As long-time travellers to Bali, pre COVID, Indonesian cuisine is fondly remembered, from prawn fritters at scruffy warungs to Michelin-starred wonders at Chris Salans legendary Mozaic in Ubud.
Chinta, a Hindu word, has many connotations but the one I choose that fits this café best is reflection.
And from the moment you walk in it appears chaotic. But it's more the decor than the people.
Part Café, part gift shop, it’s an eye gouging mixture of faux Balinese knick-knacks but the staff are smooth, calm (the place was packed) and friendly. We were three and thankfully our table was nicely tucked away at the back, next to the, uh, gift shop.
Despite being full to the rafters, literally, we could still hear each other, and we marvelled at the drinks menu – gin, gin and more gin.
And who were we to deny current bevvie trends – the Uber Blonde opted for a Spanish Style G&T i.e. double the gin and tonic and add fruit or herbs depending on your choice. Her choice, the Beefeater pink, came in a tall, two-hander glass in which you could easily bathe a baby.
The Engineer and I decided on a Gin Pot for two – served in an elegant antique silver teapot. Both drinks were on the mark.
The menu reflects the café ethos, see Gordon Street Garage et al, from breakfast fare through to mains and desert.
And it’s a safe, familiar set of offerings for those who have regularly dined in Seminyak, Legian or Kuta – Nasi Campur, Beef Rendang, Nasi Goreng etc. Good food and long remembered flavours and favourites.
We chose the Honey Roast Pumpkin + Chickpea Salad (21), Chilli Crab Linguine (28) and the Gado Gado (19).
The Blonde was still swimming in her bucket of gin, so I ordered a glass of the Taglia Pinot Grigio (11) from Fruili, taut and tart, perfect for what was coming.
It was a small table and when the food arrived it became postage stamp size. Fabulous looking meals, perfectly presented in large, and I mean LARGE, format plates.
And the flavours were spot on, the Gado Gado in particular – a multi layered, deep bowl of vegetables paired with a bomb of a peanut sauce dressing.
The chilli crab linguine was a masterclass in flavours. Perfectly cooked pasta and a blast of fiery chilli that in no way masked the sweet crab meat. A superb dish.
The delicious chickpea hummus that underpinned the honey roast pumpkin salad, totally stole the dish.
A word of caution, this food is served large and over ordering is quite easy, as we discovered. So, it was more eagerness to try the food than contemplating how much we would leave.
Bookings are essential.
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