This is the first post in a series I’m hoping to write about the places in Bali that made my experience as fabulous as it was. Since the way to my heart really is through my stomach, I expect that I’ll be writing mostly about food.
One of the first places I ever ate in Bali was JP’s WarungClub. It’s right on Jl. Dhyana Pura, in Seminyak. I went into JP’s because I thought their facade was cool — even though they’re part of an unremarkable block of buildings, they have a traditional-looking roof, with ceiling fans mounted to exposed beams. They also had a large sign advertising free wireless internet, and a big 5 gallon drum of water on a dispenser outside, with which you can refill your bottle for a nominal IDR 1,000 fee (about USD 0.10). Over the course of my 10 weeks in Bali, I would spend many long hours there, refilling my Nalgene and responding to emails.
The menu at JP’s, like many other restaurants in Bali, ranges from burgers to Indonesian nasi goreng. Particularly noteworthy are their salads, which are huge and can include things like beets, chicken, avocado and arugula. I absolutely hate it when people think “salad” means “iceberg lettuce” and JP’s definitely doesn’t have that problem. Their salads are meals in and of themselves, although if you’re super hungry, I would recommend the nasi campur, instead.
The only thing at JP’s I wouldn’t recommend is the pasta. My housemate, David, ordered some penne, and it showed up overdone. Otherwise, their food is consistently decent. Their desserts are outstanding. Their apple pie is yummy, and their banana fritters with ice cream was the best banana dessert I had in Bali. As for drinks, I usually ordered water, but David says their mango lassis are to die for.
JP’s also has live music most evenings, but I was rarely there at that time because I was usually in bed by then, so I could leave for work at 7am the next day.
Perhaps the best thing about JP’s is the customer service. The first day I got there, I wouldn’t have said so — as a dark-skinned foreigner, I got seated after a Caucasian couple. I ordered before them, yet they got served first, and one of them got the same thing I did! This kept happening again and again at other venues, including the Circle K (like their local 7-Eleven). I had a word with a member of their team, and on every subsequent visit, I noticed the service improving.
On one of my final weeks in Bali, my watch went missing. A few days later, I went to eat at JP’s.
“Do you have a silver watch?” asked a server.
“I do, but it’s lost,” I told him.
“You left it here,” he said, and pulled it out of his apron.
Even if the food at JP’s were horrible, that incident alone would have been enough to turn me into a loyal customer. I was glad to have my faith in humanity restored, with ice cream on top.
A meal at JP’s will cost you anywhere from 40,000 – 100,000 IDR (about USD 4 – 10) depending on whether you choose local or western food, and whether you order dessert and drinks. I usually got away with paying 5 or 6 bucks for a good and filling meal.
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