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.

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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!

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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!

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WEEKEND GETAWAY: BALI

Hey guys! So sorry I haven't been updating in a very long time. I'm just gonna be honest to you guys that lately I have been very busy with school and just finished my exams two weeks ago (Yay!) aside from that I have also been doing fundraising for a school event (which I will explain in detail later on) and of course hanging out with friends (LOL). I am actually still into blogging its just that I suck at managing my time but all the best to me and you guys.

Anyways today's post will be about my weekend in Bali (two weeks ago). It was the week of my exams and when the exams ended me and my mom went to Bali for one bug reason (not for holiday purposes). We departed from Jakarta on Friday (5th of December) and returned from Bali on Sunday (7th of December), because I have school on Monday (yay school!).

(Airplane Food!)

Okay! So we departed by using Air Asia because it is highly affordable and reasonable. You guys can also order your own on flight meal through their website. I am not sponsored by Air Asia but I just think it is the smartest way to travel around Asia and the meal options are quite a lot and the taste will also be satisfying. So the flight took me about one and half hour from Jakarta to Bali and honestly I couldn't sleep on board the plane (I honestly don't know why).

So our first stop in Bali (aside the airport) is actually the Siloam Hospital in Sunset Road not our hotel. We went to the hospital because me and my mom wanted to visit my dad who was hospitalized there. He actually works in Bali and that's why we went to Bali that weekend. When we arrived he's actually allowed to leave the hospital already and so we decided to just stay in the hotel together.

Ramada Resort Kuta's Swimming Pool

We stayed in Bintang Kuta Hotel in Jalan Kartika Plaza, I totally recommend staying in this hotel. It is a 4 star hotel and it is related to Ramada Resort, so the hospitality was top notch and the price were very affordable. This hotel is also located in the prime location of Bali, the Kuta Beach area and it is located literally in front of Ramada Resort Kuta, since they are related tenants of Bintang Kuta Hotel has a privilege access to Ramada Resort Kuta's facilities (5 star hotel facilities!). Ramada also happen to have their own private beach.

Ramada Resort Kuta's Private Beach

So that actually concludes the first day and we actually did nothing on the first day. For dinner we wanted to eat out but the rain was really bad so we decided to order room service. The next day was very chill and easy going, we had a morning walk around the hotel and left to walk on the main street until we reached Centro (which was surprisingly very close from the hotel). We had our breakfast at the hotel and on the afternoon we took a cab to go to Beachwalk Kuta.

Beachwalk Kuta's Garden View

Beachwalk is actually my favorite mall in Indonesia, it is very different and unique from any other malls here. I must say this is the highlight of today's post (because most of the pictures are actually taken here). We ate lunch at Bebek Tepi Sawah which is one of my favorite place to eat duck (way better than peking duck in my opinion).

The restaurant is actually located on the 3rd floor of the mall and it is indeed decorated with the most beautiful and traditional interiors. But I really recommend you guys to go to the original one in Ubud, Bali the view there is amazing and it just has different ambiance, but it is also very far from the Kuta area. I personally love the classic craved stone and the traditional Balinese umbrellas. 

Freshly Made Dipping Sauce

They gave us three kinds of dipping sauce, all of them are spicy but they do have a different kind of spicy level. I personally didn't try the bottom left one (because I'm weird I guess), the top one was rather heavy and spicy, and the bottom right one is my favorite since it tasted really fresh and there is a mild spicy taste to it. But these dipping sauce is for preference and the good and bad of the taste actually depends on the person's taste.

The Classic Crispy Duck

The highlight of today's post! Bebek Tepi Sawah's signature dish, the Classic Crispy Duck. This is indeed the best duck ever and wherever you are in the world you must come and try this amazing dish (well that is in my opinion). The duck tasted very fresh and crispy with a very balanced taste. It is juicy and every crispy part tastes like heaven. The assorted vegetable was also a very good complementary to the dish since it gives a balance to the fatty duck oil.

After lunch we returned to our hotel and swam for a couple of hours. That night we went out for dinner to eat Thai Food, I didn't take any pictures since it was dark and the only camera I have in Bali that weekend was my phone (so all pictures are taken by my phone). I also forgot the name of the restaurant (lol stupid me).

The last day was very common, since nothing happened and I have to go back to Jakarta since I have school on Monday. I had to return alone, since my dad had another check up on Tuesday. So this trip is also my first experience of flying alone!

#airportfashion #ootd

Okay so that wraps up my weekend in Bali! So thank you guys for reading until this point because honestly this post is just about Bebek Tepi Sawah (LOL) but anyways it was a very meaningful trip for me because I went to Bali for a good reason and it is also my first time flying alone. Thank you guys once again and have great day! God Bless!

Thanks to Air Asia, Ramada Bintang Bali Resort, Bintang Kuta Hotel and Bebek Tepi Sawah.

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Bali Photo Collection - Part 2 [Places to Eat]

Hey guys! Today I am gonna wrap up my Bali Photo Collection and finish my Bali Blog. So to end the Bali Blog I will post pictures of food and the details of it and of course recommend you guys the place. One of the best thing to do in Bali is eat or have a culinary trip, because Bali has lots of restaurants which varies from Western, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, local Balinese and more.

Sadly I only have pictures from two restaurants because I forgot to bring my camera for some places and mostly I ate at the same place for a couple of times. The places I am gonna review today are Hardrock Cafe Bali, Bushido, Dulang Kafe & Bakery and B'Couple Bar & Grill. All of the places are located in Kuta and most of them are really close to one and another.

