java jive

the setting

All along Jalan Petitenget, an extension of Jalan Laksmana, aka “eat street”, hot new places are opening their doors to cram the street with a variety of world cuisine. Java Jive, which has no doors, is really easy to drop into and enjoy the open-style dining area, the gamelan tinkles and the sizzle of the open kitchen. The concept reflects traditional Indonesian warung dining but served up in a fresh, well-lit style for visitors who have yet to step inside the small and popular eateries that dot every road and highway across the archipelago. The dining area is close to the road, adding the babble of passing pedestrians to the sounds of crickets in the rice fields behind the café. With Potato Head just next door, the location is perfect for some casual dining before a long night out, or a satisfying meal after sunset cocktails.

the food

For many visitors who are expe-riencing Bali or Indonesia for the first time, Java Jive can be an in-troduction to a new world of food and flavours. The menu of Indone-sian and then Western dishes is designed so that parties can share a dish or two of each style. The portions are more than generous and the plates come piled high. An Indonesian staple vegetable dish, gado-gado, is showcased with its freshly steamed vegeta-bles, spicy tempe and fluffy tofu, while the lean cubes of grilled meat on the sate served with pea-nut sauce are ideal entrees into the taste of Indonesian street food with their smoky flavour and sweet spicy sauce.

For a real treat, the tender and succulent pork ribs will also clue you into the reason why the Balinese love their babi guling, a suckling pig that is spit-roasted and served at ceremonies. The stacked pork ribs at Java Jive melt from the bone and satisfy with each bite; but don’t go overboard as there are dessert dishes too! The famous black rice pudding, nutty with coconut milk, and the indulgent chocolate lumpia, a fine crisp pastry wrapped around chocolate and banana, are two of the highlights that go surprisingly well with a cold Bintang beer.

the unique

Java Jive’s unique feature is its generosity. Each dish is lavished with the freshest ingredients, the tastiest sauces and the most authentic flavours. The Indonesian menu is inexpensive and creates a perfect bridge for newcomers to cross into the world of exquisite spice combinations that define Indonesian cuisine. Taste your way through a history of the spice trade and foreign influences that create the spicy curries of Malaya, the stewed meats of the Dutch and the warming spices of cinnamon and clove from China. Indonesian food is a melting pot of cultural influences and, for a very reasonable price, you can have them introduced to your palate at Java Jive.

Java Jive Café, 
Jl. Raya Petitenget no. 469,
Seminyak,
T: 0361 736 656