Karen turning the Big 3-0!

It's my 30th birthday and what better way to spend it than with my family back in Malaysia. We celebrated at a restaurant called Ole Ole Bali at Solaris Mont Kiara www.ole-olebali.com

The Balinese themed restaurant serves a mixture of authentic Balinese and western cuisine. Of course, we were there for the Balinese meal, as i felt that the western food seemed out of place in this restaurant. Environment wise, the ambiance is laid back and the interior is beautifully decorated with balinese style furniture, plush cushions, buddha artifiacts and Balinese handicrafts - the perfect environment to settle in for a scrumptious meal.

Firstly, we started with a jug of refreshing barley lime drink (RM35). Each glass even came with a nice touch of folded pandan leaf.

For the entree, we ordered the Combination Ole Ole Trio (RM38) to share. This consisted of grilled minced seafood paste wrapped around lemongrass stalks (sate lilit), grilled chicken wings and fried calamari (cumi-cumi goreng). This starter is accompanied by three side sauces that perfectly complimented each meat. I especially love the seafood lemongrass skewers which are a burst of flavour and is by far the highlight of this dish for me.

For my main, i ordered the Nasi Campur Be Pasih which consisted of Balinese grilled lemongrass prawns, squid, fish fillet and coconut cracker presented on a banana leaf. The fish was tender and I absolutely loved the side sauces which were flavourful. The prawns however could have been crunchier.

It is said that there is always room for desserts as they go to a different compartment in the stomach, but with the large servings that night, there was absolutely no available room left. This was quite a shame as the dessert and cocktail menu looked fabulous.

From left to right: Mum, sister, brother-in-law, me, nephew, Andy

After the big meal, we sat around for a chat, sang a birthday song and i blew out that one candle on my ice-cream birthday 'cake'. Thankfully, my nephew was able to help finish my chocolate ice-cream as there was no way that I can fit any more food in my belly! By the end of the night, we all rolled home full and contented.

Now, i can't wait to someday visit Bali and compare this experience to their local cuisine!