Experiencing Bali's Luxurious Authenticity at Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa (Part 2)

Fulfilling my promise as well as answering the questions running in your mind about the restaurants in Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa, I would share my experience dining in their two most favorite restaurants; Maguro Asian Bistro and Tamarind Kitchen and Lounge, serving Asian and International cuisines respectively. Both were located next to the swimming pool and they were actually right across each other. 

Without further due, let's begin with Maguro, which has been long known as the most loved by the hotel visitors among the five. Well, who couldn't fall in love with Asian foods, especially if it was served well. Regardless the guest' nationality, it has been consistently one of the most preferred. No wonder why, the selections provided were rich enough, ranging from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and many more; suiting the liking of various taste bud. 

The venue's quite spacious, able to accommodate more than 50 people. It was a semi open-air one with the decoration of fusion Chinese and Japanese, themed with red and black. It offered the concept of casual all-day dining, serving from lunch to dinner time. 

Warm Edamame Soya Beans (IDR 35k)
Starting with light bites, we were having edamame. Wouldn't comment much on this one as it's commonly good regardless where I had it. 


Selections of Sashimi - 250g (IDR 240k)
Tiger prawns, octopus, salmon, yellow fin tuna, scallops
Eating like a Japanese, having the raw ones before the cooked ones. Slices of fresh seafood neatly lined-up on the plate. Winner of the plate was doubtlessly the scallop; great choice that I took it last ;)


Tuna Tartar (IDR 90k)
Actually, I used to hate anything raw as I felt it's kind of disgusting to have anything not well-cooked. Nonetheless, everything has changed once I stayed in Japan for 7 months. I now deeply in love with fresh and raw seafood, and tartar's one of my must-order dish every time I dined in Japanese restaurant. Knowing that Maguro served it, the chance to try it absolutely shouldn't be missed. This fresh tuna tower was a palatable one, being served with sesame seeds spring onions and lime soya dressing. Better to share with others as the portion was quite huge for common tartar size. 


Selection of Sushi - 4 types (IDR 195k)
California roll, Inari roll, Nusa Dua roll, Yasai Maki roll
The types of sushi mixed in this dish were quite general ones you could find in any restaurants selling sushi, looking at the fillings despite that some of them might be named differently. Thus I thought it's quite over-priced though the taste was okay. I expected I could have more protein at the center part of my sushi. 


King Prawn Spring Roll (IDR 95k)
Simply said, this dish was a nice surprise. We initially didn't intend to order it and it's the Marcomm who wanted to have it as light bites to hold our hunger while we're still taking pictures of the other dishes. Unexpectedly, trying the foods, these crispy spring rolls served with sweet sesame and ginger dipping sauce turned out becoming the most favorite among all dishes on the table. The giant king prawn successfully became the center of attention. Finger lickin' good!

Soft Shell Crab Tempura (IDR 95k)
Another lovable fried dish; the one which was always irresistible for me whether it's mixed with other dishes like sushi or salad, or it stood by itself. Flawless blend of texture, crunchy coating and moist content. 

Born as Asian but having a taste bud that fancies Western dishes better, the second place tickled my curiosity even more. 
Oh yeah, and before even getting on our plane to Bali, my friends and I had been 'stalking' this hotel and what it did provide to satisfy our tummy. The most popped-up pictures were the ones taken in Tamarind Kitchen and Lounge. Yes, even the hotel team did admit that Tamarind's popularity has been increasing recently, increasing the number of visitors coming daily to the venue. It was almost always fully occupied by people, both in lunch and dinner time. The Marketing Communication even had to make prior reservation for my friends and I just to ensure she could secure a spot for us having lunch there. Guess what, by the time we reached the restaurant, which actually was already quite late time for lunch, it was still very crowded, packed with people enjoying both their dishes and the panoramic sea view as it's located right next to the private beach of the hotel.

This stunning 2-storey restaurant had very unique appearance, stealing away the focus of anyone passing by. I was really astonished when I firstly knew that it's built entirely by bamboo. Seemed too amazing to be true, yet it's indeed the awesome reality. The whole design silently emphasized the natural and environmental ambiance, especially due to the location which allowed the guests to absorb the supplement for their eyes by having the meals while enjoying the sound of the seagulls.  


Roasted Tuna Linguine (IDR 130k)

Starting the feast with pasta, this aglio-olio alike one was the first to be served. The pasta was cooked al-dente and the lightly roasted tuna was palate-satisfier with its moist texture and fulfilling size. Nonetheless, the spices mixing chili, rocket, capers, lime zest, and citronette dressing; were a bit too plain for me. Giving stronger taste, this would be a perfect plate to be served. 


Lamb Souvlaky Brochette (IDR 140k)

For this colorful dish, I guessed I wasn't entitled to say a thing since I didn't have a try on it as my taste bud's lamb-intolerant. Briefly sharing, my friends who love lamb did say this Greek marinated lamb loin was good enough to be enjoyed with the Tzatziki sauce, Greek-originated dipping made of yoghurt, garlic, and cucumber. The best part of this dish, which was also the only part I could have, was the side dishes; mixed salad and french fries. The fries were awesome, 100% match to my favorite version, being thickly cut and slightly seasoned, delightful snacks to have by the beach! 


Chefs Burger Celebration

The special signature dish and the most ordered one, whose toppings might change over periods. This time they were beef patty, crispy bacon, sunny side up, cheddar cheese, and onion rings. Quite gigantic size so suitable for sharing. The patty itself was flavorful, being cooked well-done. You could still find the beautiful pink red center and have the juicy and tender texture on your palate. The yummiest part of the dish? No need to take even a single second, I could directly shout out ONION RINGS!! 


Seafood Salad

Being a foodblogger and instagrammer, my friends and I would for sure want to have the best picture on our page, which we could only get by having good-looking dish as well and actually that's the key reason we had this Seafood Salad on the table. None of us weren't having our jaws opened when the dish was firstly placed, too stunning to be true combining those beautiful colors into a single plate. Unpredictably, it was succulent combination of the fresh fish, prawn, octopus, and their friends. As always, when something good came, you would surely be happy. Let alone if that good thing came without you even expected, for sure the happiness impact would get its multiplier effect.

Dining in two of Nusa Dua Beach Hotel's most lovable restaurants, I could say that it's such a wonderful experience staying in this hotel as my friends and I were indeed treated like kings and queens. First-class service was given with high emphasis put on our privacy as the palace club guests, and I was so delighted and spoiled at the same time by this. It was such an amusing memory to remember and I would doubtlessly be very excited to have my next visit in the future *hopefully real soon!*

Taste*: 7.5/10 (*for both) 
Place: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Price: 7.5/10

Thanks for Reading! :)

NUSA DUA BEACH HOTEL AND SPA

Address: 

Kawasan BTDC Pariwisata Nusa Dua Lot. North 4, Nusa Dua, Kuta Selatan, Bali

Phone: (+62 361) 771 210
Opening Hours: Mon - Sun / 12pm - 10.30pm (Maguro) / 12pm - 00am (Tamarind)

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