Bali 2016: Cafe Hopping @ Kerobokan

After the delicious meal of Babi Guling at the Warung earlier, my friends and I decided to do something a little less typical of the usual Bali itinerary.  We decided to go cafe hopping!  In this run, my colleague picked some of Bali’s top cafes and we were pleasantly surprised how well presented some of these places are.

First stop was Livingstone, Kerobokan.  

This industrial building is a full time bakery that serves up some interesting lunches.  But after that heavy meal earlier, we were contented with fries and drinks.  While I cannot say much about the food, Livingstone in Kerobokan sure has a great environment to catch up with good friends!  

Drinks stretched the whole page length.  For the group, we had Matcha Latte, Avocado Chocolate Shake, and two juices!

Once we were done with that, we moved to our next spot just round the corner from where Livingstone is.  It’s another Patisserie but this time, with a touch of class.  Its Angelita Tea Salon and Patisserie.

Angelita was a place that I would not normally visit because as my colleague suggests, its a little “Princess-sy”.  But that is alright, I was in no way deterred to try it out!  Compared to Livingstone, everything here was very very well presented and finished like  a pro.

Once you have decided to sit in the air-conditioned cafe or out in their open garden, it is finally time to pick your cakes.  We shared two pastries’s amongst the four of us.  One was the Salted Egg Croissant (not pictured) and the other was an Early Grey cake, look how pretty it was!

But looks was just part of the story.  Its  fragrant tea smell was amazing even before I ate it.  The cream in the cake was light and the sponge in there sweetened just right.  In the centre was an delicious vanilla filling.  All of which complemented each other perfectly.  Just before I slept that night, I thought to myself it was a really good cake! Still thinking of the bergamot!

Colleague's Matcha Latte

While this was barely the most eventful afternoon, all the jokes and Pokemon Go talk really brought back memories of when we first started.  So if you are not craving for the sea breeze and prefer a nice cosy indoor to spend the afternoon in, keep in mind that Livingstone and Angelita are good options to sit back and just chill!

WenY

Bali 2016: Babi Guling @ Warung Pak Malen, Seminyak

2 years later and I am back in Bali.  With no wedding on the agenda this trip, food eating was priority.  Today’s the first day in the island and immediately I was ready for some eating action.  First up, was Babi Guling Warung Pak Malen in Seminyak located just minutes away from the bustling Kayu Aya strip of Seminyak.  Reachable by foot, I walked approximately 10 minutes from my hotel Amadea Resort & Villas.

Warung Pak Malen in Seminyak is no longer the corrugated roof stall it used to be. Now its got its full shop.  But has this upgrade diluted the authentic flavours of its Babi Guling?  The Babi Guling Campur was my pick.  It comes with soup with some pork ribs, a plate of mixed pork pieces and steamed rice.

Soup’s a little spicy and had great flavour to it.  Do not expect a rich bone Tonkatsu but rather a clear bone broth filled with punchy spices.

The mixed platter of meat though, was where the magic ultimately happened. Tender, and tasty satay Babi, juicy spit roast pork, a crispy crackling and other fantastically flavoured piece of stir fried pork makes the Babi Guling at Warung Pak Malen a piece of art.  

Having the Babi Guling mixed set was definitely the best way to go about enjoying this porky meal.  You essentially had everything from flavour, to texture and even just looking at all the colours on the plate was tantalising.  This was definitely one of the better Babi Guling I had during this trip.

Would I recommend the Babi Guling at Warung Pak Malen in Seminyak? I definitely will.  But is this the best?  You will find out soon enough!

WenY

Bites: Brunching @ Tiisch, Perth CBD

Its famous Matcha Sandwich has graced Instagram since the day Tiisch open its doors and I have to say, that its still happening.  A couple weeks ago I managed to dropped in and get a taste of what Tiisch was about.  This modern cafe with soaring ceilings in the upper end of the CBD is conveniently located near the offices making it perfect for a business meeting or a quality brunch.  (Gets noisy at peak times though!)

The coffee choices are plenty so coffee lovers rejoice! First up for brunch:

The famous Matcha Sandwich.  First bite in and I was convinced that this decadent treat lived up to the hype.  Its chewy biscuit paired with a luscious matcha filling was to die for.  Best of all was that the balance between the sweetness of the white chocolate biscuit and the grassy-earthy matcha that did not make the biscuit sickening.   In fact,  I thought it tasted healthy for one moment. Who am I kidding right? lol.

Next up was my impulse order, the S'mores Cronut.

Have to say, it looked a lot better than it tasted.  Or perhaps its just my dislike for the hybrid between the doughnut and a croissant. Why my dislike for the infamous cronut?  Well, simply because it does not offer the divinity of either and neither does it give the best of both worlds either.  Or have I just not eaten a good one before?  Too many wonderings here  ha ha. But if you’re a big fan of S'mores, I reckon Tiisch does it just fine with their Cronut rendition of a classic S'mores.

Last but not least, Matcha Pancakes with Stewed Rhubarb.  If looks could kill, the dish of Matcha Pancakes is definitely a serial killer.  

The presentation was stunning with the white plate making for a cleaner backdrop.  Cooked well, there were not stodginess in these green pancakes. It was done to perfection, something which places still struggle these days.  The rhubarb despite being stewed held it shape as though cut fresh. For one moment I thought it was going to be undercooked but the good folks at Tiisch proved me wrong.  While it was yums, the serving size does not suit a very hungry person.  Unless you’re a hungry person on portion control ha ha. In saying that, it fits right in for a light lunch.

Do I like Tiisch?  I sure do.  Despite so many brunch spots popping up around town, I am sure Perth has space for one more. The brunch here was interesting, the flavours good and execution was done well.  Could it be better?  Definitely.  Will it be better?  I guess its a matter of time. The menu sports a lot of the usuals brunch suspects which raises a question. Will it be special enough to keep the momentum going?  A change of season with (hopefully) a new menu will be interesting to see.

WenY