan-ssi, our driver for the whole trip and he is even aware of the movement of good pork ribs chef from one restaurant to another. Since he sounds very convinced, we followed his recommendation to try out pork ribs at Iiga Warung. 

The management behind Iiga Warung used to manage Naughty Nuri's Ribs until there is a legal battle about the restaurant premise. Since Naughy Nuri's Ribs has to closed from its original location (Noona forgot where), the management has decided to open up another restaurant and even hired the chef from its competitor. Sounds like a very fierce market for pork ribs in Bali. With this kind of background story, we totally closed our eyes on other kind of ribs and focused solely on the pork ribs which is sold at IDR 135k (approx SGD 14) per portion. 

However, since it has been ages since the last time Noona and her travelling companions ate something greens, Noona's cousin decided to order a plate of fresh green salad. Refreshing~~~

Since everybody's ordering the same thing, Noona only took picture of her own plate which consist of a half slab of pork ribs, fries and two slices of tomato. The BBQ pork ribs really taste so good (especially eaten together with the sauce) you feel like keep on licking your fingers. The portion is not that big especially if you have eaten at the legendary pork ribs restaurant named Hurricane in Sydney before. Taste wise, everybody seems to enjoy the ribs as there were not much talking is done when the pork ribs have been served. LOL. If you prefer to have your ribs with rice, it can be done too. 

Iiga Warung is located at: 

Jalan Raya Uluwatu I, Jimbaran

Kuta Selatan

Bali

Opening hours: 

Daily 12PM - 11PM

4D3N Bali Trip: Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Ungasan

Anyeong! Noona can't believe that it is already Thursday and it's three days left before the up and coming 2017. Anybody excited for 2017? If it is very difficult to be so enthusiastic about the coming year, maybe it will be better if you have booked a trip in the first three months of 2017 so that you have something to look forward to. Since Noona has just come back from Bali two weeks ago, how about a trip to Bali? If you are not really into beach or summer vacation but you love to explore the cultural aspect of a certain destination, Bali has it too. Surprise much?

In fact, Bali has a cultural park named Garuda Wisnu Kencana which is located at Ungasan area near Uluwatu. The admission fee to the cultural park costs IDR 100,000 (approx. SGD 10). You will start your journey to the adventure of Garuda (a large mythical bird which is the mount of Wisnu, one of the Hindu gods) from the pond. If you come wearing shorts, you will be asked to wear a piece of cloth to cover yourself because the area here is considered sacred amongst the Balinese. Do note that women with period are not allowed to enter the temple area (upstairs near the Wisnu statue). The park staff will explain all of these information to the visitors.

You will need to climb a few stairs above to reach Plaza Wisnu. A short description of the area is available for your information.

Like mentioned above, Wisnu is a god of fertility giving wealth and life to the universe. Noona supposes he must have been one of the kind deities (and that's why there is continuing project to build his giant statue). The statue that we see here at Plaza Wisnu is not the complete version of what's supposedly the biggest Wisnu statue in the world. However, the project has been ongoing for years and yet, the statue still looks the same from the last time Noona visited the park way back in 2011. 

Oh well, since we are already inside, let Noona take picture with Wisnu god. The weather here can be so hot especially if you come around noon so make sure you are fully protected from the heat. The brown cloth (or sarong) is what will be given to you if you are wearing shorts. 

A few steps away from Plaza Wisnu, you will be able to see the status of Wisnu's mount, the garuda. 

Unfortunately, similar to its mounter, the statue of Garuda is not completed yet as of now and judging from its look, it may take a few more years to complete this whole project. 

The viewpoint from the statue of Garuda is however, breathtaking as always. Do you notice that the sky in Bali is always so beautiful?

This open area may be used occasionally for concert and event but that day, there were no on-going events so we merely took a few pictures and walk back to the exit so that we can continue on to our next destination. However, if you have more time on hands, you may want to check out the timing of the cultural performances held at the amphitheater which is located near to the entrance of the cultural park. Cultural performances like traditional Balinese dance (e.g. Barong and Kecak) and mini concerts are usually held at this amphitheater so do check them out at your own convenience. 

Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park is located at:

Jalan Raya Uluwatu, Ungasan, Bali

Opening hours:

Daily 8AM - 10PM

4D3N Bali Trip: El Kabron Spanish Restaurant & Cliff Club, Uluwatu Part 1

Anyeong! Noona is in her last break of the year 2016 and oh boy, she feels way rounder now. She should have gone to the gym today but it is the time of the month and well...instead of making the cramp worse, let's just stay at home and blog about her fun trip to the cliff restaurant in Bali, El Kabron.

Bali has everything to offer for tourists with different range of budget. This time, Noona and her family are ready to eat like peasants for the remaining days in December to try the high socialite's travelling style in Bali by visiting the posh El Kabron Spanish Restaurant & Cliff Club. What's so special about El Kabron?

For a start, El Kabron is located right on top of a cliff in Uluwatu and hence, the location makes this restaurant is kinda special since it takes you a long way to reach the place. Other than that, you will have the option to dine in the restaurant, at the swimming pool area or at the balcony overlooking the cliff and the sea. Reservation is highly encouraged especially if you are coming on a busy holiday season or popular time slot. 

The area that you select will determine the price of the admission. What? Did you read that right? Yes, there is an admission price to El Kabron and it depends on which dining area you choose. Noona's cousin nearly booked the most expensive dining area which comes with IDR 750,000 (approx. SGD 75) price tag per pax, the balcony. Thankfully, she remembered to pay attention to the T&C. After further consideration, we decide to dine at the pool area which comes with IDR 550,000 (approx. SGD 55) price tag per pax. From that amount, you can use IDR 300,000 (approx. SGD 30) to order food and beverage. 

Noona has to say that the pool area of El Kabron Spanish Restaurant & Cliff Club looks pretty fantastic and cozy too. Especially if you want to chill and laze around for the whole afternoon while waiting for the sun to set. 

Did Noona say that the swimming pool is designed kinda like an infinity pool? El Kabron is designed and constructed on top of a cliff facing the deep blue sea. A lot of diners are using the opportunity to get sun tan here at the pool area.  

What lies beneath the restaurant...

A bit of selfie while waiting for the food, drink and the sunset. Every diners will be given a ribbon bracelet so that you will not anyhow move from the cheapest area (i.e. The restaurant) to the pool area or the balcony. But nobody really opted to dine in the restaurant especially when they come in the afternoon to laze around. This kind of bracelet really reminded you of the days of going to club and all, isn't it? Hahaha.

We received a complimentary bottle of Moët Champagne which we gladly accepted. Is this the life of the elite? Lazying around with a glass of champagne on hand. My two aunts were getting a tad too excited after drinking the majority of the Moët and were about to proceed buying bikini and plunging into the swimming pool. Too bad, the whole situation was intervened by my cousin. Otherwise, it would have been their adventure of a lifetime indeed. LOL.

El Kabron Spanish Restaurant & Cliff Club is located at: 

Jl. Pantai Cemongkak, Pecatu, Kuta Selatan

Opening hours: 

Daily 11.30AM - 11.30PM

4D3N Bali Trip: Sate Babi Bawah Pohon, Legian

Anyeong! Have you ever eaten in a food stall situated right under the tree? Thunder-hazard aside, the customers of Sate Babi Bawah Pohon (directly translated to Pork Satay under the Tree) do not seem to mind the possibility of the freaky situation when thunderstorm occurs. Well maybe there are not many thunderstorms occurring in Bali after all. Thankfully for Noona, the weather was all about the sun when she's about to try out this popular Balinese local cuisine.

 

If you wonder what's so special about these pork satay, you are in the same boat with Noona. In a glance, this stall just look like any other normal satay stall in Indonesia except other than the fact that it uses pork as the meat base. The smell of the smoke from the satay grill tempt people to neat them though.

Once the pork satay is grilled to perfection, they are then served on top of Indonesian version of rice cake, lontong. The last garnishing touch will be to pour the peanut chili sauce on the whole thing and itadakimasu! Despite the obvious not healthy category, these pork satay taste oh so good and you would not even mind to eat under the shady stall under the big tree to enjoy the delicious flavour of these pork satay. 

