samcantfindit

I think it’s best that I start this post with: THE FOOD IN BALI IS INSANE. In taste, price and value for money. Having been lucky enough to spend a few weeks between mainland Bali and the Gili’s I wanted to share my favourites, so here goes:


Johnny Taco
Jl. Kartika Plaza, No.21, Kuta
This small place doesn’t look like much on the outside. It’s got about 20 chairs and well that’s about it, except for the incredible food. For 115k (£5.50) you can get two tacos of your choice, a drink, nachos with salsa and a decent portion of guacamole. I went for one chicken and one pork taco and they were both incredible. The meat portion huge and flavourful and the salsas had great flavour. Would I visit again? Yes. About once a week for the rest of my life.


Fat Tony’s
Jl. Sriwijawa No. 28, Kuta
Again another small location but this does offer in and outdoor seating. Getting there around 5:30 got us a seat straight away however it was busier when we left, and just a note, this location is closed on Mondays. But you need to visit, the burger grilled cheese was incredible. A full burger patty and a tonne of cheese called for an incredible meal, and for the 45k (£2.50) that this cost you also get a free bottle of water, so you really can’t moan. It is a little out so if you don’t want to walk in the inevitable Bali rain then maybe catch a GoJek, then you’ll be both dry and satisfied of your burger craving.


Crumb & Coaster
Jl. Benesari No.2, Kuta
This location just looks like it should be on your Instagram feed, from the decor to the incredible food. The topped fries were a really well balanced, a bit spicy, crispy, creamy...yeah they were just really good; and at about 70k (£3.80) they were very good value. All the other food being served also looked great- the burger and sharing platters would be worth trying if you were going for a bigger meal.


La Plancha
Jalan Mesari Beach, Seminyak
Have you ever seen rows and rows of rainbow umbrellas lined up on a beach in Bali for sunset? Yeah well it's La Plancha, Crazy popular every night for sunset you sit on a rainbow beanbag under a rainbow brolly and watch both the sun go down and everyone get that shot for the 'gram. Food is a little pricier here, just because of the location, but you can still get a nice drink and a meal for about 120k (£6ish). I had a super food salad that was packed with quinoa, pumpkin, seeds, salsas and feta cheese. There's also a DJ playing music so maybe don't go to this place for a nice quiet chat. You can also sit inside the rainbow painted beach hut if sand and the incoming tide aren't really your thing!


Kynd Community
Jalan Petitenget No. 12 Kerobokan Kelod, Seminyak
Something tells me this was one of the first true 'Instagram Bali Cafes'. It's always top of the list of places to visit, has it's own parking team and there's usually a wait. Now I didn't eat in the main restaurant section, instead opting to go to their attached ice cream shop instead; but the menu is full of all the things you'd expect and it's very 'millennial pink with palm trees' as it's vibe. The ice cream is totally plant based as is very good. It's also worth adding the extravagant topper onto your ice cream, because, well, when in Bali isn't it really? One scoop was 45k (£2.60) and then the topper was 15k (£0.85). A tad on the expensive side for an ice cream in Bali but it's fun, made for the internet and the flavours were really great (I should know I tried a fair few of them before I opted for cookies and cream).


Shooters
Jl. Petitenget No.43D, Kerobokan Kelod, Seminyak
In March this place didn't exist online, it wasn't in the 'you must visit this place' list and we wouldn't have known about it unless I hadn't walked past it that morning. But you must go to Shooters. It's kind of like an outdoor arcade that sells food and drink you'd expect at the fun fair. For 20k you can have a round of their mini golf, or you can play: giant jenga, ping pong, table football, bean bag toss and a few other games for free. They do a great range of non alcoholic drinks and strong cocktails and they do food such as: mac and cheese, tater tots, corn dogs, deep fried snickers and candy floss. Unleash your inner child.


The Plumbers Arms
Jl. Raya Banyar Anyar No.8 Kerobokan, Seminyak
On a Sunday this British Pub serves a full roast dinner. Granted the heat in Bali is usually something else, but if you're looking for a full roast, or a pie, or mash, or anything British. You're getting it here. The roast was great, everything you could want with a choice of: chicken, beef, lamb, pork and turkey it literally pleases every roast diner lover.