Hardrock Cafe Bali

Jalan Pantai Kuta, Kuta, Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

I am pretty sure you guys are all aware of the name Hardrock and I am also sure that you guys know what the food and drinks are like, but I feel like the one in Bali has a richer taste from the one in Jakarta. I actually stayed in Hardrock Hotel so I got a privilege of ordering my food (from Hardrock Cafe) and eating it by the pool.

The food we ordered in Hardrock are basically normal or basic Western food but the taste is very satisfying and the price was also quite pricey ($12.00 for a cheeseburger). I personally think the price was okay since the portion and the taste (also the freshness) was amazing. So we ordered the Cheeseburger (which was the chef's specialty), Chicken Ceaser Salad and Pepperoni Pizza.

 Cheeseburger

Chicken Ceaser Salad 

Pepperoni Pizza

I personally think most of Hardrock Cafe's food are good and above average even though the price is a bit above average also, but I really recommend you guys to eat there. The ambiance and the setting of the place is really chill and cozy.

Dulang Kafe & Bakery

Jalan Pantai Kuta, Kuta Square, Blok C/20-22, Bali, Indonesia

I am pretty sure most of you guys have never heard of this place. Dulang Kafe & Bakery is located in Kuta Square which make the place really near to shopping places. I personally love the setting and ambiance of this restaurant/cafe it is located near the street so we can eat while seeing people pass by and people can see us too.

Dulang Kafe & Bakery is a Western and Asian cuisine restaurant which serves appetizers, main course and desserts also. They also have a variety of beverages ranging from fresh juices, tea, mocktails and even cocktails. The cost for a meal there would probably cost around Rp 150,000 ($15.00) per person, which I think is an average price for cafes.

Me and my family always eats at Dulang Kafe & Bakery each time we go to Bali. What we love about the restaurant/cafe is the Oxtail Soup and Banana Pancake. The Oxtail Soup in this restaurant is really fresh and the meat is really tender and juicy, so basically the Oxtail Soup is really really good. The Banana Pancake in the other hand completes the meal and perfect for sharing it with people, the pancake here is a thin type pancake that is really delicious and fresh. 

Sadly when I visited the place for dinner the power went out and the restaurant/cafe's generator wasn't functioning well, so I couldn't take any pictures. I really recommend you guys to come here since it's really good and the place has a really nice ambiance.

B'Couple Bar & Grill

Jalan Kartika, Plaza In front of Kuta Paradiso Hotel Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

This restaurant is located in front of Kuta Paradiso Hotel and it's also located in the heart of Kuta that has lots of restaurants. This restaurant serves Western, Chinese and Japanese food. The price was average for some food but some food are also pricey. Besides serving normal ala-carte food they also serve fresh seafood which later can be grilled according to our satisfaction. 

I personally think some food is okay but some are really good, the good ones are the fresh seafood. Some of the food in the Chinese food menu aren't that satisfying. In general my trip to this restaurant was good but not great, but the portion is quite big and the ambiance is really nice because they have live-music performances every weekend nights. 

I did not take any pictures in this restaurant because I left my camera and my phone camera was not that good for night shoots. If you guys have nothing in mind to eat and you guys are in a near are I would recommend you guys to eat here since the restaurant has a really wide variety of menu.

Bushido

Jalan Pantai Kuta, Kuta, Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Judging from it's name the restaurant is obviously Japanese and it serves only Japanese food. This restaurant is located in the second floor (2nd floor) of Beachwalk Mall, Kuta. The place and setting of this restaurant is really average and the price was also average.

The menu they serve is actually quite limited varying from sushi, rice-sets, noodles and tempura. They do not have any Japanese desserts or any grilled meat in Japanese style. The beverage variety they serve was quite wide which can complete the meal. 

Cha Soba and Salmon Sashimi

Tempura Roll

The food taste and quality was good but the serving was really nice. I personally think this place is like a basic Japanese restaurant that is really basic in everyway (price, taste, ambiance, etc). So I would recommend this to you guys if you guys are at Beachwalk Mall and wanting for some Japanese food.

That will be it for my post today and that officially close off my Bali Photo Collection and my Bali Blog for this year! Thank you guys so much for reading this post hope you guys have a great day and a wonderful summer

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Summer Lookbook - Bali (Look 3)

Hey guys! Today I am gonna finish off yesterday's post which is the detailed post of my Summer Lookbook. To finish the post I am gonna explain in detail my third and last look for this Summer! Let's get started!

The last look for the summer also features simple basic pieces but the key is once again the color or the pattern. Summer is all about bright colors so I went with a bright color shorts from H&M. It is in a salmon/peachy color that has a really nice and summery feel.

Another thing about summer would be trying to keep it simple and bright! So I decided to go with a white line shirt from Cotton On that is once again really nice and very summer. I personally like basic shirts because it's easier to find the perfect match for it.

I also added a brown belt from Superdry to make this look bolder and more sophisticated. This look is kinda like the semi-formal attire for the summer, you guys can just substitute the sandals with shoes or sneakers that has a similar color tone.

Since my purpose for this look was casual and relaxed I decided to go with my Louis Vuitton sandals once again. It might not have any color connection with the outfit right now, but sadly at that moment I didn't have any colored sandals or footwear with me.

I personally like this look because it's actually really simple and basic but it's also stylish and sophisticated, so this look is one of my favorite look for this summer! This look also showcases a flexibility in the color combination because white shirt can be mixed and match with basically every colored shorts or even patterned shorts.

So that's it for the detailed version of my Men's Summer Lookbook 2014! Hope you guys enjoy my posts and keep liking my blog and youtube channel! Thank you for reading this post and hope you guys have a great day and summer!

Credits: Kuta Playa Hotel, Bali and my sister for taking these awesome pictures

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