Benkay Japanese Restaurant - Grand Nikko Nusa Dua

Hey guys! I am back with the series of post regarding to my Bali December 2014 post. Anyway I did tell all of you guys that I stayed in Grand Nikko Nusa Dua. Grand Nikko is a hotel developer that origins from Japan and I am actually in love with Japanese things basically, such as the culture, people and of course their FOOD. So, I did try Japanese Cuisine in this particular Japanese hotel and of course this made me really excited. The restaurant that I tried is the famous Benkay Japanese Restaurant.

Benkay is located on the same floor as the lobby and the access is indeed very easy. I do recommend you guys to book prior your visit here, since I didn't get an immediate spot when I came on the spot without booking. I had to wait for an hour to be able to dine here.

Okay! So my first impression of the restaurant was expensive but qualified for a five star hotel. Logically all restaurants in hotels (especially five star ones) are expensive and qualified, it's just some are better than the others. I do really like the theme of this restaurant, personally it's because it reminded me of my childhood, as a child I always eat Japanese food with my parents. 

This particular theme is a very classic yet classy type of Japanese restaurant which I really like. The theme does localize it self also, by using ceramic flooring instead of fully wooden or stone floor, since it is located in Bali. Since ceramic floor is very easy to clean and handle, especially from sand that can be found everywhere in Bali.

Moving on to the service of the restaurant, it was excellent. All of the staff there was very friendly and welcoming, the manager, which is Japanese, was also there to keep track of the restaurant and serve the Japanese customers. Aside from that they gave us a cold towel to freshen us up, since Bali is a hot yet humid tropical island. My personal favorite is of course the attentiveness of the staff there, they were very aware of the situation and I feel like (hope I'm not wrong) the staff knows how to handle every situation that can happen in a restaurant.

A personal favorite of mine is also how Japanese restaurant store their condiments. They always has a unique and different containers in every restaurant. I think the one here is a classic which suits the entire theme of the restaurant.

On to the highlight of every restaurant! The food! Before that I really want to acknowledge how cute and functional the tea pot here. They are made from emerald green colored ceramic (I think, not a material expert) and the handle of this pot is very unique and fun to see. This actually enables the people pouring the tea to have comfort and far from the danger of getting heat burns from the pot. The small size made it very compact and cute in general.

Rate: (4.5/5.0) & Price: ± Rp 50,000++

Starting with the ever popular Chawanmushi, which is actually a type of egg custard dish that originates from Japan. I am so sure you guys are all aware of this dish, I personally think the Chawanmushi here is amazing, soft and sliky. It was also seasoned to perfection (in my personal taste that is). The only improvement that I would suggest is actually to make it a bit more savory and less salty or provide a custom seasoned Chawanmushi.

Rate: (5.0/5.0) & Price: ± Rp 100,000++

Moving on to my favorite Japanese dish, the Sashimi. I just love all kind of Sashimi in general and the one here are absolutely one of the best that I have tried in my whole life. They are fresh and sliced to a perfect size. I just wish they serve a bigger size for this Sashimi platter. This platter basically consist of Salmon Sashimi, Tuna Sashimi and Snapper Sashimi.

Rate: (4.0/5.0) & Price: ± Rp 80,000++

The main course for me that night was this authentic Hot Soba served with Tempura. The taste of the broth was actually really good, I just wish the broth was a bit cold (not hot/warm enough for my taste). I also feel like it is missing something in the broth, I feel like it needs to be a little more savory. Luckily the assorted tempura help made the dish better in terms of taste. I was a bit disappointed at the Soba but the tempura sure made me smile like I was the happiest boy on earth. Overall I think the broth needs improvement, the noodles were really good and chewy and the tempura was perfect in my opinion.

Rate: (5.0/5.0) & Price: ± Rp 50,000++

The dessert for that day was this amazing Greentea Ice Cream served with Red Bean and Strawberries. They were absolutely perfect in my opinion, the Ice Cream was in the perfect consistency and tasted just amazing. The red bean here was also amazing definitely a good match with the green tea ice cream and a bit of the green tea milky cream. The strawberries made this dish just fresh and lighter, it was a perfect combination. Overall this dish is a must try and you won't regret saving a spot in your stomach for this mouth-watering dessert.

