LONGTIME | Modern Asian Restaurant & Bar Bali — Restaurant in Pulau Bali

Today I randomly decided to stop by this restaurant for lunch while walking past, and I felt so inspired by the stunning interior and the equally beautiful dish I had that I wanted to write this review.

I ordered a Banh Mi sandwich–inspired dish for lunch, and it honestly blew me away. Even though I didn’t expect much, it far exceeded my expectations and is something I’d recommend to pretty much anyone. (Though, fair warning: if you dislike the kind of fish sauce aroma you get in Thai salads, this might not be for you.)

The bread was perfectly easy to cut and eat, and the filling—packed with flavors like a Thai-style salad—brought me pure joy with every bite.

That said, I do need to mention one disappointment: the coffee. It tasted under-extracted, probably because the grind size was too coarse and the brewing time wasn’t quite right. Hopefully a quick grind and extraction test could fix that.

⸻

A few thoughts on why I hadn’t visited this place earlier, and what I think could be improved:

Even though I’ve been living in Canggu for a few months now, I never stopped by this restaurant until today.

I’ve passed it more than a hundred times, but from the outside it wasn’t clear if there were indoor seats, what the price range was, or even what type of food they served. I just couldn’t find a reason to walk in.

Also, since it’s right on a busy corner with lots of motorbikes zipping by, I assumed it only had outdoor seating—which made me reluctant to go in, since I pictured it being hot and smoky with traffic fumes.

But once inside, the place turned out to be gorgeous and neatly arranged. It’s just a shame that none of that charm is visible from the outside.

Another thing: all the windows are opaque, so the indoors and outdoors feel like completely separate worlds. As a guest inside, you do feel cozy and private, but at the same time it can feel a little closed off. And from outside, you can’t see the indoor vibe at all, which makes it harder to feel like the whole space belongs to one restaurant.

And again, because the road is so busy, the outdoor view doesn’t exactly give you that “relaxed café” feel—it looks more like it’d make your meal stressful rather than enjoyable. (This was honestly the main reason I stayed away until now, assuming it only had outdoor seating.)

As for the menu: it wasn’t until I actually sat down and opened Google Maps that I started to understand what they offered. The Banh Mi sandwich I ordered was advertised as just a simple Vietnamese sandwich, but what I got was actually a reimagined, beautifully presented, Banh Mi–inspired creation—so much more than the listing suggested.

As a customer, I’d love to see the restaurant showcase their gorgeous food more clearly at a glance.

On drinks: the cocktail menu lists tons of tiny ingredients in a way that feels kind of cluttered. Personally, I don’t love that style, but I get that it can be fun to read through. Still, it would help if they visually highlighted recommended drinks—would definitely make the decision easier.

Today I only came for a light lunch, but I’m already planning to come back soon to try one of their main dishes along with a...

Longtime

Located off a busy intersection this beautifully designed but simple white facade restaurant greets you with so many vibes the moment you walk in. The ceilings are high and have large paintings against one of the wood slat walls. Art you could see as unique without being high brow. The other walls are white washed exposed brick with stucco surfaces for the bottom half. The use of wood, cream, and marble along with diner red chairs at the bar meld classic design with uptight renovation vision. The music uplifts the atmosphere with a coffee shop day house vibe bumping your head but won’t spill your Negroni whilst doing so. Everything is a vibe and it’s easy to get lost in the atmosphere.

I sat at the bar and I ordered their Negroni of the week which was a Tiki Negroni. Constructed with pineapple rum, banana vermouth, and roasted coconut Campari this is a spin to a classic cocktail with a tropical vibe. Sweet notes at the initial taste with smooth burns at the end. Not to mention, this drink is strong and will sneak up on you if not careful.

A great reason to sit at the bar though is their free bar nuts which here is exceptional. They make a mie goreng bar nut mix and it is incredible in flavors. Bursting with bright notes, slight sourness at the back end, and a beautiful citrus savory flavor on the tongue you’d be hard pressed not to ask for refills.

For an appetizer, they make an exceptional prawn toast. Coming out in three identical cubes two sides are decorated with regular and black sesame seeds whilst the top has a perfect dollop of yuzu mayo on top. The exterior is crunchy whilst the interior is jam packed with minced prawn meat. Nothing is overly seasoned, instead giving way to each component bringing out their natural flavors. It is a mix of flavors without needing much enhancement. Not to mention the crunch of each bite is so satisfying.

When’s the last time you had a fried rice and you thought about how good the egg was? An element of most fried rices which are just throw away flavors is fleshed out and shining brightly along with the other ingredients in their Scallop fried rice. The scallops used are plump and juicy, bursting with each bite. The pork char siu has the right amount of sweet and smoky to it. The snow peas are a welcoming textural change and the shaved scallions on top isn’t just for show. Served with a side of their house made chili crunch oil it is an exceptional plate for an exceptional meal.

As a first meal after being on an airplane for over 20 hours this was a welcome to cramped spaces and recycled air. I wanted to come back most days even though I made sure to try a different restaurant for every meal I had. As a tourist visiting Bali if you find yourself in Canggu looking for something familiar but new, Longtime is a great place to start your...

I had to really contemplate this, did I really just have the best meal of my life? We walked into the restaurant and were greeted by the friendly staff, hungry and ready to eat. But first, we were shown the drinks menu, uninspired because we were really hungry I went ahead to ask for the food menu. The staff still asked if we wanted drinks but this time she gave us a recommendation, "how about some prosecco to start" she said. Something lit up in my head, she really wanted us to start with drinks, and hell yea some prosecco would be good.

We looked at the food menu and everything looked great, so we asked for recommendations again. Here's what we ordered for 2.

Starters - prawn toast and beef rendang spring rolls. The spring rolls came hot and piping with a generous sprinkle of white sesame seeds, served with a side of homemade sambal hijau and oh my god that hit the spot. The first bite completely aromatised my mouth leaving me wanting more sambal hijau with that fragrant beef rendang wrapped around a perfectly crunchy spring roll. The prawn toast had every flavour blended perfectly together. Toast was perfectly crunchy and the prawn in it had a delicate bite with every flavour you expect when having prawns, just in one bite.

With our stomachs primed for the small plates, we were greeted with smacked cucumbers and fried chicken. Be ready to be smacked by the cucumbers, I'm not kidding. I don't know what's in this blend of peanut sauce but it really really smacks, then the cucumber refreshes your palate leaving you wanting to be smacked again. You have to have the fried chicken, it really isn't what I expected. If you've had Chinese spicy fried chicken (la zi ji) before, this is at least 5 notches above that. Fried to a flawless crisp with hot, tender chicken in it. What more can you ask of fried chicken???

At this point we were already the happiest people on the planet, but here comes the protein - braised short ribs in fish sauce. Who would have known that worked so well together?? The ribs were deboned, braised and then probably charcoal grilled for a little while too because the smokiness in these ribs were unreal. There was a light char on the outside with a sweet marinade that's worked into the meat completely. I might have teared up right here.

Feeling saddened that we were leaving the restaurant soon, we felt the need for dessert. We normally aren't dessert people so we got a recommendation, again. The longtime mille-feuille was an excellent end to the meal, I've never had a dessert like this.

Love you longtime......