It seems restaurants and cafés are popping up almost monthly in Kuta these days. The latest to add to the south coast dining scene is Kemangi Bar and Kitchen – the southern sister of the highly successful Square Restaurant in Senggigi.

The purpose-built restaurant exudes elegance, from the river rock water feature in front to the lavish use of stone and polished wood inside. Soaring cathedral ceilings wash the main dining area in light, creating a bright and airy ambience and providing space for exclusive mezzanine seating overlooking the main dining area.

Outside, the garden provides a casual space for meeting friends for drinks and relaxed dining at shaded tables with comfy cushioned benches, surrounded by greenery and soothing water features.

The menu, under the leadership of Square’s Executive Chef Made Suyana, offers many of the dishes that have made Square Restaurant so popular – Lamb Shank on mashed potato covered with rich brown gravy, US Beef Striploin with herb butter and black pepper sauce, Two Islands Seafood with salmon fillet, mahi-mahi and prawns, fresh pastas, and more.

Local specialties include Ikan Saus Kemangi (Baby Snapper Fillet with a piquant basil sauce), Lombok’s iconic dish Ayam Taliwang (grilled chicken with a spicy sauce), as well as popular dishes such as Nasi Goreng and mixed satays with peanut sauce.

All dishes are freshly prepared, including the breads and fabulous desserts from the in-house bakery. Highly recommended are the Chocolate Brownies with vanilla ice cream and chocolate ganache, and the Caramelised Lemon Tart with palm sugar syrup and vanilla ice cream.

The 2-course set menu, available for lunch or dinner at just Rp 90,000++, is exceptionally good value. There is a choice of three different salads and two soups for starters, including Green Papaya and Prawn Salad, Greek Salad, or the delicious Red Capsicum and Tomato Soup.

Main course choices include Grilled Fish Fillet with Chilli Tomato Salsa, Green Peas Crusted Chicken Breast, a big Beef Burger, and more.

This menu is perfect for a business lunch or a casual dinner, accompanied by a cold beer or a bottle of wine from the in-house cellar. Freshly brewed coffees and a variety of specialty teas are also available.

The bar at Kemangi is well-stocked with beers, spirits and wines and, when we visited, the temperature-controlled wine cellar was being installed. There is also a good selection of cocktails on offer and daily ‘Happy Hours’ from 5 – 7pm.

Take-away beverages are also available, as are take-away meals, for those staying in villas in the area or whenever you can’t be bothered going out!