Once we have completed our culinary adventure, we proceeded to our next destination by crossing over the recently built highway which was constructed above the sea. 

Who says that only the Japanese can build a highway above the sea, apparently Bali has its own Odaiba-highway-style too. Hahaha. This new highway really helps to cut time between Denpasar and Nusa Dua area significantly. Bravo to the local government. 

Sate Babi Bawah Pohon is located at: 

Jalan Patih Jelantik, Legian, Kuta

Bali

Opening hours:

8AM to 6PM Daily

K-in-Singapore: Prego Ristorante, Fairmont Hotel

Anyeong! Merry Christmas peeps. Noona just realised she has not really listened to Christmas songs apart from the songs blasted throughout the shopping malls in Singapore and in church earlier and last Sunday. So finally, she decided to turn on Michael Buble's classic Christmas album tonight, when it's practically Boxing Day already. #betterlatethannever

Noona and her two best friends from junior and senior high school decided to hold their annual Christmas celebration at Prego Ristorante at Fairmont Hotel, which is located in City Hall. The restaurant is fully decked in Christmas decoration as well to blend with the festive season.

Noona's friend managed to secure a set menu at the price of SGD 55 nett per person and as the restaurant seems to be pretty packed, a lot of people may have snatched the same deal which could be bought from SISTIC. She forgot to print out the voucher though and had a momentary panic attack but thankfully the staff is nice enough to help us print the voucher (although it takes him or her quite a long time to think about a solution, a 30 minutes of thinking to be exact). 

Just like any other Italian restaurant in town, Prego Ristorante gives you a complimentary basket of bread but after tasting the complimentary bread served at Bread Street Kitchen at Marina Bay Sands, this basket of bread pale in comparison. The chili bits are nice though, especially when mixed with olive oil and vinegar. 

  The set menu allows diners to choose one antipasti (appetiser), one pasta dish, one meal-of-the-day (i.e. Beef Stew), and one dessert for each person. However, the dishes that you can order are fairly limited to certain items. Pizza is totally excluded from the selection too and Noona is somewhat disappointed because she heard the pizza is really good here.    Anyway, we ordered a plate of fried calamari and two plates of parma ham for the antipasti. Noona thinks her Omma can fry better calamari, sorry Prego.  

Noona is not really the pro when judging a dish involving parma ham but her friend does not really like this. Especially after she tried the better version of parma ham served at Basilico. Noona makes a mental note that she should probably visit Basilico one day in the year 2017 since she's not going to go there in the following week. 

The pasta comes in a super unglamorous plate ever amongst the Italian restaurants that Noona has visited so far in Singapore. Her friend immediately commented whether we are eating at Prego or Pastamania. (Hmm, another mental note to try out Pastamania one of this day). 

The first pasta is crabmeat fusili in cream sauce. Noona is a fan of fusili especially when it's cooked al dente so this dish is passable to her. Hahaha. 

For the next pasta, we decided to go with something Pescatore (i.e. Seafood). The seafood pasta is served in tomato sauce. The amount of seafood given is pretty generous Noona feels. Okay, another passable score then. 

The ravioli though...okay, the supposedly spinach and ricotta ravioli fares the worst in Noona's book. M&S Cafe serves a better version of tomato based spinach and ricotta ravioli really. 

Okay, after the pasta dishes are served, here comes the next item on the menu, the beef stew. It looks like nothing much but the beef stew is really filling Noona up. The plating is not consistent though with a plate filled with more meats and a plate filled with more vegetables. Hahaha. So funny, we were already very critical at this stage and started scrutinizing every little details of the plate. 

Okay since everyone has the same main, the beef stew, nothing much can be said about our main-of-the-day. Let's move on to the next item on the list, dolci (re: desserts). Noona's friend straight away went into rage mode when she saw the caramel apple sponge cake. Actually Noona does not think that badly of this dish although it looks kinda uhm she dunno...Noona's friend become more forgiving after she tasted a bite though. Hahaha. 

