The Cuisine Restaurant located next to Kedonganan Beach, Jimbaran, Bali, offers authentic Balinese food given a casual spin.
Kitchenesia.com - Walk around just about any district near seaside in Bali and chances are you'll stumble upon a decent number of beach clubs slinging variations of casual bite-sized dishes and relaxing beachfront experiences.
While food is the essential thing in every hospitality establishment (including beach club, definitely), but food served here seemingly doesn't come in many variations. They are quite bland; Americanized takes on popular food – a humble-sized sandwich consisted of nothing but a piece of ground beef placed inside two buns – whose price is enough for us mortals to eat for a week. Sadly, it happens in all beach clubs, hence people reluctantly need to embrace it.
Then there’s The Cuisine Restaurant to answer all demands. Here, in its chef’s own word, The Cuisine's main aim is to promote an authentic Balinese cuisine to local and overseas tourists. It is run by local community to push economy empowerement among locals of Kedongan village.
What’s the significance of it? Well, every dish is meticulously prepared according to passed-down recipes, thus authencity is guaranteed. Secondly, since The Cuisine is run by a community – not by a corporate – the food prices won’t shock your wallet - or your spouse. Lastly, and for me most importantly, tourists can directly contribute to local’s economy boost. The Cuisine is a place where pro-people tourism go yay.
Food-wise, the keyword at The Cuisine is “family”, with most dishes served in large portions suitable for group dining. Indeed, family is overall philosophy in The Cuisine, with food served in homemade way and hospitality that treat guests like long-distance family members who just come home after a long time. Along with what the chef describes as “traditional Bali taste”, it essentially brings authentic Bali recipes to the table.
A perfect example is Lobster Bakar Bumbu Bali (grilled lobster with Bali-native ingredients). It is made of wild lobster captured on the same day as day it cooks then marinated in rich Bali-native spices and herbs, popular for hot taste yet ambrosial scent. “Jaen Sajan”, as the Balinese said.
Besides striking your mouth, The Cuisine also strikes us with its ambience. The dining area is divided into two sections, indoor and outdoor, each with an entirely different ambience. The indoor part has a strong traditional atmosphere with a deluge of flowers and carved Bali ornaments upon the entrance.
There’s also the outdoor area next to the ocean of Kedonganan Beach. The signature part of outdoor area is a romantic, heart-shaped dining table made by straw only for two. Outdoor part is most-demand area for special occasion like wedding, anniversary, and corporate events. Both area (indoor at outdoor) is overlooking Kedonganan beach.
Established in 2007, The Cuisine Restaurant is an excellent option for Bali’s ever-changing seaside dining scene. It is a family restaurant offering romanticism of beach club. And any place that appreciats local cuisines in the form of casual dining is always going to be worthy of a visit.