Puri Garden Hotel & Restaurant
Jl. Raya Pengosekan, Ubud
In unrelated to food news, if you need a hostel in Ubud you really should stay here. Now onto the food, the breakfast in the morning is unreal (also included in the hostel stay). The fruit pancakes are epic, the Nasi Goreng fantastic, and the poached eggs and bacon; yeah thats a really nice touch to a morning. Their full menu is also pretty good however some of the portions aren't the biggest; but three times a week for 100k (£5.40 ish) you can take part in their all you can eat BBQ. Noodles, Rice, Kebabs, Veggie Burgers, Wings, Satay. It changes often but the food is very good, and it genuinely is a fill your basket as many times as you like situation. Dig in, it's great food.


Kismet
Jl. Goutama Sel No.27X, Ubud
Everything on this menu either looks to be drool worthy or is drool worthy. There's a huge drinks menu and their main courses just keep on going. A group of us went and had to wait a little for a seat (but if you make a reservation you'll wander straight in) and the food was worth the wait. Between us we had Halloumi burgers, poutine, mac and cheese, pulled Jackfruit nacho salad and topped fries. Incredible and at about 70-120k each with a drink (that's £4-£7) it's incredible value for money. My pulled BBQ Jackfruit nacho bowl with Halloumi and Tomato skewers was so good I went back again for it, and that's saying something.

Now these guys aren't technically in Bali because they're on the Gili Islands, but these spots are totally worth that ferry ride over!

Kayu Cafe
Gili Trawangan Main Street (on boat arrival side)
This cute little cafe sits right in the middle of all the action and has a great menu and plenty of seats. You order at the desk when you're ready and the food is delivered fresh to your table. The sub rolls and wraps are great and make sure you get the chips because they're roasted and salted to perfection. They also have a great bakery case so if you need a cake before a boat trip then they've got you sorted! Wraps/Subs come in at about 70k, and cakes come in around 25-30k (£1.40-£1.80).


Pizzeria Regina's
Jl. Ikan Hiu, Gili Trawangan (Second Street Back from boat arrival side)
I will be deadly honest with you, from the outside this place is nothing special. It's a false wall with a sign. But do not judge this book by it's cover because it serves some of the most excellent Italian food that I have ever eaten, and you can get this to go. You know it's kind of bad when the chef recognises you on your second visit and by the third all the staff know exactly who you are; but for wood fired pizzas and freshly cooked pastas all for less than 100k (£5.50) how can you not go back? I'd recommend the mushroom pappardelle and any of the pizzas to you. You will not go wrong here, and they serve each pasta with a bowl of cheese to sprinkle over, dream come true I know!


Gili Bliss
Desa Gili Indah RT.04, Gili Air (when you get off the boat it's on that main street of shops/ cafes)
This came highly recommended online so for my few hours on Gili Air I had to try a place to eat right? There's smoothies and bowl galore here but I cannot recommend the Smashed Avo Sandwich (80k) enough, avocado, poached eggs, spinach, tomato, cheese and pine nuts? On two chunky pieces of brown toast? So So So incredible. My Dad got jealous of this one via instagram!

Let's be honest what are you waiting for? Get to Bali and eat already!

The next 30 days of this adventure saw a lot less airport time than the first 30, so this post will not include vast amounts of airport security, baggage weights or airport transfers which is always a bonus to be honest isn’t it? This thirty days wraps up the end of the Thailand leg of the journey and the whole of the time spent between Bali and Gili Trawangan (or Gili T). So let’s get into it...

The Grand Adventure: 11th March - 9th April: A Summary
Countries Visited: 3 (Thailand, Bali and Lombok)
KM travelled: 2930
Steps walked (when wearing my Fitbit, I’m not the best at remembering to charge it once it’s died if I’m honest): 329032
Photographs taken: 1390
Incredible Meals Consumed: At least 25
Close encounters with Monkeys: One too many!


