Ghost Makes a Brilliant addition to Berawa’s Eat Street.

Berawa, canggu bali, bali restaurant, steak house

Can't Decide What To Eat? Ghost Doesn't Make It Easy!

Pulling up outside the two-story Ghost, a welcome addition to Berawa’s Eat Street, the two-story restaurant is humming. The sound of laughter and a good times soundtrack spills out onto the street along with a few patrons enjoying a drink.

The welcome inside is warm and inviting. Some restaurants have ‘it’ and others don’t and getting the recipe right takes more than luck. This one ticks all our boxes from the start. Partners in business and life, Chef Tim Stapleforth and GM Jodi Langford are seasoned restaurant professionals. They met in Melbourne, working for the highly acclaimed Supernormal, and were enticed to Bali by the M. group – Tim cooking at Mason in Canggu and Jodi effortlessly running the floor at Bar Vera.

They’d always planned to open a restaurant one day, but when this space became available, the stars aligned and Ghost happened.

Berawa, canggu bali, bali restaurant, steak house

“Tim loves the flavour from the wood-fired grill, so we built one and we opened the kitchen up so our guests can watch the magic happen and Tim can keep his eye on the dining room and be part of the experience,” explains Jodi who swiftly seats us, takes drink orders and gives us her recommendations from the menu. There’s no rush, it’s just how she rolls!

The menu is European with a touch of Asian, exploring local food and ingredients. It’s only early when we arrive but the main dining room floor is already busy with a diverse crowd: friends dining together, couples and families. The DJ spinning vinyl singles in the corner is a great soundtrack for the evening, with mostly R&B tunes playing lots of familiar songs.

Sometimes it feels like the world is eavesdropping on you, visiting Ghost for the first time to discover the DJ spinning vinyl singles on his dual turntable was one of those moments. The younger members of our group had never seen them before and quickly fell in love with the playlist.

Jodi’s recommendations in hand, we ordered starters and mains to share – Ghost encourages family-style dining. There’s a lot on this menu that you will want to order – from snacks to small and large plates, with some delicious sides and creative desserts. The sourdough waffles topped with salmon leapt off the menu and we had to try them – crispy waffles with a creamy herb-laced topping are whimsical and delicious.

Berawa, canggu bali, bali restaurant, steak house, DJ

We also ordered the local saucison, made by Jono’s – a local hero. They’re served with fresh sourdough bread and pickles that our friend Agel declared were so good, that she wanted to cry! Chef Tim was so chuffed by her reaction he presented her with a jar at the end of our dinner. She’s still talking about it!

For mains, we took our time – small plates including a comte souffle, fire-roasted octopus and cured kingfish were on our list. Large plates including the Papuan prawns ( a best seller) were also high on our list yet finally we decided on the house-favourite jerk seasoned pork chop and a new dish: spiced duck leg with blackberries and walnuts ( very French)! We added a side of cucumber with hazelnut pesto and burrata (an amazing combination).

It’s easy to see why the pork chop is a firm favourite – served with a side of smoked pineapple, it’s perfectly charred on the outside and juicy on the inside, the pineapple the perfect foil for the salty pork. Yum. The duck leg was a lesson in French-style cooking. Falling off the bone it melted perfectly into the tart blackberries with the fresh crunch of castel franco.

The notable thing about this menu is there are lots of dishes you’ll want to try – from prawns to steak, beef tartare, fresh barramundi and even a cheeseburger. The prices are affordable with mains starting from just Rp150K to the most expensive item – the grilled Papuan prawns – at Rp350K. Ghost is the kind of casual restaurant you could visit repeatedly and happily.

I sampled a natural wine with my main course, a slightly tart pinot-style wine from the Czech Republic. This wine list is quirky and interesting; offering just 2 carefully chosen wines in each category – including the very fashionable orange wine. Taking a seat at the bar is a great idea, with the DJ spinning smooth tunes and a menu of signature cocktails, this is the best place to enjoy the snack menu and a few drinks overlooking the action.

We rarely turn down dessert and after a healthy debate and an intervention by Jodi we decided to share a retro-style upside-down honey cake with fig, white chocolate and a divine fior di latte gelato. If I’d had my way we would have dived into the dark chocolate mousse with coffee caramel but I guess I’ll save that for my next visit.

Tim and Jodi have pulled off something very appealing with Ghost – it’s relaxed, affordable, and it’s good fun. Upstairs there’s a terrace, more tables and a lounge area – also a good spot for drinks and snacks and the restaurant hums. These two very passionate professionals have created the kind of place one suspects they enjoy themselves.

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