Lanai Review 2

We finally returned to Lanai (Jalan Double Six Legian, Kuta) after many, many unforseen delays (first was CNY, then family gather, then road closed, etc.). We actually went to Lanai on the third day of its reopening back in December, but the food wasn't that great. The menu was still intact, but taste of the many of the dishes was off. For example, the salmon with risotto was so salty that even Sulis who's an Indonesian thought was salty (and Indonesians LOVE their food salty). Even the seared tuna, which I considered as one of their signature dish, wasn't perfect (too soggy). The owner apologized profusely about the food and asked for our honest opinions on the food because she cared just as much if not more about the food than us. We figured that we would give the restaurant another chance because we knew how great the food was before the accident. We thought the quality of the food was due to the new staff needing training and getting use to the kitchen/new equiptment. Since the owner is so passionate about her menu, we were sure that things will be much better.

Last night we were back at Lanai. The menu was still more or less the same, but we did notice some changes, like the salmon with risotto that we ordered the last time. It turned out the reason was that the restaurant had a hard time getting salmon. Salmon is not found in the sea surrounding Indonesia so the fish is imported... At least the seared ahi tuna was still in the starter section. We ordered a bunch of different things and shared so we could sample a bit of everything. The seared ahi tuna was of course the first thing we ordered. We also got the "killer nachoes," Philly cheesesteak sandwich, Lanai beach pizza, seefood bouillabaiss, and lasagna al forno. The service was prompt and the food came out fairly quickily.

The seard ahi tuna with green beans and wasabi was perfect again. The tuna was firm yet juicy, and the taste was just the same as pre-fire. Nachos were nice with lots of toppings (baked beans, sour cream, good salsa, cheese, etc.). The seafood pizza had good amount of toppings (like shrimp, bits of chicken, veggies), but since I'm not a big fan of seafood I'm not the person to judge that dish. It was very cheesy and the crust was nice, two things that I look for in pizza that are not found often here in Bali. Seafood bouillabaiss was tomato soup with large quantity of seafood (like shrimp and fish). The sourness of the soup complemented the seafood chunks quite nicely. The steak sandwich isn't genuine Philly cheesesteak, but, hey, I know what a good cheesesteak tastes like. The meat, cheese, and onion filling was not bad, but Lexo didn't like the bread the sandwich came in. I still think the best cheesesteak hoagie (not Philly though) is still at Broadway Cafe in Ann Arbor, but that's because the meat is bugulgi. Lasagna was cheesy and meaty and seemed to have bachmael sauce as base. It had a good flavor, but I like my own lasagna. Wid thinks that my lasagna is better than all the restaurants here. Hehehe.

For dessert we got white chocolate mousse, tiramisu slice, and creme brulee. Wid loved the white chocolate mousse and I think it tasted the same as pre-accident Lanai. Sulis thought the tiramisu tasted just like the one she got at another place in Bali. She thought it had more cream than she liked, and I guess the best tiramisu she's had is still in Australia. I guess the search goes on for her. My creme brulee was green and the flavor was different from the usual creme brulee because of some sort of sugar they used as flavoring? Even though it's different from my favorite creme brulee (creme brulee topped with fresh fruits from La Dolce Vita in Ann Arbor), the taste is still quite nice and I do like the creamy texture. Plus they did a good job caramelizing the sugar.

In the end the whole meal for the four of us cost 404,800 rp including the 10% tax and service (not making up this number). I thought the price is quite reasonable considering how much food we ordered for the four of us. I think we will finally be able to bring Wid's parents to here. Let's just hope nothing diasterous will happen to the place.

Only thing bad with last night (and it's no fault of the restaurant in anyway) was being accosted by a bum/old man thug pretending to be parking attendant. He tried to get us to give him money, but like a scrawny old man ripping our parking stub and rambling incoherently is going to intimidate us.