The brochure saying, “Soul food cooked with passion,” and the bright ribbons dangling in the wind at the entrance to Seminyak’s Kreol Kitchen drew us in to this quirky, lovely spot. Entering the cafe, we were met by an enormous blackboard presenting an enticing menu, which at first glance was a tad overwhelming. Australian owner … read the full post

Reborn Reflexology has a chain of 20 outlets in Malaysia, and just a single operation in Bali located near Simpang Siur. This is not the prettiest spa I have ever been to; in fact it leans towards tacky in decor – think fake plants and office-type carpets up the stairs. Nevertheless, news of their therapeutic … read the full post

Italians do all the important things in life well – shoes, bags and food. Most people enjoy Italian food, but it can sometimes be too heavy for a tropical climate. Bali institution La Lucciola, located a stone’s throw from Petitenget temple on one side, and the thundering Indian ocean on the other, manages to put … read the full post

There’s a new kid on the Bali mall block, and, for a mall, it’s rather pretty. We’ll put aside arguments about what our beachside Bali dream might be for now and look at the curvy new Beachwalk, across from Kuta beach, for what it aims to be. In summary, if we absolutely had to have … read the full post

When I did my cooking class at Bali Asli recently, chef Penelope Williams told me it was worth checking out the cooking classes offered at Hotel Tugu due to their lovely surrounds. So I booked in for a half-day class, comprising a pick up, market visit, then cooking in the “warung”, a kitchen set up … read the full post

I was poised to write something about roti canai and how it’s the simple things in life that are often the best… and then I remembered we’d written about roti prata over on our Singapore pages. I had a peek, and that’s exactly how we kick off talking about this delicious, basic dish over there. … read the full post

Suck on a lemon, then a lime, then a lemon again, the lemon will seem much sweeter; take a slice of kencur, a root essential to Balinese cooking, bite down on it a little and it will leave your tongue anaesthetically numb; take slices of ginger and smear over sunburn for relief — it’s cool … read the full post

After almost a week in Bali I had still only managed to acquire one two-word phrase of Indonesian, which is more than a little sad really. Fortunately, terima kasih is a phrase with a lot of mileage; it got me all the way from Denpasar to the magnificent volcanic highlands at Munduk and back again, … read the full post

What exactly does a travel writing scholarship entail? We’ve been busy finding out with New Zealander Hanna Butler, winner of the World Nomads/Rough Guides travel writing scholarship for 2012. We’re only two days in and we’ve surfed, been massaged, eaten and drunken and yes, we have driven quite a few miles. But what exactly is … read the full post

I kicked off a series on cheap Indonesian food in Seminyak a while back and am continuing with a little post on Warung Murah, which translates, literally, as cheap roadside restaurant. Located on busy Jalan Laksmana/Oberoi/Eat Street, it’s actually better than roadside, being a proper three-walled restaurant, but the food mentality here is the same: … read the full post