Char Char Bar & Grill – December 14, 2016

Already a firm favourite on the famous Eat Street of Jalan Oberoi, Char Char Bar & Grill packs in the punters every day of the week for lunch, dinner and pre-club drinks.

The first thing you notice about Char Char are the huge stadium-style bleacher seats overlooking the street. Elevating people watching to new heights, the large tiered benches with neat cocktail tables built-in are a fantastic spotspot to watch the world go by, while swigging on a refreshing pre-dinner beverage. Beers are the obvious choice, but for something a little more flamboyant, have a go at their famous Cotton Candy Cocktail (55k+). At first glance, the huge stick of pink cotton candy sticking out the top looks like a drink for kids, but underneath lies a very grown up mix of vodka, triple sec and cranberry juice. When you’ve worked up a suitable hunger, step inside and choose between the airy downstairs restaurant space, or head up to a vast open-top terrace that gives a sky-wide view and a great feeling of space.

Char Char follows in the footsteps of its sister restaurants of Rumours and Ultimo, with beyond-reasonable prices, excellent food choice and super friendly service. The trendy design-led space adds an extra dimension to the experience – all geometric patterns and clean décor with great little touches like huge ceramic pots and eye-catching latticework. Swing by on any given day and you’ll find the rooftop area a hive of activity, with the open kitchen, salad bar and Mongolian grill all creating a fantastic buzzy atmosphere, but head downstairs and you’ll discover the newest addition to Char Char’s culinary lineup. A number of handpicked items from across Char Char’s extensive menus can now be ordered and cooked right in front of your eyes. Known as a ‘gueridon’, the mobile cooking station means you can watch the talented chefs whip up your meal tableside for a truly bespoke dining experience.

A friend and I are lucky enough to get one of the first goes at the new gueridon, and waste no time getting the full recommendations of the knowledgeable wait staff. For our starter, we split a plate of the thinly sliced Angus Beef Carpaccio (95k+). The meat is butter soft and tastes incredible, drizzled with a sake mirin glaze and smoked soy sauce. For my main I try out the Entrecote Gorgonzola (150k+), which has to be one of the most succulent steaks I can remember – perfectly matched with a flavoursome yet light gorgonzola sauce. However, it’s the Capellini Vongole (95k+) that provides the best show, as our chef flambés the clams in white wine before mixing them up in a bowl of fresh homemade angle hair pasta. To finish things off on a sweet note, we check out the Sambuca Bombe Alaska (55k+) – an orange and chocolate ice cream smothered with toast meringue, which is duly doused in Sambuca and set alight like a tropical Christmas pudding. The result is a wicked muddle of caramelised gooey-ness that ends with a very clean well-scraped plate.


If you’re after something different for your next dining experience, Char Char’s gueridon is really a cool culinary experience.
Dan Ashcroft


Char Char Bar & Grill
Jl. Kayu Aya
738720 | www.balinesia.co.id