Galanga — Restaurant in Kecamatan Abang

Galanga is probably the unique "gastronomic" restaurant in Amed. The French chef named it perfectly: fusion cuisine: all the typical flavors are idealy combined with a French touch that makes each option singular in flavor, taste, texture... all with reasonnable prices for the high quality cuisine offered. The restaurant is named after a local plant.

For seating, 2 options: usual bamboo tables or in the garden, which is composed of 5 or 6 little hunts, where 4 to 5 people car share a meal in a traditional balinese seating. There is a fan in each and a button to call for a waiter. Absolutely wonderful.

The menu is riched in options and will satisfy vegetarians as well. Mocktails, in particular the traditional jamu made of tumeric is a delight. Cocktails are also in the menu in two options: regular alcool or local arak, made of palm and available in 4 different flavors. You must try a shot, we found it not that strong and very nice. They also have kombucha from time to time: snake fruit is really the best one! There are plenty of appetizers, the spring rolls (tofu or shrimps were our favorites, the jackfruit nuggets our 2nd best. For the main meal, we loved 2 in particular: ayam opor is a must and belayag tlengis a nice mix of crushy and smooth textures 😍 There are 4 sides, the sweet potatoes were our favorite, but rice is to try as it comes with a mini soup and jackfruit. There is an indian flatbread that goes well with the main cooked in banana leave. Finally the choice of desserts is wow... if you want to try a pancake that has nothing to do with commercial flour things... try the winkgo batbat made of coconut, cassava and served with local mango jam. The kolak is an interesting option if you like coconut milk. The crème brûlée has the local flavour of the egg yolks from kind of wild chicken here (they wonder all day in the nature 😎). They do offer suggestions and they were really flavory as well. We remember the breadfruit puffs and the fish wish green mango.

Service is spot on and helpful with the menu options. Each table is offered a welcome drink and snack (shot of jamu and homemade cracker) with complimentary drinking water. Personnel speak and understand perfectly English 🙏 We ate there multiple times during our 2-week stay in Amed and the quality is steady which is a good sign. It can be full in the evening so we recommend you make reservation by call. You can pay by card which is not often available in Amed. We ordered once takeaway and it was really good and well packed.

To wrap up, Galanga became our cantine during our stay in Amed, just a bit outside of the main Amed where most of the restaurants are and it is worth trying is you want to experience the best of balinese flavors and indulge yourself with...

I just love the story behind this restaurant. A French chef named Laura came to Bali and met a local Amed fisherman, Jati. Together, they created this fusion restaurant using only naturally sourced ingredients. Their fresh vegetables are washed in mineral water. Ice cubes are made from mineral water, too. Local coconut oil is used to fry food. They serve freshly caught, local fish. And their straws are made from bamboo.

There are not too many restaurants around Amed. I was surprised to be asked if we had a reservation. We didn’t and it was not a problem. We were led to their bungalow seating which had a nice bottle of mosquito repellant waiting for us on the table. Along with a very, friendly cat. Clearly belongs to the owners because this cat had a collar, and was used to strangers invading her space.

As you are seated, welcome shots made with herbs such as ginger, are handed to you. These got our stomachs prepared for the delicious meal we devoured. They are not kidding when they mention ‘save room for dessert.’ I had no room for dessert and will have to come back to try out their homemade ice-cream.

For starters, the non-veggie platter was more than enough food. Fried corn meal, 2 veggie samosas, 2 chicken samosas and 2 chicken wings were served on banana leaves in a rattan bowl, accompanied by fresh tomato, cucumber and dipping sauces - A mustard mayo, dill mayo and balinese sambal. Nice and crispy, warm samosas. Matt ended up ordering more samosas because they were that good.

We tried a bottle of wine. Their Bali Pinot Noir was more like a port wine. 350ml for 250,000 rp. I drank a couple sips and we poured the rest back in the bottle to take home for later. It was way, too sweet.

For the fish of the day plate, I chose tuna and sweet potato fries. The fries were super thick cut and breaded. Matt thought it was the tuna at first! But the tuna was covered deep with a coconut curry sauce.

Their chicken plate came in a soup bowl, delicious in flavors. We chose the coconut rice to accompany.

At the end of the meal they ask you to fill out a survey about your...

I am only reviewing one vegan dish off this menu. Ordered the vegan main course "Belayag Tlengis". I take full responsibility for not asking for a more detailed description and to see a photo. The description on the menu made me think that it was something else entirely but again that's my own fault for not asking more questions. "Belayag Tlengis" is comprised of 4 small cooked rice cakes in a bowl with a yellow coconut broth poured over (think fresh cooked rice formed into mini hockey pucks). On top there are a few tomato tempe sticks, small pile 1/4 toothpick sized fried potato strings (think more like bits of crispy fried onion as a garnish), the small amount of "fried black beans" are more like eating hard roasted peanuts (I mean it when I say they were hard) there was also a little splash of shredded coconut, one red chili and lime leaf. The best tasting thing from this dish was the accompanying mushroom pate which was well seasoned and resting on the side of the bowl out of the broth. The sauce was not thick so this was more of soup for me and I found it underwhelming. It was like a weak thin curry. If I were to do it again I would have just ordered one of the other vegan dishes that are labeled as curry with a side of rice (that is if I wanted curry). I had 3 sides of sambal which helped make it a bit more interesting. Also to mention the dish is quite small. (I am a skinny runner and do not eat very much so I am not being greedy..). It's a BEAUTIFUL dish but was not a fan of the texture and flavor. I am strictly plant based - lived in Indonesia for 5 months in 2019 and currently have been living in SE. Asia for 9 months this year. All the dishes I saw coming out of the kitchen looked top notch! The staff was incredibly welcoming and kind! Amazing there are so many vegan options on this menu & look forward to trying others! Oh, do not forget to send them a message on whatsapp to make a reservation. They have limited seating and the place seems to be booked...