June 2012.
Bali.
This post goes back to my trip to Bali in June 2012. It was a fun trip with some friends and it was like my first trip (before this, I had been to Bali twice) because I just happened to get to know Bali much better. The second day of that trip, my friends decided to go to Ubud, one of the most famous areas in Bali. We rented a car without the driver and one of my friends drove the car. We obviously knew nothing about the road and stuff, so we relied on a sheet of map, local people’s knowledge (and honesty) and a GPS application on our phone. We made it there safely and wandered around the area for some times. I honestly love Ubud! It’s a very peaceful green area in contrast to the hustle bustle Kuta area (though in my latest visit to Ubud, it was getting more crowded and unorganized, not to mention the bad pollution).
Anyway, it was 12 in the afternoon, and we were starving. Decided to have lunch, we searched for a decent place to have our meals. After some searching and googling, I suggested us to visit Bollero, which was recommended by people on several websites. With the help of GPS application, we got to the place safe and sound, though we had to park a hundred meters away and walked to Bollero.
The place was, um, kinda hippy! Yes, it was pretty simple with woody panelling and stuff, but the interior was dominated with unusual colours. But it was good in the eyes though. At that time, there were some expats chitchatting and enjoying themselves with the nice food here. We headed to the second floor (half a floor, I guess) to have a better spot. Just fyi, they have free wifi and electrical sockets! Save your gadgets here! 😀
Since they served a lot of food, ranging from Asian to Western, we just couldn’t make up our minds. We decided to have lunch packages at the end.
At that time, our package was only IDR 99 k! How nice. 🙂 Anyway, here are what we had to satisfy our belly.
# Soup | Chicken Dumpling
One of the best chicken dumplings ever! The dumpling felt quite different to Chinese dumplings, but the taste was still awesome. The minced chicken inside was seasoned well and the soup was very light, in a good way. The portion was pretty tiny though.
# Appetizer | Calamari Fritti, Samosa, Duck Spring Roll
The appetizer, on the other hand was rather disappointing. Served in 3 different types, the appetizer failed to impress us, mainly because of the oily side effect. Besides that, the Samosa tasted funny and we could barely taste the duck in the Duck Spring Roll. The Calamari Fritti was only an okay too.
# Main Course | Crispy Duck
What could be better than a crispy duck? Probably nothing! *exaggerating* 😀 Anyway, the Crispy Duck was a good deal. Though it wasn’t better than the one in Bebek Bengil, it was delicious. The outer crispy skin was, uh, crispy and it had this herbs and spices flavours. With good steamed rice mixed with yellow rice, lovely mixed Vegetables called ‘urap’, and two types of chilies, the dish eased our hunger in a satisfying manner.
# Dessert | Kolak Pisang
When listed on the menu book, I thought that it was going to be just an ordinary ‘Kolak Pisang’ (slices of banana cooked with coconut milk and brown sugar. When served, we were surprised by the appearance. It was beautifully arranged, and it certainly wasn’t just a traditional ‘Kolak Pisang’. It had a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream on top and a crispy cracker as the holder. The ‘Kolak’ itself was lovely, with perfect sweetness. The fragrant coconut milk reduction was just too good!
With all the dishes above, we only paid IDR 99 per set menu. And I really thought that it was worth it! Besides those, you could enjoy a lot equally appetising choices such as Tom Yam Goong, Asian Grilled Beef Carpaccio, Pork Loin Pocket, Seared Barramundi, Duck Confit or even some burgers and pizzas.
I can say that Bollero Bali is really recommended if you happen to be in Ubud area. The only thing to consider is that the restaurant does not provide green paddy field view. Usually, some tourists who visit Ubud would love to have lunch by the paddy fields.
So, maybe when you don’t feel like having lunch by the paddy fields, and just want to have a relaxed satisfying lunch, Bollero is for you.
BOLLERO | BALI
Jalan Dewi Sita
Ubud 80571
Bali – Indonesia
Phone: +62 361 972872
Website: http://www.bollerobali.com
