Combining bold Latin flavours with European and Asian flair, Santanera brings a burst of flavour to Bali’s dynamic dining scene, discovers Nick Walton.
Whether you’re a regular visitor or a Bali newbie, most travellers know that when it comes to the island’s best dining experiences, the oh-so-cool coastal enclave of Canggu is where it’s at. The once sleepy village is now a vibrant kaleidoscope of culinary concepts, the newest of which is Santanera.
An elegant venue helmed by Colombian natives Andres Becerra and German Rincon, the duo tap into their extensive, international culinary experiences and their homeland’s gastronomic traditions while adding touches of local flavour to create refined farm-to-table tapas.
Whether you’ve worked up an appetite or are just passing for a sunset libation, Santanera should be on your list. The two-level, glass-encased restaurant is a symphony of influences and inspirations. Touches of rattan, leather, polished timber, and wrought iron, surrounded by towering picture windows that dissolve the lines between inside and out, create an ambience akin to an elegant French boudoir.
The effect is especially enchanting at night when Persian-styled pendant lamps illuminate intimate tables and when revellers can farewell the last of the daylight from the lush rooftop. It’s the perfect canvas against which Becerra and Rincon weave their culinary magic, reinterpreting classic Latin leanings inspired by locally sourced ingredients.
By the time we arrive at the restaurant on a weekday evening, many of the 140 seats are taken and the venue is a hive of activity, with waiters smoothly gliding between tables and past eye-catching pieces by artists Dué Hatué. It’s a fitting ambience for a restaurant whose name is derived from the saint of the gypsies, and which references the joy of eating and drinking, and coming together as a community to do so.
We commence dinner with a round of superbly made martinis carefully curated by Santanera’s bar manager, Gabriel Steinberger, although cocktail lovers will also find some great innovations on the restaurant’s menu, including the Picante 37 with tequila reposado, triple sec, spicy tamarillo and jalapeno purée, and lime; and the Ambrosia with dry gin, absinthe liqueur, sour passion fruit, sage, lemon, and royal honey water – their best seller.
We match the drinks with the first course, the Mahi Mahi Tarama with island organic crudités and woodfired cassava bread (above). This silky, elegant dish has just enough umami to balance out the creaminess, and the texture of the tarama is juxtaposed with fresh, crunchy, organic vegetables.
This is quickly followed by the Sea Bass Tiradito with passion fruit, quinoa, and finger lime in a dish that is again infinitely elegant and a true homeland homage, the fish fresh and firm, the fruit adding sweetness and acidity. Blue swimmer crab with brown and white rice and a rich yet bright seafood broth is another triumph, at the same time hearty and light.
We finish with the Mille Feuille with dulche de leche ice cream, lemon curd, and salted caramelised hazelnuts, although Santanera’s signature strawberry and white chocolate granita, a rift on the classic Colombian street snack fresas con crema, is also to die for and features compressed watermelon, white chocolate ganache, strawberry granita, and milk sorbet.
Santanera is a true passion project; a restaurant that tells the story of ingredients and how they travel, of traditions and heritage, and of innovation that stays true. Combined with crisp, friendly service and a sensational drinks list, Becerra and Rincon’s cuisine is some of the best on the island.
For more Dining stories click here.