HUJAN LOCALE UBUD - BALI

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! So here we are, the first post of 2014 2015, still adjusting to write 2015 instead of 2014 (first world's problems!)

So how's your new year so far? I honestly didn't really feel like celebrating anything because the year ended on a quite sad note (the Air Asia QZ8501) and for some unexplainable reasons, I almost feel guilty to have fun on others' sadness, even more when I started imagining how the family and relatives felt

But that doesn't mean that I don't cherish the new year!

I have so many things and expectations that I want to achieve this year and on, but it's just that when I am on my age right now and I mean growing up & becoming more mature, I just realize that I want to have a better personality instead of things, because I believe that a better personality will lead you somewhere further than measured success and most importantly, lead to happiness. Amen to that!

The opening might be dramatic but that's not the point of this post HAHA, I am actually writing a piece about "the 2014 reflection", I still owe you guys my "Best of 2014" Restaurant list, I had the list, but the stupid me forgot to bring my hard disk! My laptop just recovered from a big virus-error on October and all the photos were transferred to the harddisk (which I hardly know where it is actually) but I'll find it and write the goddamn list! The least I can do is to download the photos from my older posts! ME SO BRILLIANT!

I went to Ubud two days ago and the itinerary included the visit of (probably) the newest restaurant in Ubud at the moment. It's a restaurant that I had big expectations on since the owner is Will "awesome" Meyrick, who by the way also runs three of the best restaurants I've visited in life: E&O in Jakarta, Sarong and Mama San in Bali and to have it in Ubud is just a brilliant idea! I have always loved Ubud, for me, it's the perfect place where you can really relax since the overall ambiance is a little less crowded and crazy comparing to Kuta, Seminyak and Legian but on top of that, Ubud also had amazing places to dine and relatively this one: cheers to Hujan Locale!

Hujan Locale was located at Jl. Sri Wedari and very near to the well-known Seniman Coffee located on the same road, frankly speaking, I did have expectations about the exterior and interior as well, I thought it's going to be as extravagant as the three earlier establishments (mentioned above) but it's actually more humble but nowhere near ugly, however, the interior was good-looking: simple with vintage-sophisticated feeling and dominantly wood materials application!

It had two stories, the first level was just plain and almost boring and also where the kitchen at but the second level fit my liking. Generally, it's not a super spacious restaurant, it could fit up to 100 people inside.

My favorite seat! If you come as a couple, this is just the perfect seat, come here before sunset and you'll be mesmerized by the beautiful sunset (well if you're lucky and it's not raining).

Bottomless Equil refill for only IDR 40k, happy freaking new year!

I love how they're using leather for the menu cover. Leather is never outdated!

Some herbs: black salt and chili spices!

The food here concentrates on the Asian-fusion cuisine, I thought the food here still pretty much inspired by the Mama San menu but they're only twisting it to fit the concept of Hujan Locale. The options currently as not as many as E&O, Sarong or Mama San but from the appetizers to the desserts, they were good enough to drool me over.

And oh, just how classic they have been, they never really have the name of the menu, they explain everything in the menu, which was sort of genius!

Complimentary Bread with Olive oil

Nice fluffy bread with butter seasoning, I like to use more oil!

Hujan Betel Leaf with Prawn, Heritage Black Pudding, Ferntip Long Bean and Charred Shredded Coconut.
IDR 35k/each
This was just an incredible opening. I was happy for the idea of using betel leaves because it could hold the awesome ingredients on a single bite (or two - and not to mention they were wide and fresh), once everything was a mouthful, I experienced an incredible burst of flavor in my mouth: there was a lovely combination of savory, tangy, sweet and neutral and a slight play of texture from the crunchy long bean. For me, the highlight was the black pudding, it was just beautifully cooked and the mushy gooey texture was just top.

Sri Lankan Cured Scallop with Mints, Shredded Coconut, Lime Juice and Salmon Roe
IDR 90k
Still from the appetizer field, this next course was another "not-to-miss". The scallops were very fresh and thin sliced but the highlight must be the overall seasoning. It was sour and tangy but didn't overpower my expected palate. The shredded coconut didn't really do anything to the flavor as well as the salmon roe, but they did add a little texture and surprise.

Tuna Cheviche with Roasted Chili, Edamame, Black Beans, Mint, Parsley and White Anchovies
IDR 90k

This colorful dish attracted my attention, but for some reasons it looks like a watermelon fruit salad from this angle. I noticed that the appetizers were mostly dominated with sour and tangy flavor, which was a good point for me because it's more like the "refreshing kind of sour" instead of "overpowering sour". The tuna was very fresh and the simple ingredients like Edamame and black beans did help to tone down the sour flavor if you're not a big fan of that particular flavor. I didn't see the white anchovies do much to the dish but I just love having the anchovies just like that, without mixing it to the other plate.

Portuguese Squid Ink Rice with Crispy Soft Shell Crab Calamari with Gremolata Aioli
IDR 90k
This particular starter was slightly more different comparing to the three I tried earlier. The character of the flavor was a little more neutral and less strong. The squid ink rice was seasoned lightly with good rice texture (not to dense nor moist) but the highlight must be the chewy tasty calamari. So yum!

