Hotel Mexicola is a trendy and unique dining place with a colorful concept serving Mexican specialties and alcohol. With such unique decorations and even various candles surrounding portraits of the deceased people, I could not help but think back to Dia de los muertos, a festival commemorating the dead in Mexico.

Unfortunately, the lighting at Hotel mexicola was really bad. We were hungry so we proceeded to the second floor of the restaurant bar for dining. It was predominantly pink lights everywhere so our photos turned out like this.

The menu is written in Spanish (which I can understand) and also in English.

We decided to order the sampling platter as recommended by the waiter. It is R250000 per person, with a minimum of two people. It contains tacos with chicken/ pork, nachos, guacamole sauce, fajitas with rice and beans, buttered corn, quesadillas, empanadas, churros etc. It was a filling platter, we ordered for two portions and shared among the three of us. I really enjoyed the guacamole dip but the nacho chips that came with it was not so crispy. The platter is a good method to sample all the various dishes without feeling very full and you can share it between more than two people.

After food, we were thirsty and decided to order a jug of Pitayita – dragon and passionfruit margarita which is one of their most popular drinks on the menu. The rim of our glasses was salted with some salt and paprika which was quite spicy for my friends. It was an interesting mix to salt the glasses. I loved the peppery taste that went well with the margarita with bits of dragonfruit. However, the drink did not have as much tequila as we would have liked. It tasted quite dilute and at R600000, it was not cheap after all.

After enjoying our share of food and drinks, we went to the first floor to join in the main party. People were dancing on tabletops and showing off their dance moves on the floor. It was quite chaotic especially being brushed by sweaty people, but the ambience here is really amazing.

The menu of the food items is shown below. Menu prices are in terms of 1000s. Overall, Mexicola has good vibes and is a nice place to hang out with your friends or to dance the night away, but beware as it would burn a hole in your pocket if you order too many drinks from them.

My second recommendation is Milk & Madu. If you are living in Seminyak or Canggu area, this cafe is a must-visit. This kid-friendly favourite has all day arts & crafts, rice field views and live music on special nights. 

It is a popular local Berawa family cafe in Canggu, Bali visited by many visitors for their hearty breakfast, well-cooked lunch and signature revolver coffees. 

For those craving for avo toast, this is the place to go to. Of course the avo toast at Mexicola is also recommended. The Madu (above) is one of the house specialties, it is a typical brunch dish served with poached eggs, bacon, avocado, relish and hollandaise sauce. The eggs were poached well and had a creamy taste, leaving me to use the toast to soak up all the richness of the yolks.

The Atlantic is also another house specialty, for those who like smoked salmon and toast. It comes with a generous slices of smoked salmon, onions, sour cream sauce, scrambled eggs on a toasted piece of bread.

For those looking for some Mexican fare, do go for the Breakfast Burrito. This dish reminds me of the one I tried in Lesotho at Semonkong Lodge. It comes with scrambled eggs, baked beans, bacon, corn salsa, cheddar cheese, avocado and sour cream. It was really filling and the soft tortilla wrap was packed to the brim with all the ingredients.

This dish looks like a salad but it is actually a breakfast item. Goat Cheese – it is a dish which contains sundried tomato pesto, confit tomatoes, rocket lettuce and the obvious goats cheese. Lovers of goats cheese should try this dish for sure.

For those trying to impress their special one, do get this organic coconut. Instead of slicing off the top the usual way, the chef actually carved a heart shape and also added ice. I like how Bali is very environmentally friendly, the cafes and restaurants on the island have pledged to use paper straws only and do not have plastic bags. It is a big initiative to conserve the environment and reduce pollution. This drink is a thirst quencher but the coconut juice did not have a sweet taste, probably diluted by the ice.

At Milk & Madu, health eating is one of their objectives, so under the menu, there is a section on Madu Bowls. This is the Madu Acai Bowl which contains various cut fruits, the ubiquitous acai berry and some muesli. When I was in Brazil, I remember having acai berries on a daily basis because it is such a healthy fruit and so affordable in Brazil.

Coffee items are under the section “beans by the brotherhood”. Being a sustainable cafe, Milk & Madu actually sources for their own coffee beans from local farmers in the area. The latte that I had had a strong taste of the coffee and also just the right amount of milk. Bali is famous for coffee and I will be going to visit the supermarket on my last day to buy some coffee beans home for my family.

If you happen to be at Milk & Madu during lunch time, do try out their items on the lunch menu. My friend could not stop raving about the pizza, so we had to give it a try. The famous cheese burger is one of the gourmet burgers served with a mini basket of fries and secret sauce that made it so tasty. It was devoured within minutes and the 100% Australian beef grilled to perfection.

This is the Falafel & Lamb big salad bowl which we ordered to share. They really know how to make the salads appetising and packed with healthy grains, together with chunks of roasted lamb bits.

This is the Choice lamb bru pizza. It has slow braised lamb, tomato, capsicum, red onion, feta cheese and fresh mint. There was a wooden oven in the outdoor area of the cafe where you can watch the chef making his own pizzas from scratch. This wood-grilled pizza tasted exceptionally delicious, with the meat complimented by the caramelised onions and the sundried tomatoes. The pizza is a good dish for sharing and the use of slow braised lamb actually enhanced the taste of this dish.

On Tuesdays and Sundays, do gather your friends down to Milk & Madu because they are offering 2 for 1 pizzas from 5pm. This is a really good promotion and you get to try two different types of pizzas for the price of one, of which you will pay for the more expensive pizza.

Overall, Milk & Madu is definitely one of the most popular cafes around the neighbourhood. There is also Satu-Satu coffee company nearby which my friend had tried and recommended to us, but we did not have enough time to go there. Canggu is definitely the place to stay in Bali if you would like to avoid the tourist crowds around Kuta or Seminyak. While it may not have the nightlife like Kuta, the cafe scene more than makes up for it and also this area is very peaceful at night.

Let’s be honest: a holiday in Bali quickly turns into the biggest intake of food you might have ever experienced during a holiday. There is no shortage of food to try in Bali, be it babi guling (roast suckling pig) to nasi padang. But if you are looking for something different to jolt those taste buds and to try out different types of coffees, then allow the various cafés in Kuta, Seminyak, Nusa Dua or Canggu bring out the creme de la creme of their countries’ cuisine to this island paradise. We have even seen Peruvian cuisine on the island but regretfully there was no time to check out that place. Bali is indeed a haven for eating, praying and loving.