Potato Head Beach Club
Perhaps it’s not what you’d expect to find along dusty Jalan Petitenget, but follow the private access road until you meet the sparkling Indian Ocean and there you’ll find the latest hot addition to the Seminyak scene – Potato Head Beach Club.
This Balinese sister of the successful and sophisticated Jakarta Potato Head opened in December 2010. Set on a secluded stretch of Seminyak Beach and designed in a minimalist, uber-contemporary style, Potato Head Beach Club greets with an infinity-edge pool seemingly merging into the pounding surf and surrounded by an ocean of blue daybeds. A stylish lounge-bar-restaurant area dissected by a long marble bar sprawls over an extensive split level timber deck crafted from recycled boats. The venue’s open-air design maximises sea views, natural light and fresh breezes, while the distinctive multi-coloured vintage wood shutters – also a feature at the Jakarta venue – provide a totally avant garde look.
There’s a faint whiff of exclusivity – this being a beach club – and standards are high, but the overall concept is relaxed, casual and chilled: so relaxed that a day is easily spent enjoying a leisurely lunch, a laze around the pool and, armed with a cooling Potato Head cocktail, a front row seat at the mango-hued sunset spectacular. Cool sounds from an established crew of international DJs helps set the evening vibe, before its time for dinner.
This casual element is also reflected in the menus with their focus on global comfort food – albeit gourmet – using the finest, freshest ingredients for outstanding quality. Classic favorites include roasted baby organic chicken with herbs and mashed potato, prime steak frites and Tasmanian lamb rack. Be sure to leave room for the wicked puddings like oven baked apple and mixed berry crumble or warm sticky date pudding.
Cocktails are a Potato Head trademark. Inspirational signatures are assembled by a British mixologist, mouth-wateringly infused with fresh quality ingredients. The Punch tipple of bygone days has been brought bang up to date with recipes such as island-style ‘Mexican Tea-Key-Lah’ – perfect for sharing with friends at sunset. Other unique creations include the refreshingly tangy ‘Kookaburra,’ with lemongrass gin and homemade vanilla sugar ‘lovingly muddled’ with fresh mint leaves and lime and layered with passion-fruit and vanilla foam.
Potato Head is still evolving and two more restaurants – seafood Asian style and French with a Japanese twist – are due to open imminently. Plans are also afoot to serve breakfast-brunches alongside the lunch and dinner menus already on offer. Regular hosted events include monthly hip dance parties.
Potato Head Beach Club is already attracting an eclectic bunch; from tourists to business execs to families – kids love the pool and lawns, not to mention the food! After a few blissful hours at Potato Head it’s hard to decide what’s more chilled – the guests or the sensational cocktails.
Potato Head Beach Club, Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak, Bali 80361
Tel: 0361 737979 • www.ptthead.com