Biku - Seminyak, Bali

Being tea freaks, we always look for an opportunity to have a wonderful tea time together. However, we couldn't have imagined that such opportunity would come up in Bali, where you would expect people to enjoy overpriced western food or very spicy rice dishes.

Biku is conveniently located in Seminyak (where, as you know, is the trendiest place in Bali as of now) and it is decorated with such an authentic Balinese feel. There is no air conditioning or whatever, but still enjoyable. 

When you enter, on the left hand corner there will be a small classical bookshop (which I think is intended for you to buy and enjoy the book there). Going further inside, and there is a tarot reading desk,and I heard that you have to make an appointment for the tarot reading.

Tarots aside, we decided to try their tea set. We ordered the Traditional Afternoon Tea, with Biku classic tea as the tea of choice. The restaurant offers a various range of teas, so you don't have to worry about not finding one that won't suit you. 

The tea set is accompanied with a set of small bites that are definitely simple and godly : sandwich with ham, cucumber, and smoked salmon as the savory bites, and two pieces of scones and a few other sweets on top. All of these cost Rp 105K, but definitely worth it. It gives a slightly different experience compared with TWG. 

 Furthermore, another must try would be the Signature Beef Pie. The size of the pie is large enough to leave you fulfilled in the afternoon. The taste is very fresh and delicious, the filling is perfect, and the crust is having just about the right thickness. While eating with ketchup doesn't sound to classy, you should probably try it. This little gem here costs you Rp 60 K as of 2014. 

Of course there are other things to be tried, however we didn't have the stomach capacity. Definitely will make a revisit once in Bali.

Warning : Do make reservation the day or two days before. It is always full even when it's not on holiday season.

Biku Bali

Jl. Petitenget 88, Kerobokan

0361-8570888

TWG Tea Boutique

Enjoy Your Afternoon Differently

We've spotted this little gem even before it was opened, and was patiently waiting for it.

Was worth the wait though, it was the right timing too since the last time we wanted to go there, we had to wait for, like, 7 more tables? Was very crowded.Fortunately, on our first try, we didn't have to wait that long.

Tea scented candle..?

Store is very nice and homey, although it could have been bigger. Kind of tightly packed, to be honest. Half of the store is used for mainly the Tea Store and kitchen. 

As usual, ambience discussion comes first. Very classy, very regal. Crowded, but with nice music. Heard any classical or Il Divo in any restaurant or cafes nowadays? That's right. 

The way the menu is sorted is like this : There are all-day menus, brunch menus, afternoon menus, and dinner menus. I forgot whether they have lunch menus, but let' s just presume they do. 

We ordered the tea set, which only available during afternoon time. The one that we chose was the sandwich and scone plus we ordered two macarons.  We ordered two pots of tea, mine was Diplomat's Tea and hers was Lavender Valley

The set, with sandwich and scone

Macaroons

First thing to say, the scone is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. It's not something commonly served and possibly not something commonly eaten here as well, but seriously give it a try.The texture is perfect, there is a good mix of sweetness and savory, and to make it even more perfect, it is served with tea jelly and butter cream. 

Personally I loved the butter cream better, but the tea jelly is also good on its own. Actually, you can just eat it directly. 

The macaroons were fine. The black one taste better in our opinion, and it might be the best one in the store. 

Golden Teapot... (stupid image won't rotate)

The tea? Well, mine as awesome for me and hers was awesome for her. Tea is a very personal thing. I like smoky ones, while she likes lavender. Simply pick the ones that suits you, whether oriental (Pu-Erh), smoky (like me), flowers (lavender, chrysanthemum), or just try anything you like. 

The meal and tea themselves cost around Rp 300 K, however the adventure didn't end there. We shopped for some tea and in total we spent around Rp 1 Mio just for the takeaway (3 tubes of tea, 100 gram each). 

You can find the store just at the ground floor of Plaza Senayan next to Metro Dept Store.

Definitely coming here for, maybe, a million visits.

TWG Tea Salon and Boutique
Plaza Senayan Ground Floor
Phone :  +62 21 572 5276