KO in Bali is an excellent Japanese restaurant offering various types of teppanyaki and sushi menus in a range of settings, where the quality of the food is matched by the entertainment provided by the chef behind the counter.

I was getting a little tired of the monotony of the food at the Meridien restaurant, so I decided to try something new and look for a good restaurant in the area. After searching around for a while, I finally settled on KO, one of the restaurants at the Intercontinental Hotel, located about a 20-minute walk from my hotel.

You will find a summary of the articles on these holidays in Singapore and Bali at the bottom of the page.

Concept

KO is a Japanese restaurant, apparently one of the best in Bali, which, as I said, offers Teppanyaki or sushi menus in a variety of settings: at the counter, at the sushi bar, in a lounge…

Setting

The setting is traditional Japanese for this type of cuisine.

The menu

I chose the Teppanyaki option, so I was given the corresponding menu with a wide selection of dishes to choose from, ensuring that everyone could find something to suit their tastes and budget.

While the dishes are undeniably Japanese, the menu names refer to Balinese culture.

The meal

I arrive at the Intercontinental a little early for my reservation, which turns out to be a good thing: the hotel is huge and a real maze, and it takes me a while to find the restaurant. In fact, I get lost on the way back, which isn’t helped by the darkness in the resort.

A flight attendant takes me at the entrance to the restaurant and guides me straight to the dining room through a new maze of corridors.

Customers are already in place and eventually this counter will be full.

They give me the menu and ask if I would like an aperitif while I decide what to have.

You won’t be surprised to hear that I chose the KO Neguroni, a reimagined version of the Negroni: chamomile tea infused with gin, umeshu, Campari, sweet vermouth, and orange bitters.

Very good and well-balanced, much rounder and smoother than a classic Negroni. Finally, you can really taste the chamomile and Campari.

The miso soup was brought to me very quickly, accompanied by pickled appetizers.

The soup has a smoky flavor, very good with a balanced taste, and the appetizers are fresh and tasty.

Next up is a fresh garden salad with grilled salmon and rice straw, Ko-style Tataki.

The salad is made with radishes, tomatoes, and onions. The dressing isn’t acidic at all and is excellent, complementing the dish perfectly without being overpowering.

The salmon is delicious and tender.

It seems very simple, but I haven’t had such a good salad in a long time.

The chef begins to prepare the dishes and I enjoy the show.

He plays with the customers and occasionally throws pieces of meat at them with his spatula, which usually land in their open mouths.

Next comes the first course: assorted fresh vegetables from the highlands of Bedugul.

As he served me the vegetables, the chef presented me with the lobster and meat and asked me how I would like the meat cooked.

Once again, very good, the vegetables were cooked to perfection.

While eating, I watch the chef prepare my lobster.

We get right to the heart of the matter with the fresh half lobster with lemon and soy butter.

Superb and very appetizing.

A real treat. The lobster is cooked to perfection, firm to the touch and melting in the mouth, and the lemon butter and soy mayonnaise sauce is absolutely delicious, both delicate and light. You can taste everything: the lobster, the lemon, the ingredients in the sauce… and the sweetness of the soy is masked by the lemon and other ingredients. It’s warm but fresh at the same time.

Salmon and onion with yuzu ponzu.

Very tender: cut the meat and separate it piece by piece with a chopstick.

The onions are very light but add a subtle flavor that goes perfectly with the fish and yuzu. There should be a little soy sauce, but it’s so subtle that you can just barely taste it.

It’s delicate, tender, light, and the sauce is excellent.

Garlic fried rice, egg fried rice, or steamed rice, your choice.

Very good before the highlight of the show…

Australian beef fillet with red wine soy sauce.

It melts in your mouth, but paradoxically the sauce is subtle, and when you eat it with rice, it is the rice that dominates the flavor.

It’s very subtle.

We finish with dessert: teppanyaki banana and vanilla gelato ice cream.

Original, delicious, and refined, even for me, who is not a fan of desserts.

The meal ended with a bill of €110, which also included the aperitif, wine, and water, which I thought was very reasonable for this meal.

Service

A fun chef who puts on a show, an adorable and attentive waitress: perfect.

Bottom line

A wonderful experience to be repeated, whether for the quality of the food, the chef’s show, or the overall quality of the service.

The articles about these vacations in Singapore and Bali.

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