Dannys #525

This was really, really great and we will be back with the kids.  I need to write a poem;

Bright Lights
Busy
Filled with Oldies (it is pension day)
Massive plates
Friendly service
Outside loo (not okay)

Menu explained
Helpful waitress
Huge schnitzels (eaten by all)
Amazing dips
Avocado mashed and seasoned
tahini the best (yes a big call)

Just too yummy

Restaurant full
Buzzing
old ladies cackling (with abandon)
old men, gruff and greedy
All connecting
Service fast (and with aplomb)

Ate lamb shasliks
yummy
with 3 salads (and chips)
Israeli
Simple done well
A real find (doing back flips)

and really cheap

Rich Curry #517



Sally, Lisa, Gonzague and Matt in our pool in Seminyak

 I know lots of people like this restaurant, but Mark and I are not recommending it.  There are much better Indian restaurants out there.  I really don't like saying this, because the waiter was really, really nice and you can feel that they care about the food.  We have just had better.

It also did not help that we had just spent 2 glorious weeks in Bali eating the best food and paying nothing for it.  And the night was so cold (after the balmy weather of Bali) that I could not feel my hands.  My fingers were too cold to write or even take a photo using my annoying Blackberry.  So, this blog features Bali photos.  Sorry.



Fish Foot Massage in Seminyak - it tickled


We were served free poppadoms with a creamy, garlicky mayonnaise type sauce - not the normal green concoction, it was rather nice.

No crazy light shades here, sorry.  We saw lots in Bali though.

We had lamb in rogan josh sauce, a fish curry and goli pakoda (cauliflower in chick pea batter and "crisp fried" - which means deep fried - as you know, I am not a big fan of this type of cooking).  The curries were just too watery and not filled with a lot of protein.

Creepy dolls hang from the wall.  All a bit disturbing given the news report of young lower caste girls in India hanging in villages after being raped.  Quite off putting.



Lisa and Sally at a coffee plantation sampling coffee and tea

 I wish I was back in Bali and I could feel my fingers.

Mediteranean Greek Tavern #511

We are moving east at a rapid pace, passing the Coles, leaving the restaurant dense 300's and have hit the 500's. 

We have visited 12 restaurants since we started this journey in February.  The stats are;

1 Italian
1 "Asian Fusion"
1 Indian
3 Japanese
1 Hungarian
2 Thai
1 Korean
1 Mexican

So a nice variety with Japanese being the most represented.  Tonight was the first Greek restaurant on the strip.  And this could be any Greek tavern in the world.  Blue and white theme, TV blaring, paper tablecloths and 2 guys waiting the tables (although they do have broad Aussie accents).  Lot's of Greek families having good, honest Greek food and loud conversations.  The obligatory photos of Santorini beam down from the walls.


However, there is no whitebait or octopus on the menu which is rather un Greek Tavern like.  So we settle for the unremarkable dolmades which are definitely home made. 

This is followed by a good Greek salad with the familiar lump of feta sprinkled with herbs featured on the top.  We get free steamed potatoes covered with oil and herbs and fat kalamata olives.

The snapper (which comes out with a bonus one) is light, well seasoned and does not let us down.  Gee, they can cook fish well.  The lamb is OK, a bit tough,  but the snapper is the star tonight.

These guys know how to run a Greek restaurant, placing the load families with kids in one area and the grownups in a separate area.  They follow up on the genuine Greek restaurant experience by ensuring the toilets are crap.

However, we do get a complimentary dessert and the whole thing costs us $71. 

Recommended for no nonsense Greek fare that will appeal to people that want to go back to the 1980's and TV lovers are well catered for.  Order the seafood, drain the oil from the salad and it is a pretty healthy meal.