November 2009

Bali's New Hip Strip

There's a new siren and her name is Petitenget

Seminyak has always been the place that the cool kids stay and play on the island of the gods. Even those of us whose budgets preclude 5-star hotels (with 5-figure room rates to match) have braved traffic and crowds on the main drag of Jalan Oberoi for a cocktail at Ku De Ta or meal at Ultimo.

On holiday in Bali two weeks ago, I found Oberoi and its surrounds packed to bursting point – and sat starving in traffic for 15 minutes while cars crawled along at snail’s pace. Of course I was thrilled to see Bali restored to its glory, (yay! the tourists had returned, undeterred!) but who wants to deal with gridlock on an island holiday?

The good news is the it-crowd is, due to reasons aforementioned, expanding outwards. The adjacent street called Jalan Petitenget (theoretically it’s in Kerobokan, although close to Seminyak) is certainly the street to watch. Already lined with boutique hotels, and old faves like Hu’u Bar and The Living Room the avenue is seeing an outbreak of slick restaurants and chi-chi bars, and is blissfully traffic-free.

The creators of Sydney’s Long Grain and Jimmy Lik’s opened Sarong, a luxe take on South-east Asian cuisine, while Café Warisan alumni recently set up Metis, whose French-Indonesian fusion and paddy field setting is worth writing home about. Both sport attached lounge bars for a post-prandial tipple. Then there’s Rubicon, La Lucciola, Chow, Pandora, Darahana, Warung Bali Bonita, Venue@The Moon… you get the picture.

If it allthat choice sounds overwhelming, say “Petitenget” to the cab driver, cruise along and see which picks your fancy, there’s something for every wallet and every palate. On your way home, pass the thronging masses of Jalan Oberoi, and heave a sigh of relief…

-Sabina-Leah Fernandez