Kisik Bar and Grill, Ayana, Jimbaran, Bali

Kisik is just one of many restaurant choices at Ayana Resort and Spa in Bali.

Most tables are on the cliff edge

Most tables are on the cliff edge

The reason we dined at Kisik is not only because we were attracted to the novelty of the sand floor and the restaurant’s position down on the water’s edge, but also because it’s a short stroll from the very famous Rock Bar where we had just sipped a cocktail while enjoying the sunset.

The Rock Bar

The Rock Bar

Kisik is a seafood restaurant that is accessed by either riding the inclinator down the cliff-face or you can take the stairs.  With all the eating and drinking we were doing while in Bali we would have felt horribly guilty if we’d done anything other than take the stairs.

Right on the edge of the cliff

Right on the edge of the cliff

While in Bali it was our experience that when dining at night, the restaurants are dark.  While dim lighting has a terrific anti-ageing affect, these restaurants are so dark you need to bring your night-vision googles.  We were shown to our table which was right on the cliff edge with no safety rail (lovely being away from the overly-zealous rules and regulations we have to endure in Oz), and the setting was so dark the menu was brought to us with an attached torch so we could read it.  The bill arrived in the same way.

The menus arrive with torches attached

Example of a menu with the torch attached

Most of the light is provided by the moon and the stars and romantic tiki torches.  The setting is stunning and with our table right on the cliff edge we were occasionally sprayed with light sea foam as waves from the high tide crashed onto the rocks below us.

Outdoor dining with a sand floor

Outdoor dining with a sand floor

I don’t mind eating in the dark, except when I’m trying to take photos.  You’ll notice some of the images were taken in daylight and that’s because we went back the next day to show you what the restaurant looks like when it’s not under the cover of darkness.

The restaurant with the Rock Bar in the distance

The restaurant with the Rock Bar in the distance

A terrific attraction for seafood lovers is that the freshly caught seafood sits in an ice-cold display where you choose what it is you would like to eat.  The chefs cook it for you and serve it with a range of Balinese accompaniments.  If you would prefer not to eat seafood the restaurant has a range of other excellent options however, the ‘choose your own’ is only available with seafood.

Do you know that you can buy seafood online to save money and time? Yes, seafood can be delivered directly to your home! You can visit fish and seafood website here for more info!

A chef at work

A chef at work

I wasn’t terribly hungry as we’d had a few tapas as the Rock Bar so I ordered gado gado to start with which is a salad of fresh and cooked vegetables in a spicy peanut sauce with an egg.  The egg was perfectly cooked and there was a good kick of spice in the sauce.  The texture of the dish was lovely with plenty of crunch from the raw vegetables.

Gado Gado

Gado Gado

For my main, I ordered a half-dozen serve of the chicken and beef skewers.  The beef skewers could have been more tender and I would have liked a little more heat in the satay sauce, however, it was a lovely light dish.

Half Dozen Chicken and Beef Satay Skewers with Rice: about $9.50

Half Dozen Chicken and Beef Satay Skewers with Rice: about $9.50

When you order a seafood dish it arrives as a series of four dishes and this is what Drew ordered.  The first course was the bouillabaisse that had a good variety of seafood in it.

Mixed seafood soup

Bouillabaisse

The next dish to arrive was the salad that was well plated and light and refreshing.  It is lovely to have a salad on a hot tropical night.

Garden Fresh Salad

Garden Fresh Salad

For the seafood course Drew ordered the swordfish.  You can choose how you would like it cooked and what sauce you would like on it.  Drew chose grilled with a sticky Indonesian sauce.  The fish was expertly cooked and he sauce had given the swordfish a wonderful flavour.

Swordfish with rice - market price

Swordfish  – market price

Drew’s last dish was a sorbet that I can tell you was excellent however I can’t show you a photo because it was just too dark.  But an icy cold refreshing sorbet is an excellent way to finish a four-course meal.

Make your selection

Make your selection

Enjoying an inclinator ride down a cliff-face to Kisik or walking down the many stone stairs set in landscaped grounds to the restaurant gets the evening off to a very high standard.  Then arriving at Kisik with its position on the cliff edge, its sand floor, it’s open kitchen with displays of market-fresh seafood, the light from the tiki torches and the occasion spray of sea foam puts this restaurant on the must-visit list.

Baskets of fresh seafood

Baskets of fresh seafood

Fresh fish

Fresh fish

While the food doesn’t quite reach the dizzying heights of the incredible setting, and while the prices are on the high-end of Bali rates, it is a restaurant definitely worth experiencing.

It's a stunning setting

It’s a stunning setting

Verdict:  Perfectly located.

Kisik Bar and Grill:  Ayana Resort and Spa, Jimbaran, Bali

Comments

  1. Love the ambiance AND the food! That’s a win/win.

  2. Looks like a gorgeous place with great food.

  3. Beautiful location even if not kind to the night blind. I’d definitely go for the fresh seafood.

  4. Sounds fantastic, Charlie … I’ve really enjoyed all your posts about Bali … we really enjoyed our holiday there and I’m now very tempted to go back!

  5. Bali is a wonderful place and we have loved our visits there… looks like a place worth visiting whenever we return 🙂

  6. Thanks Charlie for sharing Bali through your unique eyes!

  7. What a fabulous place to eat. I don’t think that restaurant was there when we went to The Rock Bar but seeing the pier I know exactly where you were, wonderful. GG xx

  8. I need to catch up on your Bali post! I have never been to Bali but many of my friends have been there. This place is so close to the ocean! I’m always impressed by the number of your photos and details from your travel post. I know it’s a lot of work to remember or jot down, and report about it! Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

  9. Oh, my. Now this is paradise! Such a gorgeous setting—plus the fresh seafood sounds amazing. Yeah, in the US, they’d ruin the view with fencing and signage—no one seems to have common sense anymore 🙂 xo

  10. What an excellent experience! With a location like that you could get away with average food but this sounds better than that!

  11. All of these places you have shown us recently are incredibly beautiful and like something from a movie set. What fun it would be to experience such dining in a lovely natural setting.

  12. I would have to wear my head torch there. And yes I really do have one😜

  13. What an absolutely amazing setting. One of the things I always found odd in Perth is that despite miles of coast and river beauty, there were only a handful of good restaurants that availed themselves of those waterfront positions. Bali could show Australia a thing or two!

  14. I am not sure if I LOVE that there’s such a lot of fresh seafood around or the fact that a seafood dish consists of 4 courses – more!

  15. What a divine setting! And yes less rules than what you would get at home with safety etc. It’s nice to feel like an adult isn’t it 🙂

  16. I must have been away from your blog for a while but it seems you are always on holiday!!!!! the setting looks perfect.

  17. The setting was absolutely gorgeous! Hearing the water is so relaxing. 🙂

  18. What a fantastic location for this lovely cool restaurant!
    It looks smashing from the outside, on the rocks, like that!

    MMMMMMMM!

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