Today, I had that wonderful experience of being taken to lunch. I’ve forgotten what a joy it was. Firstly, of course, I’m grateful for the generosity, but it was pleasant because the venue was a mystery. One of the downsides to being a food blogger is that you’ve heard of or have been to many places and rightly or wrongly you have an opinion about the place. Today was a joy because I’m eating somewhere I’ve not heard about, in a different city, with different people and with thanks to their generosity. I doesn’t get better than this.
So at the outset, I guess I was always going to like Sanur’s Balinese Restaurant in Belconnen. It’s an intimate place that’s tastefully decorated, more your classy minimal Balinese style rather than the loud over-the-top touristy experience. I liked the service too, despite the indecisive and vague nature of the service, our waitress was genuinely sweet, me thinks it was just a language thing… but heh, that only added to the Balinese feel.
In keeping with the spirit of letting go, I went with our guest’s recommendation, the seafood soto. According to the menu, it’s a soup made from Indonesian herbs and spices, full flavoured with a hint of chili, lime, coriander and coconut. All of which I’m in hearty agreement, the soup was flavoursome, but not extreme like a tom yum, yet still sharp, I was skeptical at first about a hint of coconut, but they were right, you could taste the richness without it overpowering the soup like it does in a laksa.
The soto contained a mix of other ingredients including wheat noodles, vermicelli, fried tofu and half a boiled egg (I have a weakness for boiled egg, whether in soups or rice).
Unexpected, delightful and very delicious!
Sanur’s Balinese Restaurant
114 Emu Bank, Belconnen, Canberra
(02) 6162 1688
