Wherever I travel I like to get to know the local cuisine and it is should be a big part of any Bali itinerary no matter how long we are staying. When we were traveling to Bali, I got really excited as I love Indonesian food. We were staying in the more touristy Nusa Dua area but I was determined to find some amazing Indonesian food – enter Pasar Senggol!

Pasar Senggol is located at the Grand Hyatt Bali and is their signature Indonesian restaurant. The restaurant is located in the centre of the hotel’s shopping village and has local vendors set up outside where you can buy locals goods and souvenirs from the night market. The restaurant is an outdoor extravaganza with lots of food stations, including live cooking stations and a celebration of Balinese culture.

The food at Pasar Senggol

The food at Pasar Senggol was outstanding. Set out in stations including live cooking stations, largely corresponding to salads, curries, satays and desserts.

But perhaps my favorite of all the stations was the cracker station. I hadn’t realized that there were so many types of cracker (only really familiar with prawn myself), and so many condiments to accompany them. I must admit that I went a little crazy at this station!

The curries at Pasar Senggol were delicious and ranged in flavor and spice levels which meant there was something for every palate. The curries were unique but had influences from all over Asia. 

My favorite dishes on offer however were the Satay and of course the Indonesian practical National Dish- Nasi Goreng which was excellent!

The dessert station was varied but I must admit to not having much room after sampling literally all of the live cooking station. However, I really appreciated the variety of local fruits on offer. While my little girl enjoyed the variety of ice creams available.

The Show at Pasar Senggol

The evening ends with a classical Balinese Show. Our show featured a traditional Balinese story with corresponding dancers.  The dance we saw was the Ramayana Dance. It is a ballet that shows the triumph of good over evil centering around Rama and his wife Sita, the classical Hindu tale. While we enjoyed the show, it perhaps was a little long for our little one but it was nice to be exposed to at least some traditional Balinese culture, especially when in a more touristy resort.

Overall

We really enjoyed our evening at Pasar Senggol and while a more expensive meal, it would be well worth the money given the variety and quality of food options and the chance to learn more about the balinese culture.