ALEXIS CHEONG - A SINGAPORE FOOD AND LIFESTYLE BLOGGER, Apr 2016

Zibiru, an Italian restaurant, is a hidden find nestled in the very heart of Seminyak, Bali that I discovered by chance when I visited the island for a vacation last month. I loved it so much I went back again for lunch after I fell in love with their Italian cuisine for dinner the first time round. Bali's really great for such things because if I were to have the same things in Singapore it would probably cost me an arm and leg, but an authentic Italian dinner in Seminyak is very possible for under S$50, including dessert and wine! Zibiru is rated quite highly on TripAdvisor too, for good reason.

This is what the lunch menu is like.

They also offer a Make Your Own Sandwich option, which is brilliant because most people won't want to have a heavy meal in the day. Prices are insanely great, from S$4.50 to $8 max for one. Bread is baked in house and ingredients imported from Italy. WHAT MORE DO WE NEED?

I was feeling more peckish since I did not eat breakfast, so I opted for one of the two pasta dishes available for lunch - the Tagliatelle with Duck Ragu Sauce (80k rupiah), together with a healthy beetroot carrot ginger juice (3.5k rupiah). The tagliatelle was fantastic - al dente and coated with a generous thick ragu sauce bursting with flavours. It wasn't necessarily too rich to the point where it gets all gooey and gross though. The minced meat just helped to break up the texture in your mouth. I'm salivating just reminiscing about it. Mmmm.

Tagliatelle with duck ragu and a healthy beetroot carrot ginger juice

I love the decor of the restaurant too. It's a cosy house setting with a nice yard with live music on Wednesday and Friday nights. On quiet nights its almost like dining at someone's home.

This is at night time, when I visited for dinner

Here's the Zibiru menu for dinner if anyone would like to have a look before heading down. Prices are really reasonable.

I had some light starters like bread and soup to start! Chef Luigi decided to whip up some off-the-menu items for me to try. That's a true test of a brilliant kitchen!

Really delicious bread, by the way. I also had a glass of "plaga wine", which is actually wine made from grapes harvested IN Bali, but processed using European winemaking techniques. Try the white, it was super refreshing and smooth.

Some tomatoes with chicken salad, refreshing and light.

I also had a risoni (also known as orzo) dish, which looks like risotto rice but in fact is a type of pasta! This was so comforting and homely, it's like having spoonfuls of hugs.

We also had a gelato affogato to end. That shot of Italian Espresso...

I would highly recommend anyone who is visiting Seminyak, Bali to visit Zibiru for the best Italian food they'll eat on that island. I'm not kidding! Don't be enchanted with the fancy gimmicks out there meant as tourist traps. Zibiru is an authentic Italian kitchen/cucina that will bring you to Italy while you're in Indonesia.

Zibiru Restaurant
7 Jalan Drupadi, Bali 803641, Indonesia
+62 361733265
10am to 12 midnight daily, except Sundays (5pm to midnight)