UPDATE: Since our visit in September 2017, it appears that the resort, previously known as the Banyan Tree, has been taken over by Hilton and is now called the Jumana Bali Ungasan Resort, with their website being here.
We enjoyed dinner at Ju-Ma-Na Restaurant and Bar on the evening of 13 September 2017. To say the restaurant and service is amazing would be an understatement. We arrived early, around 5:30PM, in anticipation of our reservation at 7PM.
From the reception area of the hotel we had a ‘private chauffer’ drive us on a golf cart down to the restaurant – a ride of three minutes. During the ride you get to fully appreciate the size of the property, the magnificence of the accommodation and its location on the cliff facing south-west overlooking the sea around Bali.
We enjoyed the chance to relax on the terrace alongside the restaurant, enjoying evening cocktails while watching the sun set over beautiful Bali. What a great opportunity to take some videos and photo’s.
Arlyn enjoyed the ‘Rock the Kasbah’ cocktail – vanilla infused vodka with kirsch, fresh strawberry and fresh mint, served on ice. I selected the ‘Moroccan Dream’ – raspberry infused vodka and crème de cacao, Frangelico and crème de menthe, served with chocolate shavings. The selection of cocktails at Ju-Ma-Na is unlike anything I have seen on our extensive travels and you will be spoiled for choice. Why stick to just one cocktail when you can ease into your dinner reservation having enjoyed multiple cocktails while being spoiled by the Bali sunset?
For the second round of cocktails, a rather decadent treat I must admit, Arlyn enjoyed the ‘Blue Atlas’, a delicious combination of white rum and blue curacao, shaken with pineapple juice and coconut. I tried an old favorite, the chocolate martini, which proved to be an excellent choice.
After yet another round of photo’s and videos – no-one can resist the beauty of this location – we made our way to dinner. Choosing courses from the eclectic selection of French dishes proved a challenge, with too many wonderful choices. We eventually both settled on the 3-course set meal, with Arlyn avoiding the wine pairing, while I could not resist the chance to see what was on offer.
You will feel as if you are eating art – the presentation is exceptional – and the service is wonderful. Never in my life have I seen such a large pepper mill. It was the size of a small child. The price for the evening was around 300 dollars – rather extravagant but certainly worth it for the location, ambience and service.
All in all the early evening cocktails and the dinner were wonderful. We were pleased to be greeted by the wonderfully talented chef following the meal. Of the seven restaurants that we visited in Bali, we ranked Ju-Ma-Na Restaurant and Bar number ONE. Ju-Ma-Na is a class above the other restaurants around Bali. You will certainly not regret your decision if you choose Ju-Ma-Na at The Banyan Tree Ungasan Bali (now called the Jumana Bali Ungasan Resort) as your dining destination.
More details of the dining options available at Jumana Bali Ungasan Resort may be found by clicking here. Find the hotel on Google Maps here. Start your reservation at the lovely resort by clicking here. Otherwise consider one of the other options by clicking in the box below with booking.com or with Agoda here.
Booking.comOur other posts on Indonesia may be found here. Our video review of the restaurant may be found on our YouTube channel here.
(Visited in September 2017)