Patong, Thailand: A Summary
The party side of the island of Phuket was our next destination, think bright lights, big hotels, very touristy beach, and abundance of seven elevens and questionable sex shows of an evening and you’re pretty much there! The heat here was absolutely next level, but Patong was the starting point for our day at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, which was by far one of the most memorable days of the trip so far!

Patong,Thailand: The Highlights

• Spending the day with elephants at the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary was incredible, getting to feed them and play with them was amazing and the whole experience really put me at a loss for words. It was crazy to not only get that close to an elephant but to hear their stories and have the staff talk about them was just something else. If you get the chance to visit one of the ethical sanctuaries in Thailand then please do. It’s worth every penny.
• Eating the most random things in seven eleven because we knew we weren’t going to see them again. Random sealed tuna sandwiches? Cheese toasties? Slurpees? Ice creams? Yeah all of that was consumed. And more, god seven eleven is brilliant!
• Staying in a hotel was also a treat for this leg of the trip. It actually worked out cheaper than a hostel and it was very nice to have a tv and room to myself, even if I did only just sleep on the same little bit of the bed for the entire time!

I should probably start this post with the fact that I love food. I do, food is absolutely fantastic.
So when planning for the grand adventure not only was I looking at hostels and activities, I was also looking at what food I wanted to chow down on. #priorities.
It usually would go without saying that a Michelin star restaurant would not be in the ideal budget for a backpacking traveler.
Well, it’s time you said hello to Tim Ho Wan.
Now I’m not a food historian, so if you want to know more about the original restaurant and a little bit about how the company started then click here.
SO WHERE IS TIM HO WAN? 

• Follow directions inside either Central or Hong Kong station for the airline check in desks. If you can’t see directions for them you might actually be there. So if all of a sudden you feel like you’ve been transported to an airport you’re in the right place. Tap yourself on the back. 

•  You should see a set of lifts opposite the check in desks and TV’s, they will only have the option to go down, press L1 (the floor lower than you are currently on). 

•  Once the lift doors open, Tim Ho Wan will be directly in front of you, or slightly to the left (depending on which lift you get out of). Go enjoy your dim sum, or queuing for it more likely. 

 SO HOW DO I ORDER?
Pretty easily actually, in either English or Chinese. You are provided with what looks like a lottery ticket. Write the amount of plates you want in the boxes (not the amount of dim sum items), and hand it over to a member of staff. They’ll give you a copy of the order back with a receipt attached mid eating, so you can check it and then pay.

WHAT DO I ORDER THOUGH?
Well if you like Dim Sum you’ll have more of an idea than we did upon ordering. We decided to go for one beef rice topped with fried egg, two types of rice rolls, a traditional dim sum pork ball and then the thing you have to order. And if you go there and don’t order these there really was no point going FYI. The baked pork buns. Order more than you think. That’s all you’ll actually want to eat when they turn up.
The rice rolls were quite slimy and it got to the point where I was just eating the filling (it was a lot of dim sum for a first try!), however the steamed dim sum balls were lovely, the beef rice nice but I would go back again and again for those baked pork buns. SO SO SO GOOD.

SO WHAT’S THE VERDICT?
I’d go back again, it’s an experience to sit next to someone who is eating chicken feet in a Michelin star restaurant chain in the middle of a train station in Hong Kong, I’d order the beef rice, steamed dumplings and baked pork buns again and again. And then maybe see if they could do the BBQ Pork Buns to go. Everyone loves a trier, right?

Last September I was lucky enough to be able to go to Tokyo, and three of the days were spent in the Tokyo Disney Resort. As with all Disney trips a lot of planning was involved, and a lot of my planning and researching revolved around the food I would eat in the parks. A quick search of Instagram and you'll see incredibly themed food and drink, and if you're anything like me you'll want to eat absolutely everything. Which seen as I went on my own; wasn't exactly possible. This post is full of the food that I did manage to eat, most importantly where I found it, a rough cost and how great it actually was (spoiler alert: the food was all pretty incredible!)