The other dessert fares better and Noona personally thinks Prego should not even be able to mess up the classic Italian dessert, the tiramisu. By the way, do you guys often get choked on tiramisu powder when eating this baby? (Or does that only happen to Noona? LOL). 

Prego Ristorante is located at: 

2 Stamford Road, Raffles City

Opening hours:

Daily 6-11AM, 11.30AM - 2.30PM, 5 - 10.30PM

K-in-Singapore: Kiss the Tiramisu, Orchard Gateway

Anyeong. Hufft, Noona has just pulled through a torturing but yummy BBQ. Not sure if it's because the location is damn far from Noona's house or it's the existence of the little monster (which happens to be Noona's office Unni's daughter) which seems to cling to any girls wearing make up. Crazy brats, Noona has to say. She's just glad the day is over and she's full to the brim.

But in any case, a dinner event with office people will not be as good as weekend date with BFF. After all, you are eating with people who you feel like poisoning sometimes, you see. So yeah, looking back to Saturdate with BFF, we were trying out the latest tiramisu ice cream stall at Orchard Gateway, Kiss the Tiramisu. 

At the moment, only tiramisu ice cream is available but it seems that there will be other things like tiramisu cake & beverage. The price tag for the tiramisu ice cream is the same for all flavors, SGD 6.90. 

Since this is our first time here, we decided to stick with the original flavour. The amount of the ice cream given is quite generous and we could feel the taste of the rum inside the ice cream. However, the powder can make you coughing if you are not careful. Hahaha. Too bad, there are no seats available so you can only have the tiramisu ice cream to-go. 

Kiss the Tiramisu is located at: 

277 Orchard Road #01-15 

Orchard Gateway

Nearest MRT: Somerset MRT

Opening hours: 10.30AM - 10.30PM

4D3N Bali Trip: Breakfast Buffet at Padma Resort Legian

Noona wonders if people become somewhat hormonal and easily excited for other people's social affairs once they got divorced. Hahaha Noona's friend feels excited for a 1% potential date in otherwise, Noona's dry life. This kinda makes Noona depressed somehow. What has she done through out her life?

Well one thing that she knows she can do well is enjoying life. And oh boy she did enjoy her stay well at Padma Resort Legian in Bali, especially when it is time for breakfast. Complimentary breakfast buffet for two pax is given for every room booked at Padma Resort Legian. The funny thing is Noona and her Omma actually planned to do a bit of morning walk by the sea but it was raining cats and dogs. So they took a detour to the restaurant and decided to have a sumptuous breakfast instead.

  

Actually, you will not be able to eat like a bird whenever you are eating breakfast in hotel. This is because most hotels serve breakfast buffet and there is no way you eat so little when you dine in buffet style. Once you enter the restaurant where the breakfast is served, you will be welcomed with an array of juice selection from the normal apple, mango and orange to a unique one like kale. 

You can find a lot of croissants (which taste fabulous no matter if you pick chocolate or meaty filling), cakes and cronuts. Plain toasts are available too at the patisserie station of the breakfast buffet. 

Oh right, here are the croissant that Noona was raving about earlier. You must get them (while they are hot).

Okay, moving on to the cooked meat station. If you love bacon so much, you will rejoice because you can have crispy bacon and back bacon. Noona particularly enjoys the back bacon very much despite the visibility of fat layers. #closeeyes

If you prefer your meat to be cooked in Chinese style, please help yourself to a piece or some pieces of char siew, which are served with brown sauce. 

If you are adventurous and feel like tasting local cuisines, you can make your way to the local cuisine station and enjoy dishes like beef rawon (certain kind of beef stew) or nasi lemak (coconut milk infused rice). There are Indonesian desserts available for trying too like chendol, etc. 

Local veggie-based dishes like gado-gado and ketoprak. 

At the end, Noona's plate always looks like something from English Breakfast section. The red beans taste great after years not eating them. Really. Hahaha. You can get the egg station chefs to cook egg in whichever way you like it. 

Three mornings like this and here comes rounder Noona. Hahaha.