Char Char Bar & Grill – May 20, 2016

Located on Oberoi, Char Char stands out in more ways than one.
Char Char is one of those restaurants that tries to be a lot of different things at once and actually succeeds in all of those things. It’s a BBQ grill, Mongolian grill, and typical a la carte restaurant with various seating options that are all equally awesome.

The first thing you notice about Char Char are the bleachers out front that allow you to people watch on the pedestrian heavy Jalan Oberoi. It’s like stadium seating but the attraction is the street below. Other seating options include the top floor where you dine under the moon and stars. It also contains the Mongolian grill and a selection of BBQ meats and seafood to choose from. For more conventional seating, go downstairs. It’s excellent during a hot day with a big row of AC units blowing gloriously cool air into the dining space – also no smoking.
Char Char’s architecture is also unique with hexagonal patterns and glass windows through the floor. The way they utilize lighting is excellent and makes an otherwise large capacity restaurant somehow feel very intimate.

We started it off with a Mango and Crab Salad (45k) which was a Thai mango salad topped with a crispy fired soft shell crab with Julienne vegetables. The crab was both juicy and crunchy at the same time and the mango salad was excellently tangy without too much spice. We also worked up our appetites with the Rosemary Skewer Scallop (68k), it was essentially grilled scallops wrapped in bacon with arugula on the side. Bacon and scallops can never fail the palate and the arugula was nicely presented in a cylinder of crispy fried cheese which was a cool touch.

For mains, we had the Char-Laksa (65k), fresh noodles in spicy coconut gravy served with grilled prawns and fresh clams, bean curd, and egg. It had the perfect creamy texture and was super savory. We highly recommend this dish. Char Char also has an excellent BBQ selection with nice cuts of meat and fresh fish caught daily. The fish of the day while we were there was the red snapper which was a Whole Fish (105k) option at the grill. You can mix and match different sides and sauces and we had it with mashed potatoes, garlic butter, sambal, and steamed vegetables. Their Mongolian grill is also amazing. They cook it live on the top floor. We had the Duck Noodle (65K), stir-fried duck meat with assorted vegetables and noodle in dark sauce. It was solid.

To cap off the meal, we went with the Banana Crumble (45K), caramelized banana with almond crumble in fillo parcel, chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was the a nice way to indulge the end of a fine meal in the most gratuitous way.

For cocktails, you got to have a look at their Candy Floss Cocktails (45k). It’s cranberry juice, strawberry, lime, triple sec, vodka, and a ton of cotton candy. It’s like a candy afro on a drink. Totally cool, totally unique.
Char Char is a great option with a little something for everyone. Their unique, varied seating options and diverse menu means that you’ll satisfy everyone in your party for both lunch and dinner. The price point is one of the best values in the Oberoi area and you should check it out for yourself ASAP.
Char Char Bar & Grill
Jl. Kayu Aya, Oberoi-Seminyak, Kuta, Bali 80361
T. 738720