Montana Del Cafe — Restaurant in Pulau Bali

Food is good, atmosphere is good, service is good. I had no problem with the 1 million + bill for four of us to eat. I just happened to have the bill for our meal in my wallet a week later so I took it out to see what it was. “Oh yeah, the bill from Montana… all good”

It wasn’t until something very insignificant caught my eye on the bill… then another thing caught my eye.

Extra Sambal - 10,000 Ice - 5,000

Now…. Like I said, I don’t care about the money. It’s not about the money. The experience, food, service, atmosphere were all good. (Oh that reminds me, take a jacket if you’re intending to stay past 5:00pm, or you will freeze. Mark my words on that)….

But this is what I have just seen…. I got billed for extra Sambal. This means restaurant owner, chef, whoever reads these things…. “YOU didn’t supply enough in the original meal” I can’t believe you billed extra for such an insignificant thing. Extra Sambal in reality would cost what…. 5Rp. And you bill 10,000Rp. You could have billed 5Rp and I would have thought it was ridiculous to billed for any amount. It’s Sambal. How tight must your budget be to have to bill for extra Sambal? Seriously!

Now let’s talk about the extra bill for ice. I don’t know who in our party of four wanted ice for whatever reason; drinks are the only thing I can think of, however my dessert had a heap of ice below it to make it look there was a heap of fruit in the bowl when there wasn’t. 5,000 for ice… are you kidding… seriously. It’s “part of the service” so that I and everyone else in our party of four has a good evening.

Now, like I said, we spent over a million, not big money, however not Warung pricing. You made an extra 15,000 on me. Ice and Sambal. You won’t make any more money off me again. I don’t care how good the food is; I don’t care how good the service is; I don’t even care how good your atmosphere is, I do care how you made me feel. After reading that invoice, I “feel” ripped off. It doesn’t matter how much the amount is… I “feel” ripped off. I won’t be back.

22/07/2025 Update: Montana staff… thanks for the reply. However, you seem to be missing the point. Nobody will care that you’re being transparent with your pricing. That’s not a great thing, it’s a standard thing. So you should be transparent with your pricing. No big deal. The point you are missing is that you would actually charge these trivial amounts, and miss out on future business because of 15,000 IDR.

For example, how do we know you are deliberately giving us less Sambal than we need for our meal so you can charge 10,000 more for Sambal?

For example, how do we know you are putting enough ice in the drink so that you can charge everyone 5,000 more for added ice?

We don’t… that’s why no one charges for extra things like this. When I say “no one” check out how many reviews I have done. Not one…. None, anywhere, have ever charged such a ridiculous fee for extra condiments, or ice.

Stop charging it, or your business will suffer. Already one person won’t be back. You can keep the 15,000. I’ll...

(Other reviews on Instagram @thetravelingeunikorn)

28 May 2022 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗳𝗲 📍Kintamani, Bali

Kintamani has been on my wish list since earlier this year, but only got the chance to visit it on this trip.

We stayed in Ubud so it’s only 1 hour drive which was enjoyable because it was a scenic route through multiple villages and paddy fields. The journey also felt worth it the moment we saw Mount Batur in all his glory (it was very bright when we arrived). 🏔 Photos and videos would never be able to capture how majestic the mountain is, and I did steal a few minutes to contemplate how small we are in the grand scheme of things.

We had to pay 20K per adult upon entering the area (official retribution) and there were many restaurants/cafes along the way. The views are the same, but the interior design, food, and service quality is what differentiate them.

I chose @montanacafebali because of the Mediterranean-inspired interior, but turned out it was a great choice. The food was really great (my fave was the truffle fries 🍟) and so was the service. Then of course, the view itself is self explanatory! The favorite instagrammable photo spot is the net with unobstructed view of Mount Batur in the background. Unfortunately I did not take photo there because it was drizzling when I wanted to take photo and they had kept the carpet (photo props + additional safety).

The friendly manager (Mas Krisna) chatted with us for a long time and told the background of Montana del Cafe. It was opened right before the pandemic and the chef is the owner herself (graduated from Le Cordon Bleu). They wanted to not only sell the view, but also the food and service. Each staff is trained to take nice photos of customers. Better yet, they provide free valet service!

The best time to visit Kintamani is early in the morning to catch the sunrise. The photos & videos looked so amazing but I valued my sleep more 😆 Maybe next time!

PS: The air is really cool and nice. It may be best not to wear backless dresses or tank tops especially in the early morning or late afternoon, but...

Place: breath-taking inactive volcanic view with fresh air and wonderful food to accompany the panoramic scenery. They even have a special netted platform that extends out into the edge that gives one a majestic photographic experience. Almost within touching distance to the clouds makes one feel that much closer to heaven. What else do u need? Just a prayer to seal the deal. Food wise: there are some misses, mostly above average and some real hits.

Service: It took some time before the waiters took out orders, but with such a view, who minds waiting? The wait for the food took around 10 to 15 minutes. The birthday celebration of singing and guitar was on tune with harmonising. Good job guys.

Food: Everything tastes better with such a scenic view. Fettuccine carbonara truffle: taste is packed with creamy goodness, and truffle infused carbonara makes this an amazing dish. Verdict: 4/5.

Chicken burger: ordinary chicken burger with (in my opinion) wrong ratio of bread to meat. But having said that, the flavours are so so, nothing to shout about. Verdict: 2.3/5.

Nori seared tuna: upon arrival, the view on this plate was as breathtaking as the scenery around me. The first bite was equally a refreshing vegetable cubes play on my palate and the freshness of the fish was excellent to say the least, it was cooked to perfection with a slight red in the middle, extenuating the taste of the tuna in this dish. Verdict: 4.8/5.

Apple pie: wow...just wow. Love that texture of the apple and taste of this pie. Just the right amount of sweetness....