Buffet lunch with Mount Batur view~ Sari Restaurant, Kintamani, Bali

Our hired driver bought us to Kintamani for buffet lunch with Mount Batur view. IDR35,000 (about RM10) entrance fee were collected at the toll gate guarded by police or army before our vehicle allow to drive up to a mountain road. Along the way up, there are quite a numbers of restaurants with similar concept can be found. All are built along the edge of the mountain, with outdoor observation deck facing the Mount Batur or rooftop viewing point. We were lucky to get the outdoor veranda bar seating where we could look at the panorama view of Mount Batur and Lake Batur while having our lunch. The weather was cloudy and it was drizzling this morning, we were told by our driver that we might not able to see the whole Mount Batur due to heavy cloud. Guess we were really blessed, we get to see Mount Batur in clear view for more than 5 mins before it cover up by heavy cloud again during our lunch. 

The restaurant offer buffet lunch at IDR120,000 per pax, serves local Balinese dish range from soup, satays, fried rice, fried noodles, chicken dish, veggies dish, cut fruits and drinks (coffee and tea). The food taste average. The Jus Alpukat (Indonesia famous Avocado Milkshake with chocolate syrup) was an extra order which is not include in the buffet. So in total we pay around IDR139,400 per pax including tax. The price is worth for a meal over a great view of Mont Batur. 

Mount Batur is an active volcano located at the center of north west of Mount Agung. Last eruption was in year 2000. The mountain is 1717 meters high (5,633 ft.). The peak offers breathtaking views of Lake Batur, black lava from the last explosion, and surrounding mountains. Many tour company offers "Sunrise hike" where tourist hike up to the peak with an hired guide. You need wake up early and start hiking before 3-4am, to catch the sunrise have breakfast that cooked in the volcanic steam e.g. eggs and hot drinks. Interesting! will keep that for my visit if I come to Bali again. Our hired driver also told us that few years ago there were Malaysian tourists went missing after they went for trekking without a guide. So it is NOT recommended to go (or hike) on our own. 

Le Grande Hotel Bali, Uluwatu

I am here in Bali with few of my college friends to attend my best friend's wedding. Le Grande is the first hotel where I spent 2 nights in Bali before & after the wedding event. The hotel is nestled in the centre of New Kuta Golf Course in Pecatu - South Western coast of Bali. About 15.5km / 40 mins away from the Denpasar Airport. The hotel stay is arranged by my bestie who is the bride. She and her husband, their family members, relatives and friends flying here from different places and countries are all staying in the same hotel. We arrived in the late evening, joined the dinner buffet by the pool and have a small gathering till late night. Next day is the wedding day which is a whole-day event held at another place outside of the hotel. Only the 3rd day we have time to explore around the hotel before we checkout.

The Grand Cafe is where we had our breakfast during the stays, serving local Balinese cuisine and Western cuisine. Those huts in the middle of the pond are spa & massage centre (too bad it required pre-booking therefore we didn't manage to try). The property is huge, quite a numbers of blocks and staircases linked here and there. Me and my friends actually spent some time to find our way back to our room after breakfast on the second day haha. The cozy modern hotel room has a see-through glass panel bathroom with shower curtain if you need privacy. The bathtub, shower area are seperated. The balcony has a very cozy sitting corner with swimming pool view and next block view too. However Bali is really hot and sunny (for me) so nope, we did not enjoy the outdoor sitting but rather hide inside the room with cool air~

Yummy Creamy Butter Crab & Chili Crab~ DeFoodland, Bandar Mejalara, Kepong

DeFoodland in Bandar Menjalara, Kepong which is adjacent to MK is our frequently dine-in place recently. We came here for their signature creamy butter crab and chili crab today, with a Korean friend who is newly move to KL. There are more than 30 types of cooking for the crabs can be choose from the menu. This place is pretty well-known among the Koreans community as chili crab is a must try dish in Malaysia (or Singapore). So when there is a gathering (with the Koreans), or our friends & family visit we will bring them here for crabs. Reasonable charge for the crabs but there is a minimum order of 2 crabs or combine weight of at least 1 kg and above per table. 1.2kg of crab cost us about RM110+ for 2-3 pax. Since I have seafood allergy, I can't eat the crab meat with the shell together and must have it remove from shell before eat. But I still able to enjoy the creamy butter crab or chili crab with the fried mantou dip into the gravy before put into the mouth.