Bali & Spice

It’s quite large portion for RM33. Spices are good and rice is fragrant!

Located in the low-key Da Men Mall, Bali & Spice sports enough greenery and quiet to offer a relaxing respite to city crawlers. Head down here for a long, laidback lunch with a few friends. Balinese cuisine tends to run heavy on meats, and you can expect to have the pick of the litter here. In fact, their bestseller is a Balinese Trio (RM49) made up of grilled chicken wings, meat skewers and deep-fried squid. Look out for the spot-on side sauces of sambal matah (shallots and lemongrass relish) and sambal terasi (spicy sambal). Tastemaker Alyssia also vouches for the Iga Mepanggang (RM45), beef ribs charbroiled with coconut and palm sugar, which she loves for the charred edges. The bountiful platter comes with a side of rice, sambal sauces as well as a tamarind peanut sauce. For a sweet ending, try the Pisang Bakar (RM13) that sees the age-old combination of caramelised bananas with vanilla ice cream.
Avg price per person: RM40
Recommended for 6-10 pax
Photo by Burppler Alex Leong

Got in touch (yet again) with my Indonesian side the other night when I went to Bali & Spice. I do enjoy Indonesian food occasionally. Not to say that I don't, but I don't have it on a regular basis, though it's almost always good when I do.

That being said, I love my tempe, I do. Loves it. During my visit here, I had the Siap Megoreng. I had the Siap Mepanggang in Ole Ole Bali before, which I enjoyed, and I enjoyed this too, but I thought I should have taken something different.

Yes, they are the same as Ole Ole Bali. In fact, a fellow Tastemaker (hi Alyssia! @alyssia for her reviews) told me that Bali & Spice was originally called Waterlily, and they were located in Tropicana. You could see that the menu was about the same if not exactly the same. I don't know their menu by heart so I wouldn't be able to tell.

I wasn't that hungry, but man, I polished it off. Well, close to polishing it off. I had to show some manners to my fellow dining mates 😂 but good fried half chicken marinated with lemongrass. Served with tempe and yellow rice, I assumed turmeric, though I may be wrong. And sambal terasi! Not too sure what it is, but it's almost always there at Indonesian restaurants.

Try the other dishes like the lamb stuff and pasta too, heard it's good. Guess who will be paying another (one or two or more) visit(s)! 😋

USJ finally gets its own haven for Balinese cuisine in Da Men Mall. Like its sister restaurants, Bali & Spice is suited for communal dining and particularly for those looking to feast. Dig into a Balinese Fried Squid Salad (RM21), a tangy snack to get your appetite going for the monstrous portion of Kambing Bakar (RM35). Most dishes here have a distinctive hint of spiciness and the best cure would be a smooth Kopi Apokat (RM15), blended avocado and gula melaka that comes with a shot of espresso on the side.
Avg Price: RM45

Iga mepanggang which translate into BBQ ribs.

A charboiled coconut and palm sugar beef ribs served with a tamarind peanut sauce.

I love the sweet beef ribs come with the charred edges which turned out to be very flavorful 😍

Kopi Apokat. Fresh avocado blended with palm sugar syrup paired with cup of espresso.

This drink remind me of my trip to Indonesia sometimes ago, the jus alpukat that widely available at most of the restaurant.

Interesting rich and creamy avocado combine with espresso. The combination do taste like the childhood sweets "kopiko".