Mana

The pork belly tacos (IDR80k/US$5.67 for 3) at Uluwatu Surf Villa’s Mana restaurant have us shook. Imagine this: crisped-up cuts of fatty pork belly on the bottom, with guac on top to make it creamy and fresh, tangy chipotle barbecue sauce, and some grilled onion for a little zing — all atop a fresh, homemade flour tortilla.

Mana is the younger cousin of Uluwatu surf shrine, Drifter, and has a similarly inspired menu of subtle Indonesian fusion and Cali-Mex with touches of #health. 

Also similar are the surf-lodge vibes. The people in charge of these places clearly know how to create an ambience for sea-lovers, with an admirable use of wooden and natural materials. Mana is wood from floor to ceiling with a panoramic clifftop view of the ocean and in a prime position to catch those legendary Bali sunsets (when it’s not cloudy and rainy season, that is). There’s a long bar at the center of the restaurant with a turquoise-tiled backsplash and a yellow gun, making for quite the statement piece.