I finally made a trip to Bali last month and ticked an item of my bucket list! Bali is such an amazing place so full of charm and character. And it attracts all sorts of people. Some know Bali as a place with picturesque fields, revered temples and where they can find spirituality and calmness. Others flock there for the boisterous nightlife and never ending beaches. Me? I’ve come to know as a raw and vegan food paradise!
Since I was only spending 3 days there, I wanted to make sure I went to the best vegan places around. After doing some research on the internet and gathering travel tips from fellow vegan friends, I knew that one of the cafes I had to check out was Down to Earth Bali because it was much raved about. And boy was I glad I did!
DOWN TO EARTH CAFE
I visited Down to Earth’s Ubud branch and was greeted with a cheerful looking 2 storey building that houses a health food shop on the first floor and a restaurant on the second floor. Down to Earth believes in serving organic, unprocessed and ethical vegetarian gourmet food that is healthy yet delicious at the same time. Something I highly identify with as well.
I’ll start with …the Restaurant! The restaurant is spacious, airy and bright rays spill in from the balcony. It has a extremely cosy feel – woody furniture and bright, plush cushions. I like!
The menu at Down to Earth Bali is so extensive! All dishes are vegetarian and most of it are vegan and raw! They have smoothies, tonics, appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches, platters, stews , desserts etc. I wanted to order everything! Here’s what i eventually settled on :
Dragon bowl salad – which contains organic vegetables, tempeh, avocado, pomelo and alfafa over a bed of buckwheat noodles and toasted sesame dressing. This was so delicioussssssss, an explosion of flavour and freshness in your mouth. Highly recommeded!!
Another favourite I had was the Mediterranean platter – every component on this dish was fantastic and so fresh. Especially the falafels – crispy on the outside but not dry on the inside. Highly recommended! My friend (who is non-vege) was crazy over this platter and we were so inspired by this dish we are going to recreate the whole thing next week!
We also had marinated steamed trio of mushrooms – which is a simple dish but kept the sweetness and flavour of the mushrooms. yum!
We were so full but I insisted on having at least ONE dessert. So we tried the raw rolade. It was very coconut-y ,..abit too much so for my liking but still a pretty decent raw dessert.
Us looking super happy and satisfied! My friend who is non-vege LOVED the food and i couldn’t be happier.
The health food shop on the first floor provides fresh organic produce, natural house hold products, chemical free cosmetics and health foods and treats.
Needless to say…. I went abit mad! I lugged home SO MANY PRODUCTS!! Cacao butter, cacao powder, dehydrated snacks, coconut powder etc…and the prices are WAY cheaper than in Singapore! So if you have the chance to head to Bali, my advice is…stock up!
I highly recommend making a trip to Down to Earth Ubud when you visit Bali.
I was also very fortunate to be staying right across the road from Down to Earth’s Seminyak Branch, called Earth Cafe. And I happily ditched hotel breakfast for breakfast at Earth Cafe every morning!
EARTH CAFE
Both Earth Cafe and Down to Earth have the same menu but i managed to try most of the breakkie items!
Tofu omlette with sourdough bread
Fluffy Vegan pancakes!
Raw breakfast mix with coconut water and spices- I LOVED this. I bought home a few packs and have been making them for breakfast since. Super easy to DIY too.
The delicious falafels again!! with hummus
Tried an item from their raw food menu — raw nasi goreng! (or raw fried rice!) Its mainly sprouted grains with lots of chopped vegetables. Don’t be deceived by this bowl of chopped stuff- its extremely filling.
Tried their battered fried mushrooms – probably the only dish i didn’t like. too much flour too little mushrooms. 😦
I was in Vegan and raw dessert heaven!!! WEEE after standing and choosing for like…forever… i finally decided on a tofu cheesecake which DID NOT DISAPPOINT.!!!
Shall blog about a few more vegan places I visited in Bali in the next post. Can’t wait to visit Bali again….Till then!!
Down to Earth Ubud
Jl Guatama Selatan
Earth Cafe
Jalan Lasmana No.99
Oberoi, Seminyak – Bali
Eat Green Cake 