Rainbow Bowl at the Shelter

Beautiful delicious food, interior design that lives up to my aesthetic needs, and a warm yet hearty atmosphere are the three main reasons that makes me keep coming back to the Shelter every time I got the chance. True, they can charge an awful lot of money for tax and service, and the fact that the breezy rooftop garden doesn’t provide any parking lot for those who bring their personal vehicles to dine in adds up some minuses to the points, but I don’t mind as long as I have my food and that my food is served with some edible flowers on it. One thing that I notice though, which is a shameful thing to do, is how the staff treat us locals differently than the foreigners. But that’s another story I’ll tell in the future. In the mean time, let’s go for the food!

Finishing my Blue Moon on the go!

Mr. Waffles - 75K

I stumbled upon this salad dish that I instantly love. It goes by the name Soul Fuel Bowl. Consisted of a mix of shredded beetroot, carrot, and purple cabbage, garnished with cucumber swirls and a dollop of hummus with toasted seeds on top. Complete with a handful of organic quinoa and avocado on the sides, and it also comes with three okay pieces of homemade falafels. Finally, the salad from the garden is served with three house dressings that will definitely tingle your tastebud. Boy, when I first ordered this dish, I didn’t know what was coming - all I expected was a petite bowl of greens. But then, after 15 minutes of waiting, I was presented a humungous bowl of rainbow that looks as festive as a tumpeng. Gulp. 

It took me a while to figure how to devour this heavy breakfast. Things were all over the place and my bowl was very much occupied for me to mix them all up without having quinoa flying across the table. The three dressings were sweet, creamy and sour, and savory. I tried each dressings with my salad, then mix them all together in one bite as well, but my favorite among the three was the sweet one. Combined with the hummus and toasted seeds, the flavor quickly escalated and, the next thing I know, I was halfway through my salad. 

Soul Fuel Bowl - 85K

Blue Moon - 75K

The creamy and juicy Soul Fuel Bowl goes very well with this vegan smoothie named Blue Moon, a blue colored smoothie that resembles a beautiful unicorn. The blue color emerges when the chef adds a spoonful of Blue Majik Spirulina into the frozen banana and frozen white dragon fruit mixture. Add some vanilla cashew cream, a touch of lemon, and some dates, then mix them all together in a blender. Finally, garnish the top of the cold vegan beverage with sliced banana, blueberries, strawberries, and shredded coconut, and voila! 

The perfect breakfast combination.

I love love love how the banana overpower the entire flavor wheel, yet managed to keep the zest of the lemon and the sweet dates alive. The mixture is very thick and heavy, but trust me, it goes so well with the Soul Fuel Bowl. 

Unfortunately, despite its’ awesomeness for being vegan, Mr. Waffle is not gluten free. I finally convince myself to declare that day as a cheat day only so that I can enjoy the vibrant desert without having to feel guilty of consuming carbs. Thank God I made the right decision. 

15 minutes in. Suddenly, I heard a soft “ding” came from where the kitchen is and I spotted one of the staff carrying a plate of purple goodness. Of course, being the curious gastronomer that I am, I am familiar with how the waffle looks like, so I quickly assume that my order was going to be served in a few minutes. 

“Permisi, Kak,” said the waitress, who paced her way to the side of my table, “satu Mr. Waffle, ya.” She placed the desert on the table and I could hear numerous “Ooooo!” and “Wow!” overleaping from where I was seated. The sight of the vegan desert was breathtakingly beautiful. 

Grilled until it was slightly brownish in color, the Shelter’s Mr. Waffle is a one stack waffle garnished with what it seemed to me like a homemade vegan whipped cream in the color of purple on top, complete with a handful of various berries on the side, and came with a small cup of honey. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes. I sliced the waffle into four pieces and I could feel the crispiness of the edges as my knife slide through the grilled dough. 

I took a big bite of one slice, complete with all the decoration provided on the place, and I was lost for words. I could definitely taste some genuine honey here and there, meaning that it was not artificial sugar with honey flavor, and a dash of cinnamon as well. The berries was very juicy and refreshing, a very nice neutralizer from all the sweet action I was getting from the cream.

The Snickers

The other day, I also had this other vegan desert from the Shelter named Snickers, which is basically a vegan version of a Snickers Cake. It looked like a regular ol’ cake, but I didn’t feel guilty after I devoured the whole thing. It was very creamy, sweet, and peanuty. The chocolate infused inside had a raw kick into it, while the crumbly bottom layer was actually crushed cashew that tasted like shortbread crumbs. Oh, and did I mention that the cake, other than being vegan, was gluten free? 

Cauliflower Fries - 25K

Chill, guys, the Shelter is not a vegan cafe, so you meat eaters can still have some beef, bacon, and eggs for breakfast here. I highly recommend you to have the Shelter Big Burger with French Fries if you want to go for something tummy-filling and and heart-warming. They also have other healthy and delicious munchies, like Cauliflower Fries, plant based waffle, and vegan Chocolate Truffles. Just don’t forget to empty your stomach before visiting the Shelter because the terms “kenyang bego” applies here. I mean it!

Shelter Big Burger with French Fries - 99K

Shelter Cafe Bali
Jl. Drupadi No. 2B
Seminyak, Bali

Opening Hours:

MON - SUN: 8AM - 6PM

Contact:

+62 361 904 118

+62 813 3770 6471

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