Author photo.
Bale Udang Mang Engking Kuta is located on Jalan Nakula No.88, on a big roomy property that is very well designed, including a little lake (see photo). If you have a minimum order of 600,000 rupiah you can sit in one of the bungalows over the water (a reservation is also often required to ensure booking). Otherwise, you can sit next to the lake like regular folk at wooden tables. The lighting is very soft and intimate.
As you can probably infer from the name, this restaurant specializes in seafood - grilled or fried fish, prawns, squid and so forth. They have several types of sambal, and other side dishes as well - I would recommend the sambal limo or sambal hijau. It’s a bit on the pricey side by Indonesian standards, but not unreasonably so. I ordered sop kepala ikan (fish head soup) for only 55k rupiah which was very good and came with large chunks of tender fish. Overall, the quality of the food is about what you would expect for the price. The only let-down was the boiled prawns - they were criminally overcooked to a mushy consistency that rendered them inedible. But the rest was good, especially the grilled gurame.
Really, you probably come to a place like this for the ambience and the novelty of sitting out over the water. I also have to say that the service is extremely good - fast, efficient and very friendly. Even when they are crowded, you won’t be waiting around to get the server’'s attention. They are very attentive to guests, and I appreciated that. If I’m in the mood for seafood on the water, I would probably stop by again.
The parking lot is big and parking is free.
Bale Udang Mang Engking Kuta
Nakula No.88,
Kota Denpasar, Bali 80119
Price for 2: Around 600k rupiah - depending on your order