That is it guys for today's post! Overall I personally think this is indeed a very good Japanese restaurant and I do recommend you guys to try this restaurant, especially if you guys are staying at Grand Nikko Nusa Dua. It is quite expensive but I personally feel like everything here is worth the price. I would rate this restaurant a (4.2/5.0) due to lack of taste for some dishes but some of them are also really good.

Thank you everyone for reading until this point and I do hope all of you guys keep reading my blog. Thank you once again and have a great day! Tune in next week for the last part of the Bali December 2014 post.

Make sure to check my other social media!

Instagram and Youtube

Grand Nikko Hotel Bali - Food Frenzy

Hey guys! I am finally back and sorry for the quite long update. Anyway today I am going to discuss to you guys about the food that they serve in Grand Nikko Nusa Dua Bali, specifically the room service and the breakfast (while next week I will be discussing about a restaurant in the hotel). To tell you guys the truth I was very excited to try the food here because it is a five star hotel and Grand Nikko is a famous hotel developer so I was really looking forward to try the food here. Without further ado, let us begin!

Room Service 

We (my family) ordered the room service on the first night because we were hungry and it was raining outside so that situation disabled us to get food outside. We decide to order room service. We ordered Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Tenderloin Steak and Grilled Beef Burger. 

My first bite of the sandwich was awesome, it tasted so much better than I expected and of course the chicken was grilled to perfection. Everything about this dish is marvelous, it is fresh, delicious and of course fulfilling. The salad on the side was very fresh and delicious, it is indeed a good complementary dish.

My first bite of the burger was really different, it was heavenly. Definitely one of the best beef burgers available (or probably because I was really hungry that time). The beef burger was served with fried egg, cheese, bacon and of course fresh vegetables. The beef was grilled to perfection and the beef was just really good, it literally melts in my mouth and the juiciness was just amazing. The toppings and the side dish made it so much better. Definitely a must try if you guys ever consider staying in this hotel.

 This dish (the dish that I ordered) was quite different from the rest. My first bite of this dish was okay, it is a good dish but I feel like there are lots of places with better steaks. The seasoning was a bit off point for me, but the additional mushroom sauce saved this dish and made it so much better. Overall I think this dish is pretty average, it's good but there are better ones.

My overall experience on the room service was really amazing. The food overall was really good and fulfilling. Unfortunately I didn't remember the price of the food , but I can approximate the price judging from its class. One dish would range from 90k++ up to 150k++ while the steak would cost about 300k++ all prices are in rupiah. But the price was just an estimation so it might be less than that.

Breakfast

The most important meal of the day: BREAKFAST! The first morning was really exciting because I couldn't wait to try the breakfast in this picturesque hotel/resort. So got up at 8ish in the morning and went to breakfast with my dad. The breakfast costed about 250k++ per person, this was pretty average for a five start hotel breakfast I assume.

That morning I tried the beef sausage, pork sausage, scrambled eggs and potato salad. As this is a buffet style breakfast so I did pick the food myself and the portion was also up to me. Anyways after I tried a bite of each I definitely feel that the best tasting dish on my plate was indeed the homemade beef sausage. This was just perfect, it tasted really good, fresh and smoky (which I really like in terms of sausage). The pork sausage was also good but the beef one is still so much better. The scrambled eggs was quite average, I do wish for it to be more creamy though. The potato salad was also really good and it tasted really light and fresh.

