text by James Carys - images courtesy of The Tao Bali

One of Nusa Dua's favourite restaurants has been undergoing a facelift of late with a change of hands in the kitchen and a complete revamp of the menu ready to launch in time for August this year.

The Tao Bali (Jl Tanjung Benoa, T: 0361 773 730) has been regarded by many as one of the island's best Thai eateries since they opened back in August 2006. It's always been a bit of a mystery to me as to why there are only a handful of quality Thai restaurants in Bali: slowly this is changing but The Tao Bali remains pretty close to the top of the list.

Situated right at the end of the Tanjung Benoa road the restaurant is perched right on the beach with a relaxed dining terrace area outside, air-conditioned interior and views that stretch over the beach to the ocean and the Nusa Dua horizon. Authenticity has always been the primary goal of The Tao Bali with their chefs all Thai nationals, the cuisine bold in flavour, texture and presentation. Chef Supong, a Bangkok expatriate has recently taken over duties in the restaurant after working extensively in some of the best restaurants in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and most recently in the 'King of Thai' Jakarta. Supong brings with him an incredibly in-depth knowledge of Thai and Chinese cuisine making him a natural successor to Ibu Vaeta who helmed The Tao Bali after running the highly respected kitchens of La Na Thai, Jakarta.

The new menu has been expanded considerably since her departure and now features over fifty individual dishes. For an entrée the subtle Malaysian Martabak with minced chicken, crab meat and vegetables comes highly recommended as does the Yum Naue – charcoal grilled beef tenderloin served with a light summer salad and chili lime dressing. The Tom Yam Kung is a Thai institution in its own right and makes the transition to Bali without any loss of its classic, clean lemongrass and kafir tang.

For a main we selected the Tao Garupa from the Water menu. The tender fish is fried and dressed in a sweet and sour chili and garlic sauce topped with red and green peppers then sprinkled with cashew nuts. Perfectly accompanied by a firm favourite of ours – the Kaow Phad Suparod, Thai style pineapple fried rice with fresh shrimp and chicken.

As all of the dishes on the menu are reasonably portioned you may be forgiven for not having the appetite to properly explore some of the lesser known regional Thai delicacies at Tao. To solve this quandary the chefs have created two tasting menus each with five courses at extremely reasonable prices. The Sunset Sampling Menu is worth checking out as an introduction to Asian cuisine whilst the Twilight tasting menu is a perfect option for a more lengthy dinner experience. Open for lunch (a favourite midday dining spot for former President Ibu Megawati as well as the Thai Ambassador to Indonesia we're informed) and dinner, Tao remains one of Nusa Dua's premier independent restaurants and one of Bali's finest Thai eateries