Oh this place is nice. Suddenly very aware that I look like a beach bum backpacker; with my Bali shorts tasselled with pompoms and my hair chlorined, unbrushed and pulled back into a low ponytail. Seminyak’s Petitenget has an air of France on a summer’s day about it, with comfortable wicker chairs, big glass doors, huge mirrors and a bar lined with Veuve. All this in dovetail grey and with a beautifully patterned tiled floor. Within minutes I was already trying to work out when I could fit in visiting Petitenget again, and that’s just based on the bruschetta and chicken club baguette with bacon and avocado I’ve seen being passed to the table of young hipster Australians across the way from me.
A few days of partying in the beach clubs of Seminyak and you start to crave some goodness, which Petitenget can certainly help with. The restaurant has an organic farm nearby from which 80% of the produce used in the kitchen is farmed. The focus is on sustainable methods and the quality of the fresh, local ingredients used are evident in the dishes served. I ordered the pineapple, green apple and ginger juice (30,000 IDR)- which is deliciously refreshing – along with the pearl barley salad with marinated feta, chickpeas, tomatoes, roast pumpkin, green beans, chilli roasted cashews and a blossom honey vinaigrette (70,000 IDR). The salad was large and filling, beautifully presented and with a good kick of spice to it. I did expect and wished for more feta than was presented dolloped on top, and although the rest of the salad was delicious, I missed that extra saltiness coming through. That said, it was certainly one of the better salads I’ve eaten in all my months in Bali. Dessert was a dark chocolate, espresso and salted caramel tart (65,0000 IDR) topped with glossy pecans and served with a raspberry sorbet that cut through the rich and dense tart well.
The menu here is big, with a wide range of salads – choose from yellow fin tuna, Vietnamese duck, poached chicken, goats cheese, barbecued tiger prawns; risottos and pasta with wagyu meatballs; along with other mains such as fresh snapper, steak and a chicken and seafood laksa. Prices range from 80,000 – 110,000 IDR and whilst a treat if you’re backpacking through Bali, is a steal if you’re on holiday – especially for food of this quality.
Breakfast is just as good if not better than lunch when I return, though I am notoriously biased towards a decent brunch. Smoked salmon, asparagus and scrambled eggs fill a buttery croissant (67,000 IDR) and serve as the perfect filling breakfast to tide me over until I reach next destination hours later. The coffee is strong and the bite sized sample of granola with fruit and yoghurt assures me their healthier offering is strong.
There are a lot of people who seem to know each other here, and you can swiftly tell this is a favourite of Seminyak’s large expat community. An excellent option for breakfast, lunch or dinner and just a stone’s throw from some of the area’s best shopping. The perfect pit stop.
Jl. Petitenget Raya No. 40X, Seminyak, Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
+62 361 4733054