Beyond Paradise ...

There was one rather special place we visited however, we had to fit one in!

Late February 2011, as we are pulling out of our driveway to head for the international airport, to catch a plane to Bali for a two week holiday, I notice the March issue of Gourmet Traveller sticking out of the letter box.  I stopped the car, got out and pulled the magazine out of the letterbox and shoved it in my bag, where it stayed until we were in Ulawatu about seven nights later.

Arriving in Bali at midnight, we got off the plane and headed directly to our hotel room and then to bed.  The following morning we had breakfast and headed out to catch a cab to the BMC money changer in Seminyak, after changing some money we walked past a quaint little restaurant next door to BMC.  The restaurant was SIP Wine Bar, I loved the look of it and suggested to Jo we might have some lunch there later in the day, however we never got back there, as after doing some shopping we bumped into some people we had met on the plane and decided to have a drink with them.  Little be known to us, the couple were a pair of die hard piss heads from way back, so after 8 Bintangs and a few bourbons later, we were in no state to do anything.  We had the following day around the pool in recovery mode and then the next day we flew off to Lom Bok for three nights. We then headed back o Bali, but this time heading to Ulawatu for a couple of nights.  It was whilst we were here relaxing by the pool that I pulled that magazine out of my bag and opened it up, to a ten page spread titled Eat, Play, Love, the article reported the coolest places to eat, drink and make merry in Bali. Turning to the second page of the story, where the first restaurant covered was, you guessed it SIP.  You think I got excited? You bet I did, I couldn’t wait to get back to Seminyak and make my way there.  A few nights later we were back in Seminyak, I told Jo to get dressed up a bit as we were going somewhere which I thought would be special, after a couple of pre dinner drinks we made our way out to the taxi rank and told the driver to take us to SIP.  We pulled up out the front, but there was a small truck on the footpath, with a couple of workmen busy throwing wheelbarrow loads of rubbish into the back of it, the restaurant had been completely gutted, it appeared everything but the walls had been demolished, I couldn’t believe it, I was devastated.

Fast Forward to March 2012, Jo and Jack hit Seminyak after a few days in Ubud, Jack says to Jo, we have to go to the money changer, Jack and Jo finally get to dine at SIP!

As it turned out in March 2011 the restaurant was closed for ten days for refurbishment, just in time for the commencement of the busier season, our waitress was shocked that we remembered and was so excited when I asked if it was she that had been photographed, she told me it was not her but her friend, however she was not there at that time, she did however bring the young lady out to meet us just before we finished our meal about an hour later.  

If the food was no good at this place, and the décor was horrible, you’d still go back to enjoy the company of these girls, they were so lovely, terrific smiles and personalities.

But the food was good, better than good, every mouthful was fantastic, it was another one of those meals you wish would never end, it leaves you wanting more, wanting to go back again and again.  It was a rather late lunch we were having, so there were few people there, but one couple came in sat and looked at menu for about five minutes, then stood up and walked out, we were sat near to the footpath and the chap as he went by commented it was too rich for his money, he walked away from what could have been the best meal he had ever eaten in Bali, and something back home you’d be happy to pay four times the price for, could never figure that out, especially when the food we enjoyed came at a set price of around $19.50!

Jo’s perfect lunch,

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Chicken Broth with Red Port Wine, Dash of Garlic,

Peeled White Onions, Ementhal Cheese on Croûtons Gratinés

STEAK, FRITES, SALADE !

Grilled Australian Rib Eye Steak -Faux Filet- 200gr. Topped with a Pat of Fresh Parsleyed Butter,

Served with Golden Home-Made French Fries and Mesclun Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

LEMON SOUFFLÉ 25mn.

Served with Vanilla Sauce

Jack ate,

BEEF CARPACCIO

Thinly Sliced Marinated Australian Beef Served with Basil Oil, Pesto Mayonnaise,

Shaved Parmesan and Rucola Salad

FARM CHICKEN TARRAGON ‘À L’ANCIENNE’

Roasted Farm-Raised Kintamani Chicken -Dark Meat-, Boneless and Skinless,

Stuffed with Chicken Mousse and Wild Mushrooms, Potato Maxim’s, Fresh Tarragon Sauce

WARM APPLE TART

‘À La Minute’ Warm and Thin Individual Fuji Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream -´À LA MODE’

BEEF CARPACCIO and FRENCH ONION SOUP

I started with a Beef Carpaccio, something I love, tender tasty slices of beef with a little rocket salad, Dijon mustard mayo, and parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper, very simple dish very big on flavour.

Jo opted for a French Onion Soup, something when reading the menu sounded so good, I almost ordered it myself, and it came out and delivered exactly like it read, an awesome soup which I was privileged to have tasted.

Chicken Roulade, Stuffed with Chicken Mousse and Wild Mushrooms, Potato Maxim’s, Fresh Tarragon Sauce and a STEAK, FRITES, SALADE !

Grilled Australian Rib Eye Steak -Faux Filet- 200gr. Topped with a Pat of Fresh Parsleyed Butter,

Served with Golden Home-Made French Fries and Mesclun Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

No need to guess who had the steak, my chicken was divine and the Potato Maxim’s where incredibly good as was the Tarragon sauce, the steak according to Jo was mmmmm, aahhh , ooooo repeated with every mouthful, she seemed to be enjoying it and the four glasses of wine she swilled down along with it.

WARM APPLE TART and a LEMON SOUFFLÉ

And the desserts, well they were to die for, Jo got in an order for the soufflé before I had a chance to, so I went with the apple tart, I was not disappointed, it actually blew me away it was that good and with the vanilla ice cream OMG.  Jo’s soufflé look absolutely amazing as it was brought to the table, it was so light and fluffy.

Take me back, take me back!

The whole meal was YUM YUM YUM every single bite, Jo love the wines she tasted, it is a wine bar after all and the wine list they have there is extensive, some of them pretty hefty in price, but for the wine lover, I think they would find this little bit of Bali to be Beyond Paradise.  Sometimes when you get excited about a place and you have great expectations, when you finally get there you are a little disappointed because it did not live up to your expectation, not the case here, I had 12 months of expectation of how good SIP would be, to my surprise it was pleasantly so much better.

Link to SIP, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED