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La Lucciola, Seminyak, Bali

Posted by  | Categories: Bali, Featured, Italian, Restaurants, Travel

After our decadent meal at Ku De Ta there was some discussion amongst our friends on Facebook which lead to a number of alternate dining recommendations being given.  We decided to follow their advice and booked a table at La Lucciola which was conveniently in Seminyak where we were staying.  To the Boy’s satisfaction we also managed to book the hotel car in advance and dodge being over charged by local taxis.  He is not the biggest fan of the whole rorting system of taxis in Bali and this was cause of many complaints from him.

The restaurant is located right up on the beach but unfortunately we arrived just after sunset so we missed the view as the golden sun had already plunged into the sea.   Despite this, I was still amazed at what a stunning setting; the restaurant is surrounded by lush gardens and Koi ponds facing out directly onto the beach.  It faces towards an area of beach on the northern end of Seminyak beach which is much quieter and more peaceful than the main area.

We were greeted with beaming smiles from all the staff and found a distinct lack of pretention that we saw when at Ku De Ta.  Upon arrival I handed the waiter my allergy eating card and off it went to make its obligatory journey around the kitchen to be returned back some time later with the waiter who offered some recommendations off the menu.  I was also informed that although normal bread is complementary, they do have gluten-free bread available for a small extra charge.  Being the only place in Bali that offered me gluten-free bread, I was already feeling quite positive about our evening.

The bread had great texture and was not crumbly or stodgy and I was quite impressed as I haven’t had a lot of good gluten-free bread experiences when travelling in Asian countries.  It was served with freshly whipped butter and olive oil.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak "vitello tonnato" veal "tuna aioli" capers rocket olives

Vitello tonnato: poached veal, tuna aioli, Sicilian capers, wild rocket, black olives, Parmigiano Reggiano

I had recently been reading a review on My Kitchen Stories on Café Sopra in Sydney where she tried their vitello tonnato.  So when I saw it on the menu I was keen to try this classic and elegant Italian summer dish for the first time.  It truly was a taste sensation.  The veal was tender and subtly sweet and was topped with big dollops of creamy almost pungent tuna flavoured sauce which contained an astringent hint of capers.  The sauce was definitely the key to this dish’s success.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak "roast duck" beetroot watercress "pear crostata"

Roast duck breast, beetroot, watercress, pear crostata

The boy ordered the duck for his entrée which consisted of a moist, juicy duck breast on top of a crisp pear pastry.  It was accompanied with some crunchy peppery watercress, fresh pear and some sweet beetroot.  He was suitably very impressed with his choice.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak barramundi fish seafood "celeriac puree" prosciutto

Pan roasted barramundi with Prosciutto, celeriac puree, snow peas, red wine reduction

My main was not nearly as tasty as the veal.  The barramundi was slightly over cooked and lacked that flaky softness I passionately love about this fish. I also felt that wrapping such a delicate fish in prosciutto overpowered the flavours somewhat.  The celeriac purée helped to lift some of this heaviness making the dish still overall quite enjoyable.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak "seafood stew" scampi prawns snapper calamari chilli sourdough bruschetta

Seafood stew: scampi, prawns, snapper, calamari, chilli, sourdough bruschetta

According to the Boy this was a very filling dish. It was heartily seasoned and all the seafood was cooked to his liking.  We also ordered some sides: the wild rocket salad with Pecorino Toscano and some roasted golden pumpkin with sliced almonds and balsamic.  The rocket was crisp and fresh with generous shavings of the salty almost nutty flavoured cheese. The pumpkin had the skin removed prior to roasting which is a shame as I think that caramelised chewy part is the best bit!

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak dessert pannacotta "berry pannacotta"

Berry pannacotta

The berry pannacotta held good shape despite the heat and didn’t collapse on my plate.  It was delightfully light and silky and it filled the last little spot left in my stomach perfectly.  The Boy ordered the gelato which he felt was fairly standard and nothing to get too excited about.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak gelato dessert

Gelato: coconut, vanilla bean, strawberry

La Lucciola was our second favourite meal during this Bali trip (compared to Ku De Ta) but if you take into consideration the venue, the price and the service I would say this meal was actually the best.

Travelling to Bali?  Be sure to check out the Lonely Planet Bali and Lombok Travel Guide before you go!

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La Lucciola
Jl. Kayu Aya, Seminyak, Bali 80361, Indonesia | (+62) 361 730 838
  
Price:                     $$$ (Entrée 107-145K Rp, $11-15 AUD, Mains 215-325K Rp, $22-33 incl tax)
Food:                    4.5/5 (they have gluten-free bread!)
Service:                5/5 (faultless, attentive, not obtrusive)
Ambience:           4.5/5 (beautiful beachside setting)
Drinks:                  3/5 (cocktails could be improved)
Total:                     17/20