The temptation of getting another plate of food was real. So I did take another plate of food, it is a buffet so make the most of it LOL. This dish really caught my eye, since only five star hotels serve smoked salmon in their breakfast buffet (that is my current knowledge, comment down if you know a more accurate information!). So I did take some of these delicious looking smoked salmon, along with some fresh cream and a couple of baguette (wheat and normal flour). My first bite of the salmon was quite disappointing, since it tasted very salty and there is a fishy after taste to it. I was disappointed at how they process the salmon I guess, it would've been better if they just serve a normal smoked salmon. The fresh cream did help in reducing the salty flavor of the salmon, but still need improvement. The baguette, on the other hand, was really good and it is just made until perfection,

Overall my breakfast experience was good, but a bit average. I feel like some five star hotels serve better breakfast food so I do recommend trying like the common breakfast food (like sausage, eggs, pancake and waffle). Aside from that I think it is quite worth the price since I feel like some hotels serve breakfast that are more expensive I think, so it is quite good. I really wish for them to improve so my next visit would be even better.

The food in Grand Nikko Nusa Dua is really good in general, but I do wish for them to improve on some dish and keep up the good work. Overall I do recommend you guys to try the food here since it is good and fresh (even the jam/spreads are homemade!). I would rate it an eight out of ten (8/10).

That is it guys for today's post and I am really thankful if you guys read until this point. Thank you guys once again and have an awesome day! Make sure to tune in!

Check out my other social media!

Instagram and Youtube

Grand Nikko Hotel - Nusa Dua Bali

Hey guys! Today I am gonna do a post about my trip in Bali on the last few days of 2014. Anyway I am gonna start this series of posts with the hotel that I stayed there for the whole trip. I am pretty sure you guys know the hotel already (see the title lol), anyway I stayed in Grand Nikko Hotel Nusa Dua Bali. Grand Nikko is a famous hotel developer and hearing the name of the hotel at first from my parents made me excited because I am crazy about good hotels in Bali. Anyway you guys will see a lot of pictures in this post, starting with the one below!

(Main lobby of Grand Nikko Nusa Dua)

Anyway my trip to Bali started on the 29th of December 2014 until the 2nd of January 2015. The 4 nights trip was definitely a perfect getaway from the busy capital city Jakarta. The companion of Grand Nikko -a five star hotel- was just perfect, everything about the hotel was perfect (except for the price, but still what do you expect from a five star hotel). They gave us welcome drink and cold towel to refresh our face.

(Welcome drink and the table flower)

(Lobby lounge)

Moving on from the very beautiful lobby and the appetizing yet fresh welcome drink are the view of the hotel or resort if i must. Anyway I am not promoting this place or any such and I am also not endorsed by Grand Nikko (would be really cool though) all of these are just mere opinions. 

(View from the 15th floor on the 2nd building)

Grand Nikko Nusa Dua was actually built on a cliff and they have an advantage of having this beautiful view of the ocean and the beach (also the swimming pool that they have). This breathtaking landscape can be seen from the 2nd building only, I stayed in the 1st building so the view was just a normal garden. I must say the landscape is best seen on the 15th floor of the 2nd building, which is the top floor (the lobby is also located on the same floor).

(The 1st building of Grand Nikko Nusa Dua)

(The magnificent view from the 7th floor of the 2nd building)

As you guys can see the 1st building is visible from the 2nd building and the 1st building is actually built on top of the cliff and the 2nd building is built on the bottom of the cliff. Staying on either 1st or 2nd building is the same although tenants on the 1st building will have to take a long walk to reach the beach and the swimming pool (yeah I was talking about myself LOL). 

(Grand Nikko Nusa Dua's massive swimming pool)

(Me and my sister on the Kid's Pool - try to spot where I am)

The swimming pool was absolutely the highlight of the hotel, it was big, blue and of course fun. They divided the swimming pool into 3 sections, Kid's Area, Private Area and Slide Area (yes there is a slide Yay!). The Kid's Area consist of children's swimming pool and a swimming pool that has sand as if it is the beach. The private area consist of a hot tub, a swimming pool and a cave like water fall thing (unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of that area and that area is a bit isolated as well). The slide area was the most lively area, it consist of swimming pool and a big slide for the young adults and teenager (or the brave kids), the slide was fun but quite average. 