Snacks
Pizza Spring Roll
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneyLand; Mickeys Trailer, Toontown 
Cost: 350 Yen (£2.40)
What did I think?: If you like pizza (which I love) and you like spring rolls (also love, see a pattern here?) then you'll love this snack. It's larger than a standard spring roll, and it's full of melted cheese and pizza sauce. You would also get this with an egg and shrimp combination, if that floats your boat. I was all for the pizza. If I went back I'd 100% get this again.

Maple Pumpkin Churro
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneyLand; Parkside Wagon, on the entry to Adventureland
Cost: 350 Yen (£2.40)
What did I think?: What combination of warm sugar coated churro, maple syrup and pumkpin flavour could I not enjoy? I got this before I watched the parade and it was a great parade snack. I also kept the packaging and you can still kind of smell the maple goodness on it now! It is worth me noting that the churros change constantly; this was the themed flavour for Halloween (so sadly it isn't available at the moment at least), however the themed churro on sale will always be found at this wagon location. Also another note, I spent 20 minutes queueing for this; themed event food items have long queues; at any time of day!


Popcorn (Curry Popcorn Pictured)
Popcorn is a massive deal at Tokyo Disney Resort, so much so that popcorn carts have their own icons on the park map, each map lists the current available flavours and people spend hours queueing for new popcorn bucket releases (for Mickey90 they released a Steamboat Willie one that sang the theme song!)
Where to find it: Each flavour is only usually available at one cart in the park, Curry Popcorn can only be found in one location in Tokyo DisneySea and that's in front of Arabian Coast (if you come across the bridge from Mermaid Lagoon you'll walk straight past it!)
Cost: 350 Yen (£2.40) for a standard box, 2500 Yen (£17) for a themed popcorn bucket
What did I think?: Curry popcorn is insane, easily one of the best popcorns I've ever had; it was a good curry flavour and was a perfect savoury snack, I'd go back for just this flavour in a heartbeat.
Note: Other flavours that were available in both parks while I was there were: Caramel, Garlic Shrimp, Strawberry, Milk Chocolate, Black Pepper, Salt, BBQ, Honey and finally Soy Sauce!

Mickey Shaped Chicken Nuggets
Where to find them: Tokyo DisneyLand; Tomorrowland Terrace, Tomorrowland (probably in other places too!)
Cost: 330 Yen (£2.30)
What did I think?: A good standard Disney chicken nugget, extra points because they're Mickey shaped and look cute. You can't get these as part of a meal though; they're just a side dish!



Bakery Items

Both Parks have large bakeries that are open throughout the entire day and have a full range of snacks and freshly baked delights. From sandwiches to breads stuffed with curry, there's pretty much something here for everyone; the selection in both parks is a little different so it goes without saying that I had to visit both. Another quick note is that the bakeries are very busy at park opening, lunch time (about noon in Japan), around 5pm and before the parade/ fireworks/ shows. I visited both bakeries in the evening between the evening meal and before the fireworks show, it was pretty much a walk in; they will also package up your snacks if you want to take them out of the park, so perfect for a late evening snack!

Mickey Stuffed Pastry/ Cream Bread (middle image)
Where to find it: Available in both parks (Disneyland; Sweetheart Cafe, World Bazaar and DisneySea; Mamma Biscottis Bakery, Mediterranean Harbour)
Cost: 260 Yen (£1.80)
What did I think?: Pretty much a donut without the glaze, maybe a bit more bread like, stuffed with a creamy vanilla custard. Not too sweet but enough filling for it to not be just bread. I would eat it again but I'd want to try other new items if I get the chance to go back.

Mickey Apple Custard Danish and Chocolate and Walnut Biscotti (far right image)
Where to find them: Danish available in both parks in the bakeries mentioned above, however Biscotti can only be found in DisneySea (Mamma Biscotti's Bakery, Mediterranean Harbour)
Cost: Danish: 330 Yen (£2.30) Biscotti: 200 Yen (£1.40)
What did I think?: A really great Danish pastry, extra thumbs up for the Mickey shape, you could also get this in an orange or cherry variation (or Sausage, Egg or Cheese if you wanted savoury). The Biscotti was also lovely, full of chocolate chips and walnut chunks, both great snacks and I enjoyed them back in my hotel with odd Japanese TV in the background (when in Japan eh?)

