If you are looking for a romantic spot for sunset that leads into a delicious dinner, Moonlite at the Anantara hotel is a superb option. The open-air venue is situated on 66 Beach and offers panoramic views of the Indian ocean, alongside a trendy bar-lounge with an extensive selection of traditional, classic and modern beverages to pair with the incredible Bali sunset. Chill out to their nightly live music and DJs on the deck, under the stars and prepare yourself for a feast, because you’ll want to stick around for dinner!
Their menu includes all types of dishes from Asia, cooked to perfection from their open kitchen on the rooftop. The kitchen opens from 4.30pm to 11pm, offering modern cooking methods and beloved, traditional flavours for anyone wanting to enjoy a taste of the Asian palate. My partner and I were feeling quite carnivorous, so we opted for some of the wilder options on the menu.
Before ordering, we enjoyed some beers whilst watching the surfers enjoy the last of the waves before dark, I was feeling a bit naughty and ordered one of their signature cocktails – the Citrus Sensation (125K). A refreshing, not too sweet marriage of gin and lemon, orange, lime and strawberry. The perfect palate cleanse before our Mixed BBQ Platter (198k).
We couldn’t have started with a better plate – roasted duck, soy sauce chicken, crispy pork belly and char siew pork. The meats came with tortillas and some leafy condiments, for a DIY session of Asian tacos. We moved on to another exciting dish, this time something from their newly presented Indonesian menu and something that I actually hadn’t tried before – the Nasi Bakar Beef Rendang (95k), constructed of rice and beef, I would call this dish an Indonesian rendang burrito even though it is nothing like a burrito. We cut into the centre of the rice and an oozing beef rendang showed itself and tasted delicious, quite a stand-out dish!
For the mains, we wanted something to share, because who doesn’t share food when you’re on a date!? Moonlite’s pièce de résistance is the Pork Knuckle (295k). A grandiose knuckle with tender meat that falls right off the bone! Recommended for the meat-lovers out there. We paired it with the Long Beans, Sichuan Bacon & Garlic (49k) to make sure we had some greens and felt more than satisfied!
Except we are dessert addicts… and couldn’t leave before trying the Alaska Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ice Cream (88k). A combination of chocolate ice cream cake and flambéed meringue that really caught our eye. We left feeling happy with our choices and thanked the Moonlite staff for yet another great Date for 2.
