At Balagan Resto & Lounge Bar in Bali, there are five dishes that stand out — the kind of things that make you understand why people come back. Here is what to order on your first visit, and why.
1. Chicken Cutlets with Mashed Potato
1. Chicken Cutlets with Mashed Potato
This is comfort food done right. Balagan's chicken cutlets are the kind of dish that does not need to announce itself — it just delivers. Juicy, properly seasoned meat with a golden crust, served alongside smooth mashed potato that does the job without fuss. It is the dish you order when you want something satisfying and familiar, made with real care.
In Bali, where menus often skew towards the exotic, a properly made kotleta with good mash is quietly impressive. This one earns its place on the menu.
2. Tuna Steak with Sweet Potato Purée and Spinach in Coconut Sauce
In Bali, where menus often skew towards the exotic, a properly made kotleta with good mash is quietly impressive. This one earns its place on the menu.
2. Tuna Steak with Sweet Potato Purée and Spinach in Coconut Sauce
If the cutlets are comfort, the tuna steak is something more considered. A well-cooked piece of fresh tuna served with sweet potato purée and spinach finished in a coconut sauce — the combination is elegant without being overwrought.
The coconut sauce is the thing that ties it together. It brings a richness that complements both the fish and the earthy sweetness of the purée, without tipping into heaviness. This is the dish to order if you want something lighter that still feels like a proper meal.
3. Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza
The coconut sauce is the thing that ties it together. It brings a richness that complements both the fish and the earthy sweetness of the purée, without tipping into heaviness. This is the dish to order if you want something lighter that still feels like a proper meal.
3. Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza
This pizza earns a conversation every time it arrives at the table. Ripe pear and sharp gorgonzola on a properly made base — it sounds like a risk and it delivers. The sweetness of the pear against the funk of the gorgonzola is a classic combination that only works when the base is good enough to let the toppings shine.
Balagan's version does not disappoint. It is one of the better pizzas in Bali, and one of the most interesting combinations on the menu. Order it to share if you want a moment at the table.
4. Handmade Syrniki
Balagan's version does not disappoint. It is one of the better pizzas in Bali, and one of the most interesting combinations on the menu. Order it to share if you want a moment at the table.
4. Handmade Syrniki
Syrniki — Russian cottage cheese pancakes — made from Balagan's own cottage cheese, shaped by hand in the kitchen. The result is something noticeably different from the pre-made version you find in most places: a texture that is soft and light, a flavour that is clean and slightly tangy, served with sour cream and jam.
These are the syrniki to order for breakfast, or as a dessert, or both. Once you have tried them made properly, the packaged version is hard to go back to.
5. Ribeye Steak
These are the syrniki to order for breakfast, or as a dessert, or both. Once you have tried them made properly, the packaged version is hard to go back to.
5. Ribeye Steak
The ribeye is the most straightforward dish on this list and arguably the most important. A good ribeye tells you everything you need to know about a kitchen — the sourcing, the temperature control, the resting time. Balagan's ribeye is cooked properly: a good sear, the right internal temperature, rested before it reaches the table.
Pair it with a glass of red and something on the side, and it is the kind of meal that turns a dinner reservation into an evening you remember.
Pair it with a glass of red and something on the side, and it is the kind of meal that turns a dinner reservation into an evening you remember.