Settled close to Ayung River, Fivelements Retreat Bali is a property that’s nothing short of heavenly, if your idea of heaven is an eco friendly paradise. One goes to Bali in search of natural beauty, which exists here in abundance. Nestled within these wonderful premises that are marked by tropical gardens, ponds and bodies of flowing water is Sakti Dining Restaurant. Just like the rest of Fivelements Retreat Bali, this place doesn’t detach you from nature even for a moment.
Our visit for dinner to Sakti Dining Restaurant was a surreal experience with the beauty of the natural elements used in its construction being enhanced by the carefully placed lighting at night. With River Ayung passing by peacefully, the outdoor dining experience is charming. The dining room is surrounded by nature and you get amazing views from the outdoor and upper seating sections which are in demand. It is a perfect place for a romantic candle-lit dinner, where you can just sit back and relax and let nature overcome you.
The Sakti Dining Restaurant welcomes you warmly with its spacious spread. Making our way through the beautiful sculptures that adorn the place, we were introduced to our seating arrangement, which turned out to be the best spot to settle in for a meal. Unlike most other places, it was not along the ground but up above a tree, on an expertly built bamboo platform that makes for a rare and unique experience. Just like the watchtower kind of dining area that reminded me of the adventurous jungle safari films, most other elements are also designed using bamboo, including the path that leads up to it.
Soon after we settled in, soaking in the brilliant vibe, we had fresh young coconut water which soothed our senses.
When I was going through the menu for the food selection, I was pleasantly surprised to find my childhood favorite, baked sweet potato, and was very keen to experience the restaurant’s version of the same. I am so glad I chose this dish which was excellently made and I would have regretted had I not chosen the same.
Then we were served delightful and healthy, flavor-packed hummus flat bread in which carrot cashew hummus, raw vegetables, wild herbs and flowers were aesthetically placed on almond coriander flatbread.
Next, we explored the brilliant delicacy, Tropical Garden Pizza, made in a healthy way. The pizza had generous sprinkling of pineapple, avocado and coconut bacon, with an almond crust and cashew cream cheese.
The quintessential mushroom dumplings were next on our list. The combination of mushroom, spinach, radish and spring onion was a wonderful treat to savour.
In the award winning Sakti Dining, we had the pleasure of enjoying a few incredible and never heard before vegan dishes. Have you ever had Beetroot Burger with some Asian flavors? We tried their Shiitake Beetroot Burger and it tasted awesome, with caramelized onion, sweet potato chips mayonnaise and pickles greatly enhancing the experience.
The open faced cheese sandwich with tomato, cucumber and basil was not only most appealing to see but amazing to taste as well.
For desserts, we chose a refreshing trio of seasonal sorbet with tropical fruits and coconut cashew ice cream.
We had a very fresh healthy satisfying feel at the end of our dinner. It is no wonder that guests, some of them being avid non-vegetarians, come back repeatedly to Sakti to experience their healthy vegan plant based cuisine in the nature based setting. The food is super delicious but light on the stomach, the portions are just right and the presentation has a lot of attention to detail. The view of the softly flowing river and the natural setting takes the fine dine experience to a different level.
Sakti Dining lives up to its theme of “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. They have rightfully won several awards, including World Luxury Restaurant Award, Luxury Travel Guide Restaurant and Bar Award and The International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association Award.
If you are looking for the best restaurant to enjoy vegan food in Bali, look nowhere other than Sakti Dinging at Fivelements Retreat Bali.
You can read more about it here.