Purple Sweet Potato Mousse Cake (far left image)
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneySea; Mamma Biscotti's Bakery, Mediterranean Harbour
Cost: 780 Yen including the souvenir plate (£5.40)
What did I think?: I can only imagine you read the name and was horrified with the description given on the menu, this mousse cake was actually really nice, it wasn't too sweet, was very creamy, had a raspberry sauce in the middle and had a vanilla cake base. Both parks launch exclusive bakery items for the themed event, both having a mug dessert (some kind of layered jelly and mousse thing) and a plate dessert, I liked the plate from DisneySea the best so that explains why I ended up with this option. I really enjoyed it and would eat something like this again! The plate is also really great quality, so a great way to get a limited souvenir and a snack all at once!


Meals
Because I wanted to eat as much I could over my three days in the parks I snacked through the days and then had a full counter service meal each evening. There was so many choices to pick from including: Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and American.

Mickey's Glove Meal
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneyLand; Huey Dewey and Louie's Good Time Cafe, Toontown
Cost: 980 Yen (£6.80) for the meal with fries and drink
What did I think?: You'll have to stick with me here but this adorable Mickey glove steamed bun was full of salad, egg mayo mix and hot teriyaki chicken. Sounds weird right? Well weird or not it was really tasty, went well together and was a good sized portion. The bun was soft and not stodgy, the chicken was a boneless thigh (I think) and the fries were crispy. I'd make sure I ate this again on my next visit!

Mozzarella and Tomato Pizza 
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneySea; Zambini Brothers Ristorante, Mediterranean Harbour
Cost: 670 Yen (£4.60) Drink 350 Yen (£2.40)
What did I think?: A really good, deep dish base with a really thick layer of cheese and tomato, the fresh tomato and pesto was also a really nice addition. I enjoyed this meal so much I actually went back the next night and enjoyed a spaghetti bolognese (700 yen/ £4.85) and a side of fried shrimp and burdock (300 Yen/ £2.05), this would be a great place to visit with kids or people that want a more western meal!

Steamed Buns
Tokyo Disney Resort is well known for it's heavily themed steamed buns that match their packaging; and I went out of my way to ensure I tried as many as I could, it is worth noting that these items also change with the events going on in the park, so these items in this style aren't always available!

Chandu Chicken Curry Bun
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneySea; Sultans Oasis, Arabian Coast
Cost: 500 Yen (£3.50)
What did I think?: This is my favourite of all of the steamed buns I had, both the 'hat' and 'face' had a mild chicken curry filling and it went well with the steamed bun texture. If you can only have one steamed bun while in DisneySea then you should get this one, hopefully it doesn't rain when you're eating it though!

Ursula Ukiwah Bun
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneySea; Seaside Snacks, between Cape Cod (American Waterfront) and Port Discovery
Cost: 500 Yen (£3.50)
What did I think?: This special steamed bun was stuffed with a combination of Pork and Shrimp. It was well seasoned and I really enjoyed both the taste and how the ring suited the Ursula packaging. This item was specially themed for Villains Halloween event, so if you were to go at another time of year you'd find the ring looks like a swimming ring and Donald is on the packaging (so cute)!

Evil Queen Gyoza Roll
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneySea; Nautilus Galley, Mysterious Island
Cost: 500 Yen (£3.50)
What did I think?: This was the largest of the steamed bun offerings, but not by much. The filling was a kind of soft over seasoned sausage. The theming of this was really fun with the red and black to match the queen of hearts but the flavour and texture wasn't great and I would say it wasn't worth the 15 minute queue to get this item, would I have it again? No, I'd head over to get one of the other two buns mentioned above!


Ice Cream
The temperatures in Tokyo were about 30 degrees in September, so it was perfect weather to enjoy an ice cream treat or two, there were quite a lot to pick from, which of course made the decision even harder!

