This restaurant is fine dining Indonesian & Balinese cuisine with a stunning setting in the sensational Alila Villas resort in Uluwatu. We'd heard great things before hand, but it completely exceeded all expectations.
From arrival, you are lead through the magnificent grounds, a temple of design and architecture, making the most of it's beautiful clifftop location.
We were offered cold hand towels, and lotions to make ourselves comfortable while perusing the menu.
The Chef's selection, a degustation, was too tempting so we opted for an Indonesian feast, that even the teen joined us with sharing. The younger, less adventurous children were more than happy with their more pedestrian offerings, suitable to their palates, and even asked to return before the end of our trip. It must have been a pretty tasty hamburger!
The food is delicious but also presented perfectly, with a myriad of dipping sauces and accompaniments.
The set menu is huge and filling, so I do recommend having a very light lunch, if going for a sunset dinner. We went for lunch and I skipped dinner completely.
The entrees we started with were a tangy Balinese green papaya salad with prawns, divine Shredded chicken with shallot and lemongrass dressing and Chicken breast and beef tenderloin sates. This would have actually been a reasonable lunch on it's own, however, there was a long way to go!
The Balinese clear chicken soup was light yet still filling, and surprisingly refreshing on such a hot day.
The main included large samplings of Braised lamb shank with shiitake mushroom and Balinese spice paste, Balinese style roasted chicken, Grilled fish with sweet soy sauce and fresh tomatoes, Pork in soy sauce, Crispy fried duck and Vegetables with Balinese peanut dressing. These menu descriptions do nothing to describe the flavoursome dishes and interesting textures. Each dish is a myriad of herbs and spices, creating strong, delectable flavours. My partner loved the fish and duck, my son and I loved the pork. All of it was fabulous, and while we struggled to finish it, none of us wanted to leave any of it to waste.
Dessert was a sensationally simple yet superb Coconut pancake with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. While I'd stated I was too full for dessert, I did somehow manage to finish it, leaving the plate clean!
The staff are excellent, with the unobtrusive yet attentive service, and the presentation of food to the table an event in itself. At no point were we rushed, nor were we left waiting, and our visit spanned a few hours. We lazily enjoyed the view, and even watched a visiting monkey play on the clifftop shrine.
If you are after an excellent dining experience in salubrious surroundings, then The Warung is a must. It was the dining highlight of our trip, both for the meal and the destination.