Slow Braised Soy Beef Cheek with Wasabi Green Pea Risotto and Snow Pea Shoots
IDR 160k
The mains series was started perfectly with this slow braised soy beef cheek. If I am not mistaken, it was the first time for me to ever try beef cheeks, normally I'd have salmon's. The slow braised cooking process apparently reflected on the texture of the meat: extremely tender and soft! To have the picture, imagine a very tender beef brisket but this one had a more solid texture and in a way, less fiber to it. The green pea risotto wasn't bad at all, even though I didn't really experience the Wasabi flavor but it's not a big problem. I was glad that this dish had the properly executed flavor and texture, this was just YUM!

Mashed Potato

IDR 40k

One of the best mashed potato I've had ever! Short to say, it's perfect and YOU MUST TRY! Creamy without being overmilky, smooth texture and awesomely seasoned.

Mac and Cheese
IDR 40k
You know me, didn't touch this because it's cheese but my friends told me it was very good, not too cheesy and generous amount of both macaroni and cheese.

Hujan's Spice Rubbed Seared Rib-Eye Steak Served with Wood Roasted Garlic Confit Tomato and a Mint Gribiche
IDR 160k
The Rib Eye steak was cooked adorably and seasoned lightly allowing the natural meat flavor to evolve. Technically, it's a good beef dish, but I was expecting that kick of spice because it felt to me like a simple plain good steak.

Kashmiri Style Roasted Snapper Wrapped in Banana Leaf with Curry Leaves Garam Masala Tomato and Green Chili Served with Mint Yogurt

IDR 110k

This was one of my most favorite dishes that night, not only for its amazing presentation, but for its flavor as well. The fish was very tasty, flavorful and the seasoning was quite strong. The flavor actually reminded me of a traditional fish head curry only this was a little tangier (from the tomato). I love how they made it not spicy hence people who can't opt for spicy food could enjoy this amazing dish. The fish was very smooth, soft and perfectly cooked. MUST ORDER!

Wood Oven Grilled Pork Cutlet Marinated in Soy Clove Honey Butter and Served with Watermelon Picked Radish
IDR 180k
Hands down, THE WINNING DISH! First of all, I am not pork biased even though I love pork so freaking much but once you try it, you'll understand why I chose this as the winning dish of the night! The pork meat was very tender, juicy, smooth and simply cooked perfectly on a good temperature. I believe the marination process was done perfectly because the seasoning felt rich and good on the meat. The most amazing part must be the uber juicy fats, and that's the ultimate reason why I can't stop munching!!!

The watermelon pickle was good but not my favorite.

The dessert was another complimentary but it's currently off the menu so I couldn't give you information about the naming and the price!
Bread Pudding with Raisins and Vanilla ice cream
The bread pudding was moist, tasty and flavorful (almost custard like) but for me, most importantly didn't taste milky and proceed to make me feel bloating. The sweetness was modest and perfectly balanced.

Passionfruit tart
The custard tasted like meringue and starting from the consistency to the flavor, everything was nicely executed. The tart pie was crispy and hard.

Cheese cake (something-something :p)
Again, didn't try this because it had cheese in it, my friend told me it was quite milky with smooth texture.

Overall, I had a pleasant visit to Hujan Locale, and again proven that everytime Will comes up with something, it must be either very good or simply brilliant. For my standard, Hujan Locale is already very good, but if you ask me to compare it with the other establishments, then I frankly say that I love them more, especially E&O. The portion here in Hujan Locale was not as big as E&O in my opinion and since they have pretty much the same concept, I think they should add up the portion.

Hujan Locale
Jl. Sri Wedari 5
Ubud, Bali
0361 894 3092
Opening Hours:
CURRENTLY ONLY FOR DINNER: 6 PM - 11 PM
SOON -> 12 PM - 11 PM
Pricing: $$$, IDR 700k for two
Dresscode: Sporty Casual
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Map for Seniman Coffee (just near it)

THE STONES HOTEL LEGIAN BALI: HOTEL REVIEW

I can't believe that it has been one freaking month since my last Bali trip. Indeed time flies and I am just stuck in between having my soul there while my body's here and looking back the old photos and all the calories that I have consumed, damn I ate so much in Bali I always gain more pounds everytime I got back, not to mention I spent one week there. It was fun but I might have to start considering gym right now ._.

One of the highlights of that trip was staying at this gorgeous hotel called The Stones. I stayed the whole week in Legian and I spent the longest here (about three nights). The location was very strategic as it's located at the heart of Kuta and Legian beach, just where most of the tourists go. It's a walking distance to the Beachwalk Shopping Mall.

This hotel is relatively new comparing to the other more 'legendary' names in Legian, this year and actually this month marks its two year anniversary (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) and I was fortunate enough to have the experience of staying here and pampered myself with what they had in store, and here I am sharing it to you right now. The Stones is actually one of Marriott's group venture called "The Autograph Collection" so basically it's a five-star property, only the concept, the ambiance and the energy of this hotel are slightly different than the rest of the Marriott hotels which mostly are more classy and serious, well this hotel is classy, but different kind of classy: FUN CLASSY!

Likewise, this post is going to be photo heavy so complain less and enjoy the visual tour <3.

The entrance to the hotel. Unexpected enough, before actually getting to the hotel you'd have to pass some of the retail outlets.

The lobby area

The check-in was very smooth and easy. It took me probably less than 10 minutes to complete everything and being escorted to my room. What's even better than I got served these welcome goodies! Their homemade popsicles and it was pretty tasty and refreshing! So far I'm impressed.

I don't know if it's just me who's lacking of experience but it was clearly not my usual idea to have the bathroom area welcoming me as I opened the door. The bathroom area was not exactly spacious, just standard typical with separated shower and toilet area, private sink for one and a closet. The rest area (bed area) consist of one comfortable king size bed, iPhone/iPod speaker dock, telephones, large LED TV with access to the international channels (I LOVE HOTELS WITH ACCESS TO E CHANNEL AND ASIAN FOOD CHANNEL!!!) and a little working area in the corner with a table and a chair, but the best thing about the whole room was: the access to the pool view via the terrace while having your private bathtub time (yes, their bathtub is located outdoor). The upside was totally having the pool view and it's unique because I personally have always been a fan of outdoor bathtub, but the downside is that your "neighbors" might see you, but it's okay for the thick-skinned. However, they also provide curtains for privacy.

Curtains closed means it's time for me and only me.

I appreciate hotels that actually supply bath salts. Why don't all five star hotels do this?

Eye pampered! Bali was seriously flirting with me.

Postcard perfect!

Massive pool they got there! Funny thing is that I don't like and probably will never swim in public, the thing is I'm just not used to do the communal swim. I like my own private bath tub time or private pool.

Room complimentary, but to be honest I didn't have so much of these because I got a little stressed out and worried remembering how much I ate throughout the week and four days staying in The Stones equals to finishing a can of Yupi bears and one diet coke.

Yupi bear

Chupachups <3. I've always been a fan of their cola candy!

Time to jump in!

Decided to stroll around the pool and tour the hotel. The more I toured the hotel the more I feel like I was in W hotel, which is good because W Bali is one of my favorite hotels ever, it's nice to have that slight touch of W's ambiance in Legian.

The poolside bar

Fresh mocktails for me as complimentary from the hotel! Thank you so much!

This one was the most unique in presentation because they used the pineapple as the glass, the beverage was very refreshing with a little hint of sour.

This will be on the upcoming post! Publishing it very berry soon!

I was quite hungry but I wasn't in the mood and lazy enough to go out and eat somewhere, and not forgetting the fact that I was alone made me lost my will! So I decided to order the room service! As you can see, I think the presentation was very cute! They actually use the take out boxes (which until now I still find it fashionably and attractively delicious) and delivered by the room service staff dressed in delivery guy costume, I think more restaurants should apply this to theirs! I ordered their The Stones Nasi Goreng (IDR 99k) and it was very good and I did ask for the spicy one. The portion was quite big and came with chicken skewer, sunny side up, pickles, fried chicken, and crackers! Wasn't care about being sinful late night I bet my tummy was laughing very hard that night and pretty much ended the day watching cable TV and slept the night peacefully.

 I am going to do a separate post on the restaurant and food review because they deserve one freaking good post! Generally I super duper love the breakfast I think it's one of the best hotel breakfasts I've tried...ever! Just so you know, The Stones has three restaurants under the roof: The Stones Kitchen (photo below) where I had my breakfast and lunch among my stay, Big Fish bar & Grill and The Long Rice Table.

Teasers of the upcoming post!

I had bliss and fun staying in The Stones. I must say that generally they're good. The service was awesome and I love how the staffs were really helpful and attentive. You know, I love to test out the services to see how fast and attentive they were and The Stones' staff managed to pass my standard MWAHAHA, if they're bad I'm still going to point this out because this post is a bloody review. It took less than 30 minutes for my meals to be cooked and delivered to my room and when they came, still very warm, hence they're tasty and flavorful. When I asked for extra bath gel they delivered me two bottles in less than 10 minutes. Not only that, I also adore the smiley staffs around the hotel and always greeted me in a very proper and polite way (NOT POINTING MYSELF TO BE PRINCE LIKE OKAY). I don't think I have any downside to share about this hotel, the only thing I didn't like was the array of retail outlets that I have to walk through before reaching the hotel. Somehow it cheapen the look of the hotel and made it appear less-exclusive. Other than that, everything is completely fine!

Thank you for the beautiful 4 days stay! I couldn't wait to go back here, or at least to have scrumptious breakfast and lunch at The Stones Kitchen! Till we meet again!

Thanks for reading guys, if you have any questions please feel free to drop them in the comment box!

Ah, how I miss waking up lazy, stress-less and free from any pressure! Couldn't seem to find it in Jakarta :"(.

The Stones Hotel, Autograph Collection
Jalan Raya Pantai Kuta
Banjar Legian Kelod, Indonesia 80361
0361 - 300 5888
Pricing: $$$
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

FIND ME HERE

FACEBOOK || TWITTER || INSTAGRAM || GOOGLE+

email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com 

Map for The Stones Hotel - Autograph Collection