Donald Butt Sundae (actually called the Choco-Nut and Chocolate Crisp Sundae)
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneyLand; Ice Cream Cones, World Bazaar
Cost: 500 Yen (£3.50)
What did I think?: This adorable snack is part of the Tokyo 35th celebration and includes: Vanilla ice cream with chocco crispies in, two Donald feet wafers and a stick of Chocolate crunch (Rice crispies and chocolate mixed together). If they make this flavour of ice cream permanent after the event ends I'd definitely want a scoop or three of this again!

Mickey and Minnie Ice Lolly
Where to find them: Both parks have a lot of mobile ice cream carts, I found mine in Adventureland in Tokyo DisneyLand and Lost River Delta in Tokyo DisneySea
Cost: 300 Yen (£2.05) each
What did I think?: I really enjoyed both flavours of these lollies, the Mickey one was tropical fruits, so Mango and Pineapple, while the Minnie one was Peach and Raspberry. I'd have them both again as a refreshing snack, however they melt quickly in the heat (obviously!) and the sticks are short, so be prepared to get covered in drips of fruit juice. I'd recommend scoping out your closest toilet and getting a few napkins off the retail assistant when you buy them!


Mochi
Mochi is a kind of sweet in Japan, it's a really stretchy gooey substance (the best way I can describe it!) that is stuffed with a filling of some sort. Both types that you can get in Tokyo Disney Resort are served cold, but not frozen. So they're a perfect snack for a warm day! They're also some of the most instagramed snacks in the parks, especially the little green aliens!

Star Wars Mochi
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneyLand; Pan Galactic Pizza Port, Tomorrowland
Cost: 360 Yen (£2.50)
What did I think?: If I was to compare the two mochi head to head I would pick the Star Wars ones as the winner, the Vader mochi was stuffed with chocolate mousse, and the Storm Troopers were flavoured with vanilla custard and a caramel sauce respectively. At the minute these aren't on the menu, but they will be back in the warmer months (I hope!)

Little Green Alien Mochi
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneySea; a random cart at the bottom of the bridge by Barnacle Bills, American Waterfront (however while writing this, they are available in all the quick service locations in Tokyo Disney Sea, and a few in DisneyLand, around Tomorrowland)
Cost: 360 Yen (£2.50)
What did I think?: The taste and texture of these mochi was exactly the same as the Star Wars ones, however the flavours were: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry (with the strawberry being a kind of yoghurt). I just struggled to find these when I was there, there were no counter service locations that have them, and what from I could gather the cart moved around frequently. I had a 15 queue to pick these up, so if you go at a time when they are hard to find, expect to queue massively for them!


Drinks
I spent most of my time drinking water in the parks, it was cool and refreshing and readily available everywhere, with free cups available in counter service locations. However there were a large range of green, red, blue and purple drinks with a mixture of flavours and popping pearl combinations in them.

Nemo Sea-Rider Drink
Where to find it: Tokyo DisneySea; Bayside Takeout, Port Discovery
Cost: 500 Yen (£3.50)
What did I think?: This was a pineapple juice drink, topped with a blue pineapple slush that had mango boba inside it. Just a bit of a mix there right? The blue pineapple was quite confusing but the taste was amazing and I would happily drink this again to cool off! The queue for this stand was quite long, but it also sold the Nemo churro and a fried chicken sushi roll, it was no more than a 10 minute wait!

Themed Bottled Drinks
Where to find them: All over both parks, I got my coke from the tea pot vending machines in Fantasy Land in DisneyLand however there are carts that sell: water, Coca Cola and Kirin in every land.
Cost: 300 Yen (£2.05)
What did I think?: Every type of drink had its owned themed packaging which was a cute touch and was very in theme with the rest of the park, can't really moan! They were also well priced which is nice!

So that's my tour of Tokyo Disney Resort's food complete! As you can tell I really did snack my way around the parks and I enjoyed that everything was well priced so I could eat what I wanted without being too concerned for the hole in my purse (that just meant more for the incredible merchandise!) Have you been to Tokyo Disney Resort? If so what snacks did you eat? Or what do you have on your list to try if you're heading to the parks?