i spy with my little eye

01 silver for alexandria

Hatten Wines celebrated a silver medal victory in the prestigious Wine for Asia event in Singapore last October. Made in Bali with grapes Muscat of Alexandria, the Hatten Wines – Alexandria impressed the nine wine judge panellists, headed by wine guru John Chua. 

The same bottle brought home a bronze award from the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, UK in 2003. On top of winning the silver medal for Alexandria, Hatten’s two fortified wines Pino de Bali red and Pino de Bali white also both received bronze medals. www.hattenwines.com

02 coffee for santa

As Christmas draws upon us, many joints and coffeehouses alike don splashes of glitters and sparkles to liven up the celebration. So is Starbucks with the return of their iconic red cups throughout their counters across the nation. The festivities can also be found lingering in your cups as the joint launches special holiday beverages, ranging from toffee nut latte and peppermint mocha to cranberry white chocolate mocha. You can have tasty nibbles of their tempting fare too: holiday beef and egg bagel, blueberry and strawberry cream cheese, etc.

Especially for Bali, the most famous coffeehouse on the planet is holding hands with a couple of museum organisations to jumpstart the Ayo ke Museum programme this December. A tour around Rudana Museum, Nyoman Gunarsa Museum, Neka Museum and Arma Museum is thus free of charge by showing substitute tickets available at any Starbucks counter on the island.

03 top banana

mewhere between Ubud and Sayan recently, we dived off the beaten track and headed down a road less-travelled. We eventually came across a wooden road sign leading to a Balinese family compound-cum-café, which was aptly named Kopi Desa (Banjar Penestanan Kaja, Ubud, www.raciproject.org). There we relished the opportunity to see how traditional coffee is processed, all the way from raw beans to the warm, aromatic cups sitting on the table. 

The coffee was a delight, however we also managed to sate our craving for slices of banana cake. Mmmmm! We wondered at first whether the cake was made of real bananas or whether a mix of artificial flavouring and flour had been used. Our suspicions were allayed however when we took our first bite, which revealed a slightly moist texture filled with delicious soft pieces of fresh banana pulp. This tasty homemade treat also teased our taste buds with hints of cinnamon and caramelised palm sugar. A few sips of delightful Balinese coffee sealed the deal for us. One blissful Ubud high-tea session.

04 bag of tricks

Snapshots of Balinese culture turn heads in galleries and exhibitions all over the world. With their vibrant colours and exuberance, the island’s Hindu rituals offer wonderfully visual moments that just beg to be captured, and Bali is surely one of the most photogenic destinations on the face of the planet.A nifty DSLR camera is definitely a must-have on-the-go item if you’re looking to capture some stunning shots, and on rainy days, we never venture out on a snapping mission without our reliable Samsonite camera bag (www.samsonite.co.id). Of the 12 models launched this year, we opted for the stylish messenger bag, which proved to be quick to unzip if one is diving for one’s camera in order to capture a few split-second snapshots. The cherry on top (not literally) of this waterproof photographer’s bag is its detachable compartment, which is suitable for a tripod, various camera utensils and more. You’ll look every bit the fastidious professional with one of these Samsonite babies strapped to your back.