Daddy's Cafe ›› Bali Cafe - Restaurant and Bar in Tuban, Badung - Bali

Sitting up on the wind-blown terrace at Daddy’s Café, listening to the wonderful sound of bouzouki music, and looking out over the surrounding treetops, you could be almost anywhere in Greece! The only things missing are the rows of white-walled houses beneath the trees, and the babble of constant Greek!

Greek cuisine is rather plain, it could almost be considered peasant-ish in style, but I like it very much! Eating out in restaurants as much as I do probably increases my desire for relatively plain food, simple wholesome food, so that at times I almost crave it! Listening to bouzouki music whilst eating Greek food is almost like drinking Chianti with Italian, or sake with Japanese. Not at all necessary, but they just seem to go together.

What do you eat in Greek restaurants……lots! You tend to fill up with a large variety of Mezedes [appetizers], followed by a simple meat or fish dish and then, if you so desire, a sticky dessert to finish. Whilst sipping wine all the time, of course.

I guess the real secret of Greek food is their Mezedes. At Daddy’s, the choice is mind-boggling. A Souvlaki Roll consists of spicy minced beef with tomato, onion and tzatziki, then rolled in pita bread. Moussaka is layers of sliced potatoes sandwiching slabs of eggplant and ground beef in a bechamel sauce. Or you can have little Stick Spring Rolls, which are filled with of a mixture of ground beef, shrimps and vegetables.

Gemista are a selection of stuffed green peppers and tomatoes. Full of a mixture of rice, raisins and a variety of herbs. Cheese Saganaki is slabs of pan-fried fetta cheese with oregano and lemon juice. Tasty little Vegetable Balls are just that, deep fried bundles of chopped vegies, that have been dipped in a batter.

The easiest way to eat Mezedes, is to do it the Greek way! Just order the Super Assorted Plate. It is almost like a Greek yum-cha! Pick away at the wild assortment of food, sip your wine whilst listening to the bouzoukis, and you really will think you are in Greece!

The Super Assorted Plate is a mix of hot and cold appetizers. I think we counted 12 different little dishes. The centre of the large plate contained wonderful chunks of Octopus in a thick Red Wine Sauce. Why Octopus never seems to be used by other than Mediterranean cuisines, I do not understand. There were three different salads [beef, Russian and a vegetable one], as well as portions of Gemista, Moussaka, Stick Spring Rolls, Vegetable Balls, a stuffed boiled potato, stuffed zucchini and a few other offerings of which we not sure of, other than their agreeable taste.

For a relaxed light lunch, this spread on it’s own is a perfect and very cheap solution. At Daddy’s they also serve Pastas, Sandwiches and a few Pizzas for those who demand something other than Greek food. When I go to a Greek restaurant, it is to eat Greek food!

Soups include a Kakavia a Greek bouillabaise or fish soup, a Goulash Soup and a Chilled Gaspacho served with croutons. How few restaurants in Bali serve chilled soups, yet for this weather they are often perfect!

For dinner though, the Mezedes only warm you up for your Kreata – Kynigi – Poulerika that is to follow. That’s Greek for Meat, Poultry & Game. The giant-sized Kebabs are definitely the way to go at Daddy’s. The Mixed Meat Kebab has layers of tenderloin beef, chicken, lamb and sausage, interspersed with pieces of onion and peppers. All are great but none more so than the tasty little sausage that is stuck on the end of the kebab. The kebab arrives as a large wooden sword. It is accompanied, as all of this section of the menu, by a small salad and your choice of baked potato, chips or rice. What is more, the chips here are slabs of real live potato, not the manufactured-from-mash-then-frozen variety. What a pleasant change that makes!

There is also a Mixed Fish Kebab consisting of pieces of snapper, tuna and mae fish, or a Seafood Kebab of Snapper, Tuna, Cuttlefish and Prawns.

Three different steaks [from imported meat] are on offer; Sirloin with a Herb Butter, Pepper or a T-bone. The Grilled Lamb Chops done with oregano, rosemary and lemon juice are real authentic Greek. If you are game for game, then how about a Breast of Pigeon. This is a roasted pigeon breast with grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and bacon in a tomato sauce.

There is a selection of 10 seafood dishes. Including a Golden Mixed Grill of assorted seafood.

The drink list at Daddy’s is most impressive for it’s originality, and low prices. And there is a large range of fruit juices and non-alcoholic cocktails. One that goes by the dubious name of a Shirley Temple is a thirst-quenching combination of lime, grenadine and dry ginger ale. The wine list also gives you a fairly wide variety of choices. Though small in total number there is still a combination of French, Australian, Spanish, Chilean and Italian wines by the bottle [Rp. 130-210,000++]. Australian Burgundy or Reisling is also available by the glass [Rp. 20,500++] or half litre carafe [Rp. 42,000++].

If you are still hungry, then there is a mixture of Greek and European sweets [Glyka] including Loukov Mades, honey puffs with ice cream.

The service is usually friendly and informative, although a couple of them try a bit too hard. All in all a most pleasant place to visit with a happy crowd, to enjoy good food at a reasonable cost, and in a very relaxed atmosphere

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