This new Balinese Restaurant, The Waterlily, is just a stones throw from my office in Tropicana.  This place though unique looking in design (well, about as unique as a Balinese restaurant can be) is a franchise and falls under the same group as Ole-Ole Bali and Bumbu Bali. I have not been a fan of either Ole-ole nor Bumbu Bali in the recent years because their food is way too greasy and the taste is sub-par. It never use to be like this in the past. Bumbu Bali started off well, but the quality of their food has since dropped, in the recent years.

For drinks, my colleague ordered the Bubur Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice) which was unusual as this is normally served as dessert. Instead we got an ice-blended version and it made a nice change because the santan (coconut milk)  was fresh and did not have that engineered taste. Refreshing but a little too heavy as a drink accompanying rice .. as we soon found out.

Soto Ayam - I liked this dish a lot. They gave us massive chunks of white chicken breast meat , carrots, potatoes and rice cubes, in a clear, savory broth. Add the herbs on the side and a generous squeeze of lime and you have yourself a delightful dish. This is served with garlic bread.

Sotong Salad.. Another winner just because of the shear amount of Sotong(Squid) they used in the salad. I hope that these massive portions continue throughout their lifespan as a restaurant. With Bumbu Bali, we found that the quality of food dropped substantially after a time. Since waterlily is also a franchise, I hope that they do not follow in those footsteps.

Nasi campur – This was good too. The grilled lamb was mixed in with a generous amount of coriander and served with yellow rice, kangkung belacan (water convolvulus), a delicious ginger dip, chili dip and a crispy wafer (keropok). The plate looked huge, but my colleague said that the portion of rice was actually rather small. Just nice for one person to finish.

Would we come back to this place? Yes, because it is convenient for a working lunch. Whether or not the quality continues, remains to be seen.

Other reviews that I liked on this place:

1. masak-masak

2. TNG