Barbacoa - Latin American Grill - Bali

Barbacoa is one of Seminyak's buzzing spots in 2014. It is a Latin-American themed restaurant located on Jalan Petitenget, in front of the Fave Hotel Umalas and Sardine.

It has a large air-conditioned main room with a bar, and an outside area with rice field views. When I visited, it was busy with people who seemed to be for the most part chic and trendy. Typical Seminyak crowd.

The main attraction and originality of the restaurant is the over-sized wood-fired grill where they roast a different animal every day:

It was the first time that I saw such a barbecue so I felt compelled to try their signature dish, the 8-hour Wood Fired Asado of the Day (220grams). Priced at 250,000 (+16% tax and service) and served without any side dish, I was expecting something incredible that I could tell my grand-children about one day.

How disappointed I was to see a small portion of pork arriving at my table! I thought that maybe the taste would be exceptional but it wasn't at all. Sure it was good, but the price is completely disconnected from the overall experience. I remembered having Babi Guling (Bali's favourite dish = Roasted Pork) for only 30,000rp and it didn't look much different than what I ate in Barbacoa.

Overall: Barbacoa is well-designed, stylish, crowded, and original. For these reasons, I would recommend you to have a try. The service was good also and at least one of the Australian owners was on site. However, my total bill reached almost Rp500,000 for just a cocktail and a main dish made of pork (the cheapest meat available in Bali) with a side of Potatoes. It is ridiculously overpriced and I would not visit a second time because of this. For Rp500,000, you can have a Sunday Brunch in Mulia Hotel with unlimited Foie Gras, Oysters and King Prawns!