A lovely restaurant meal in Bali
We recently had a week in Bali to relax after the cellar door opening period was over. We stayed at a villa in Jimbaran and it was wonderful. We barely left the estate; just swimming and reading our books and it was a great way to recharge.
We did however venture out on this occasion, all the way to Seminyak (a 40-minute taxi ride), to eat at Ginger Moon Canteen which was started by an Australian chef – Dean Keddell. We came to know of it when, a few years ago, we received an email promoting a Balinese cookbook called ‘Our Bali, Your Bali’ written by Dean who released the book during COVID, to pay homage to and raise interest in Bali which had been so badly affected by the drop in tourism. Proceeds from the book assisted Balinese people in need and we bought a copy back then to support Dean’s efforts and so we wanted to make a pilgrimage to his restaurant whilst we were here.
We were delighted with Ginger Moon – what a lovely space they’ve created just off the busy street. The staff were wonderful – so friendly, respectful and welcoming, whilst also being helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. When we ordered some dumplings (4 steamed, 4 fried) and half-moon steamed buns (served open, like a taco) and were hesitating about how much more we should order, our waitress said straight away “why don’t we bring you these and then you can just order more if you wish?” What a great suggestion! And so, we did…a green papaya salad (do salads get any better than this? It was sublime!) and chicken satay skewers followed, then Balinese pancakes (made at home by the mother of the head waitress) with shredded coconut, palm sugar and local ice cream to finish.
Fried pork dumplings with ginger and red vinegar dipping sauce
The food is so fresh and they make every effort to reduce waste (cloth napkins, local ingredients, no plastics) and minimise their environmental footprint, yet the prices are modest for the quality on offer here. It was great food!
As an added bonus, the wine list is short but good, including 2 whites and 1 red by-the-glass (not common in Bali). We had a glass of each; a NZ Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris ($10-12 AUD/glass) and the red, surprisingly enough, was a Beringer Cabernet from the Napa Valley, USA (about $20 AUD/glass and pretty good, showing nice balance and served cool by the restaurant, again reflecting their attention to detail).
We liked the meal so much, we went out the following night for dinner again, to their other restaurant ‘Temple by Ginger Moon’ which is situated in the middle of Kuta (in the grounds of a temple). Once again, it was excellent. We had the banquet menu at around $50 AUD for two people, and the high standard of food and service was amazing for the price. Plus, you sit up but more open to the street here (we had a table out the front) so you can watch the passing parade. This included men carrying long bamboo poles along the footpath, full of sparkling gifts and Christmas tinsel and of course the motor scooters carrying everything from a four-member family to a whole kitchen ready to set up beside the road wherever they choose to pull over. We even saw one scooter carrying large cardboard trays of eggs – maybe 2 or 300 eggs in total – held on with just an octopus strap over the load on either side. Amazing.
If you’re visiting Bali we can highly recommend a meal (or two) at one of the Ginger Moon restaurants. It’s all local and authentic and we loved it.