The beach was just an inch in distance from the swimming pool area (lol exaggerated) but anyway it was really close, beautiful and the most important part is it is a private beach. Absolutely beautiful, you guys can have a full view of the hotel from the beach (I didn't take any pictures because I didn't bring my camera to the beach area that day). Anyway I did take pictures of this mysterious tree on the isolated part of the beach!

(Mysterious and beautiful)

The last part of this blog post will be dedicated to the landscape that I woke up to every morning there. The pictures are not that pretty or such but it is truly calming and fresh in my opinion.

(The terrace of my room)

(The desk beside my bed)

Well that concludes my post for today and I really thank you all for reading until this point. This post is just the first part of the Bali December 2014 post, so make sure to stay tune. This first post is dedicated to Grand Nikko Nusa Dua the hotel that made my holiday enjoyable. I really recommend you guys to stay here since it is beautiful and actually one of the most affordable hotels in the Nusa Dua beach lines (compared to its neighbor, Mulia and St Regis). Anyway thank you guys once again and have an awesome day! Make sure to stay tune!

Also check out my other social media! Instagram and Youtube

2014 YEAR END HAUL

Hi guys finally updating you guys with a video, haven't been doing this since a very long time but finally here it is. Haven't been doing a haul video since a very long time but I finally did it and this haul is like a Collective Haul consisting of my purchases from the past three months, October, November and December in 2014. I decided to call it a Year End Haul since it is the end of the year. So without further ado here is the video! Enjoy!

So that is it for the video and I am so sorry about a lot of things, firs, the quality of the video (the lighting and etc) is very bad and low quality, second, the purchased things were not very clear and lastly I feel like the video is too long. Anyway thank you so much for watching (especially if you watch until the video ended) and hopefully I'll be posting a detailed version of the few products that I purchased, like the 2 pairs of shoes I guess, so make sure to look forward. Have an awesome day everyone!

2014 SHOTS

Hey guys welcome back and yess it is not 2014 anymore, but I just think that it would be fun to post the last few shots that I got in 2014. This post will focus more on the pictures (even though my photography skills are very average and I took them with my phone) and I won't be reviewing the places that I visited, I will just comment a little about them.

Where are my manners! HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015 TO ALL OF YOU GUYS! Thank you so much for making 2014 awesome hope 2015 will be even better and ALL THE BEST IN 2015!

Trattoria - Cucina Italiana

Yes I revisit this place and yes I did a post about Trattoria already but by far this is one of the best Italian restaurant in Jakarta (in my opinion and I feel like it depends on our personal taste). This place is currently me and my dad's favorite place especially for lunch and the location of this place is very strategic, it is located in Pondok Indah Golf Course Gallery.

I am just gonna cut to the chase and get on with the food! The food here never fail to impressed me (so far it's always good), especially the pizza that we can customize on our own (I didn't take pictures of the pizza though). Anyway, so here's my meal for that day.

Salmon Carpaccio

 

Grilled Chicken

 

Butter Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Ravioli

All of these dish were finely prepared and the taste was absolutely delicious. Everything tasted so fresh and clean. Overall the food was delicious and amazing, the price was also quite average for an Italian Restaurant so I would recommend you guys to visit this place on the weekends or dinner after work or school.

Woodpecker Coffee

This is an extremely new place for me and the location of the place happens to be quite new for me (since I live quite far from that area). My trip here was very satisfying and I must say the coffee here is good but not amazing or the best in town. I was never a coffee enthusiast but I would say this coffee is good. What I really like about this place is actually the interior and the exterior design (so the design in general), unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the shop in an exterior scale.

Anyway here are the pictures that I took with my phone that day and I would absolutely go back here to give a better review and take more pictures.

Anyway so basically that is it with today's post and overall my visit to all those places was satisfying and interesting. Those places are also very calming and relaxing, a good place to spend your time in the weekends. 

Thank you guys for reading today's post and sorry if there's a bad grammar or anything but yeah nobody's perfect. Happy new year once again and have an awesome year!