Warung Menega, Lombok

If we had gone to the Jimbaran Bay seafood stalls when we were in Bali, would we have enjoyed our trip then a lot more? The answer is probably a resounding yes, going by our experience at Warung Menega, which is apparently a "sister" stall to one of the more famous Jimbaran Bay stalls.

The seating comprises of a few rickety-looking wooden tables and chairs set up on the beach, barely 100 m away from the waves (indoor seating is also available but it's a tad smoky). For me somehow seafood tastes incredibly delectable when eating with the sand between your toes, listening to the waves lapping gently on the beach, and with the dim flicker of candlelight.

You start off by selecting your food, which is fun. There are a few tanks up in front where you can look at the seafood available (not live, but fresh given the fast turnover) and decide what looks the most appealing and yummy. Prices are very reasonable.

Your choice of seafood is then smeared with a special chilli mix, and flash-grilled over a searingly hot coconut husk fire. It must have been those coconut husks that gave the food its wonderfully aromatic smokey fragrance!

Our first meal there cost about SGD30 (half kg of clams, half kg of white snapper, and half kg of king prawns), with kangkong "pelaching" (basically, blanched kangkong vegetable with chilli belachan on top). My first few mouthfuls and I was swooning in delight - everything tasted really good and swimmingly fresh, though the fish was a tad overcooked and it might be a fussy business to pick out the fine bones but who's bothered? And the dips (chilli belachan; finely diced chilli padi with onions, garlic and lime; garlic paste; kechap manis) were simply astounding. Just eating that belachan with rice alone, I would be a happy camper.

Well one meal was not enough so we made a return trip two nights later, selecting half kg of clams, half kg of calamari, and half kg of berona fish, as well as the "standard" kangkong dish (this time, stir-fried). This second dinner cost only SGD15! We both loved the berona, do choose this if it is available, its flesh is much sweeter in taste than the snapper, and has a smooth texture.

What a lovely experience... this is the stuff that good memories are made up of.