Sails, Amed 12-2014

If Amed has one fine dining restaurant, it is Sails. The reputation means that I've read about it online in recommendations and had it suggested by my accommodation owner and also someone else I was talking to locally. After eating (happily) at local venues, a slightly higher splash seemed appropriate for the final night in Amed. It was after a long day of morning scuba diving, afternoon walking and snorkelling and so appetite was at a high.

Sails has its own van with which they offer complimentary pickup and dropoff. It's a great luxury but necessary considering that the restaurant is quite a way down the Amed coast.

The setting is great (although only outdoors from what I could see) and the sunset was nice, although sadly facing the wrong way (east) so the full colours were behind us. Given the warm, lit outdoor evening, there were a few kamizake insects, but not enough to detract from the evening. The restaurant specialises in seafood, caters for Western dishes, actively avoids MSG and promotes cleanliness.

- Sail's own Fish Cakes (with chilli dipping sauce) - unusual in that the fish is not blended, but rather small chunks. Great win in texture and flavour;
- Fish soup signature dish (flavoured with lemongrass, citrus leaves) - better than Harmony's version with a more flavoursome broth although I probably prefer the stronger flavoured Thai and French seafood soups;
- Gado gado (lightly steamed vegetables with tempe, tofu, farm eggs and peanut sauce) - one of the more fancy versions with chunky ingredients to mix together, chopped hard boiled eggs and nice thick peanut sauce;
- Balinese Chicken Curry (slowly simmered in traditional Indonesian sauce) - mild creamy sauce served with a touch of yoghurt. Would have liked more heat in the curry;
- Pork Spare Ribs (trimmed of fat & gristle & slow cooked in Anik's special sauce) - reasonable ribs with some chew and not as tender as the wording said. The description is proud of these being unlike any others in Bali, but I didn't feel there was anything incredibly unique;
- Seafood Pasta (ribbon pasta with fish, prawns and calamari in a light cream sauce with wine and parmesan) - I think I've been spoilt by the seafood pastas of Italy. The seafood was a bit sparse and the overall sauce didn't have the impact of seafood flavour for me;
- Mie Goreng - nice addition of fried egg on top. Simple and effective dish.

This is a special occasion place with the ambience that could only be described as luxury for Amed. The food itself didn't excite me as much as I had hoped. I think part of the issue is that for a place that specialises in seafood, there aren't that many Indonesian/Balinese seafood dishes. Most are western which is fine, but not what I was looking for. However if I was to come again, I'd stick with Indonesian seafood entrees and the fresh seafood mains (eg. prawns or mahi mahi fillet).

Sails Restaurants Menu Reviews Photos Location and Info - Zomato