As the night draws close and the Warungs pull their door’s shut, a new night life begins. From faraway, Jimbaran looks like a town on fire as smoke bellows from behind the distant hills. But coming in through the main entrance of this seafood town, it was clear that we were in for some seafood heaven with large aquariums and seafood signs clearly displayed everywhere. Dusk at Jimbaran with a film of smoke from all the seafood restaurants lined along the ocean strip :P!
While we would have loved to sit outside, it was fully book. Nevertheless, it actually looks pretty nice on the inside especially with the dining tables so near the shore. As the night comes, the sky takes on shades of pink and purple. A sight to behold. But trust me, any clothes you wear to Jimbaran will stink until washed with warm soap water. It was just madness when it comes to the smoke! Oh and it rained while we where eating so… hahaha lucky that we were seated inside!!
While we would have loved to sit outside, it was fully book. Nevertheless, it actually looks pretty nice on the inside especially with the dining tables so near the shore. As the night comes, the sky takes on shades of pink and purple. A sight to behold. But trust me, any clothes you wear to Jimbaran will stink until washed with warm soap water. It was just madness when it comes to the smoke! Oh and it rained while we where eating so… hahaha lucky that we were seated inside!! 
The etiquette in ordering food in Jimbaran is simple. If you are with a local, seek out what you want but keep you lips tightly sealed. Lets the locals do the ordering, bargaining and paying. But if you happen to be alone as a tourist, your safest bet would to be to order a set menu and be contented. Luckily enough, the new bride Mei is no pushover when it comes to bargaining. Lucky Hendra :P!
Here are some of the food we ordered that night before my hands became too sticky to use the camera after all the peeling and eating!
I am not sure if they do it any other way but the sauce they used for the seafood is just exquisite. Despite being grilled, its flesh was still succulently sweet with a mild spiciness from the sauce. One of the secrets they used is that the fuel for the grilled was not charcoal but rather the husk of a coconut. Its aroma in the seafood was just phenomenal. If only it was not such a bad pollutant!
The lobster is something of a luxury but not what I think is representative of great seafood. But if you crave for it and must have it, you are best to order it with the set meal for two at $R 430,000. It comes with a lobster, fish, prawns, squid, clams, rice and drinks.
The lobster was probably in realms of 600-900 grams at most. A substantial size for two but as this was not the highlight of the meal, there was still some left after going round the table. While it was OK, I wondered why the lobster does not work the same as most seafood! That is, the smaller it is, the sweeter its flesh should be. It just was not so obvious after all the grilling and basting! Hmmm??
The lobster was probably in realms of 600-900 grams at most. A substantial size for two but as this was not the highlight of the meal, there was still some left after going round the table. While it was OK, I wondered why the lobster does not work the same as most seafood! That is, the smaller it is, the sweeter its flesh should be. It just was not so obvious after all the grilling and basting! Hmmm??
Along with the set were a few grilled squid. Mediocre at best. I would have liked my squid deep fried. But the ability of the cooks at Menega Café in maintaining the flesh tender and succulent should not be left unappreciated. The grilled squid was not chewy like rubber.
But the winner of the night were the clams! Highly recommended by Mei, the clams were grilled like the rest of the seafood but its flavors were just sensational.
While grilled in a similar way, the basting used for the clams differed from the prawns. Instead of being mildly spicy and sweet, the one on the clams felt a tad more buttery and garlicky. It was total love as soon as it touched my tongue. In fact, I was just going at it with the steamed rice. Everyone at the table were in love with it. Me probably more than most but hey!? Clams!! Nom nom nom!
While grilled in a similar way, the basting used for the clams differed from the prawns. Instead of being mildly spicy and sweet, the one on the clams felt a tad more buttery and garlicky. It was total love as soon as it touched my tongue. In fact, I was just going at it with the steamed rice. Everyone at the table were in love with it. Me probably more than most but hey!? Clams!! Nom nom nom!
Aside from the food on top, we also had the fish from the set menu and some crabs to top it all. The crabs were not the biggest but it was of a substantial size. Reminds me of the lower-end Malaysian mud crabs. A bit tedious to eat but there is still great reward for the hardworking! The fish was in my opinion the underperformer of the lot. It was rather bland and despite using all avenues to spruce it up, I was still unable to make it yummy. I added the sambal, I had the sweeter thai-style sauce but nothing felt workable on the fish. I gave up.
At the end of the night we had ordered 2 set menus, 5kg of clams, 3kg of prawns, 2 crabs, 20+ drinks and the bill came up to $R 3,000,000 for 10 people. It was a pretty decent price especially if you are from Australia. Nevertheless, I know many Malaysians who can find seafood for a better price in Malaysia. I agree to that but one simply cannot re-create the flavors and grilling techniques used at Jimbaran. It might not have been the best ever, but it was easily, in a league of its own. Just thinking of the prawns and clam has got me drooling! Cheers to a good meal at Jimbaran.
WenY
