A Bold Statement Tropicola.

If bright and bold had a name it would have to be Tropicola. With influences from Andy Warhol movie sets, Bauhaus design and the highly creative James Brown, Australian designer of Mexicola, Damaria and now their new wunderkind, Tropicola, the restaurant/beach club stands uniquely tall, proud and dazzling in the golden, afternoon sunlight.

I parked my bike out front, next to the beach, and waltzed in to meet my date. Reds, blues, yellows and whites; all the primary colours are bold, extravagant, extraordinary and full of confidence, all fitting perfectly with my date for the night. As we joked and kidded about silly things, I looked over her shoulder and around the place.

The multi-level design of the venue has created a variety of spaces to sit, dine, or party from 11am to midnight seven days a week. Tropicola is many things, but mainly, it’s about the food, the drinks, the DJs, and hanging out and splashing around the pool with a backdrop of pumping beats. Most afternoons the terraced seating on one side of the main pool is overflowing with bikini clad ladies and bronzed bodied men. It’s a fun, relaxed atmosphere for a party for sure, now let’s talk about the food.

The waiter comes to the table and hands us the menus. They look glossy and waterproof, which is ideal considering the aquatic location.

Light, Fun, Festive the menu boldly states on the glossy cover.

The Tropicola menu is indeed light, fun and festive – just as you would expect. We thought it best to share some plates and have a little bit of everything, starting with the bbq kale + mushroom, lime, seaweed salt (v) (50k). Kale is a form of cabbage for those not in the know and this was grilled with slices of king brown mushroom. Another starter was whipped goats cheese, fennel, capsicum, soft herbs, grilled walnut bread, (70k), which was another tasty vegetarian dish and we also shared a wood grilled whole fish, this one being barramundi, with leaf salad and lime (200k). You can’t beat a whole fish lightly charred, coming straight off the grill and this one was as juicy and tasty as you would ever wish to experience. There are other great comfort food options all looking awesome as they filed out of the kitchen and onto the tables around us. Steaks, burgers, many salads and even a grilled 1 kg tomahawk steak on the menu for Rp 1.2 million. Watch out, you would probably need to be sharing that chunk of delicious meat with a few friends.

Cocktails are another highlight at Tropicola and we tried a few as it was Happy Hour after all. Tasty little numbers arriving before our eyes were the Tropicolada – a tangy mix of rum, coconut and jackfruit, a local brew, Arak & Roll – arak, cold brew, cocoa and a popsicle to cool things down a little. And then the perfect drink for a couple on a date, the porn star martini – vanilla vodka, passion fruit, banana, which was ready to push me over the edge, and not just into the pool.

We finished with the perfect dessert for the situation; a banana split (60k), with milk chocolate ice cream, toasted peanuts, whipped cream and toffee sauce smothered atop. Talk about delicious!

People were still frolicking around the main pool as the sun began to sink into the Indian Ocean. The vibe was vibing and the Bali holiday feel was peaking.

Watch out for the group’s New Year’s Eve and Day party, Colafest to be held on NYE at the ever-popular Mexicola and then New Year’s Day at the beach club with the most-est, Tropicola. That’s sure to be a blasting duo for all New Year revelers this year. Tropicola comes in well recommended. [SDW]

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