El Bazar Lombok: A Tasty Journey in Kuta After Semeti

How do you decide which place to eat? Do you go to a restaurant that recommended by your friend?  Probably you type the recommended restaurant first in Google search engine box to see how it looks? Or if you are a food freak, you might directly jump into Trip Advisor for checking the reviews. Before going to El Bazar Lombok, a friend of mine keep suggesting me to try this restaurant. Then I found out it has gotten 761 reviews that make it rated as almost five stars restaurant. Some reviews say El Bazar serves good healthy food with free gluten option, yummy falafel, great service, great ambience, and provides various vegetarian menu. Some comments also mentioned the menu is small.

 

Last gloomy Friday, I finally made my time to eat at this restaurant after hunting morning ocean views around Semeti. It was about 9. 20 a.m when I reached this place. El Bazar looked a bit dark and narrow from outside. Before my step touched its main floor, a smiley woman in casual outfit welcomed me. As I walked in, I saw some staff was doing their chores in a clean open kitchen, a barista was grinding a little bowl of coffee and some chefs were preparing meals for the guests. This view shifted to a spacious corridor under crystal dimly lights where the chairs line up creating a  perspective that finally lead me to such a Moroccan living room. This space is like a cubicle. The wall is painted in Persian blue adored with two intricate patterns of Moroccan windows and a square open ceiling. The sunlight pours directly to a 180cm fountain that stands in the middle of the room. The mix of light and the water create great soft bright ambience which is excellent for philosophizing and thinking (A company of a linguist would be great). 

El Omelet

NY Style Carrot Cake

I sat on the corner. I took a menu, handed by a waiter that I almost forgot she was there, and then confidently pointed my finger to Papaya Juice, El Omelet and New York Carrot Cake Style. In the middle of my waiting I killed my time by taking picture of this Moroccan room in various modes and of a corner where a bunch of arts and mirror are hanged on the wall. Then I uploaded those pictures to my Instagram with the strong Wi-Fi connection provided. One by one the food came. I had my drink first then my main course and the cake. My omelet is different from what I usually have in some other places. El Omelet has organic asparagus, with warm pita bread and the egg is mixed with feta and fresh herbs. For my small body, the portion is pretty big but I manage to finish it all. The Carrot Cake looks yummy, the smell of cinnamons and gloves are strongly sweet. I cut and pricked the cake with my fork quickly, I could taste there are almonds in it. The taste reminds me some carrot cake that I had tried in Cheese Cake Factory. I couldn’t finish it and brought the leftover home. It is too yummy to be left.

As the short and long hand walked to the lunch time, the chairs and the benches were not empty anymore, the waiters were getting busier. One of them turned the music on. Desert music was played as the background.

Elbazar opens from 7.30 a.m to 23.00, if you plan to come to Kuta or you around South Lombok for beaches, for Batu Payung giant stone and or for cultural event Bau Nyale, make sure you drop in this restaurant. Come during brunch time if you don’t like crowd. El Bazar is located in Jl. Raya Kuta, No.5 Kuta, Central Lombok.