Dining at the Sawah Terrace is an incredible experience! And it’s a great way to try some local cuisine. We really enjoyed the family-style dining, and being able to try many variations of traditional Indonesian meals. The girls loved the experience of trying a variety of new foods. We enjoyed the beautiful presentation.

We started by inquiring about the experience by messaging the resort team on WhatsApp. Their phone number is listed on their webpage. Once you message them they’re very responsive. If you’re planning to eat here give yourself at least a day in advance to have your reservations settled before you arrive. 

Entering they will ask for your reservation details and do a quick inspection of the vehicle. After this they allow you to enter through the gates. As you arrive it feels almost like entering a temple from an Indiana Jones movie.

The split gateway (candi bentar) is very large and very impressive. The water fountains and ivy growing down from the wall are beautiful. Upon being dropped off, we entered the lobby to relish the cliffside view. A personal butler greeted us, offering the choice to either explore the luxury hotel lobby or proceed directly to the restaurant. We chose to check out the lobby first!

The lobby is opulent with furniture made from tropical dark wood. The craftsmanship of the area shows in all the small details of the relaxed lounge. The shallow pools with water fountains create a nice relaxing atmosphere. The trickling of water adds subtle background music to the natural beauty of the lobby experience. 

When we were ready, they asked us to wait for a golf cart to transport us down to the restaurant. The property is very large to walk so it is normal for them to shuttle hotel guests in private golf cars around the luxury sanctuary.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, they directed us to our reserved area. The private patio area overlooked the rice fields below and had river views amongst the private garden. Dining near Ubud’s Ayung River offers both a thrilling sight of adventurous rafters and a delightful riverside picnic vibe, providing entertaining and scenic experiences.

We sat down at a beautifully set table and a floral arrangement and the staff then took our drink order. We were then delivered a very large ceramic bowl with half a lime, and some other leaves and water. This is an ancient Balinese tradition called “mewacik”.

In traditional Balinese houses, this is how they wash their hand before a meal. We were very excited to get to experience this! You wash your hands in the water so you are clean for eating your meal. The herbs and lime smell amazing! I wish I could find a candle that smells this way to take it home with me.

We had the option to order ala carte but we took the staff’s recommendation and chose to try the three-course lunch. It included fried duck and grilled fish accompanied with sambals. The lunch special also included a light snack at the beginning of the course.

The oxtail soup also called Sup Buntut was not a fan favorite for Amanda for its rubbery consistency. I, on the other hand, have been wanting to try oxtail for a long time. I enjoyed the soup very much, it had 3 to 4 large pieces of meat, carrots and a vegetable. The broth was packed full of flavor and tasted like they had been cooking it for hours. A 10 out of 10 for me, Amanda would rate it a 5 out of 10.

The main course was duck, fish accompanied by 2 salads and rice. Urab sayur and Urap were the two salads. The rice options were steamed rice, coconut rice and Balinese black rice also known as purple rice. All were delicious. 

I eat a lot of rice and have narrowed down what type of rice I enjoy and I went out on a limb with the black rice. It’s naturally grown here by a crew of local farmers. It does not have an overly strong negative flavor. I’m happy to report that it’s not like the other black rice I’ve had, which was dyed with squid ink. I’m glad I gave it a try.

The duck is deep-fried with skin on. Duck is one of my favorites to eat because of the dark meat and they are naturally greasy. The extra fat from the grease naturally keeps the meat moist during cooking and adds much more flavor. The duck here was awesome! you’ll definitely want to try it too. 

My favorite is always fish. The fish resembled a red snapper. It’s beautifully charred on the outside and the skin tastes amazing. The fish flaked apart so delicately. The sambal included with the fish had a teriyaki flavor and was perfect. So perfect we ordered more from the kitchen. Amanda is not a big fish fan but she said that this was the best fish she has ever had. If we were to go back she would order the fish over the duck and both were very good.

The sambals I noticed looked very similar to Bebek Tepi Sawah. I tasted them and noticed they were not anywhere as spicy as I had anticipated and were very enjoyable. My spicy tolerance is pretty high and Sawah Terrace got them perfect for our family. I noticed they included peppers with no seeds in them. This adds flavor and a tad bit of heat. It’s what our family can tolerate making the food still enjoyable.

The drinks were delicious! Amanda ordered a few different cocktails. I feel that whatever you prefer to drink will be good here. Their presentation is beautiful and the drinks were perfect. 

Next was Dessert. It was very different and a little funky for us. Would we order it again? No. However, for our first time, it was an excellent way to try a different dish. We were happy to have the experience of trying something new. We’re currently in our Julia Roberts “Eat Pray Love” era so honestly this was a cool and memorable experience for us to try it together as a family. 

Then, after we were done eating we went to explore the other areas of the hotel. We walked down to the rice terraces to see the fields up close. You actually pass right by the pool bar and get to see how this 5-star resort treats its guests. Towels are decorated with plumeria flowers, bathrooms have air conditioners in them and they offer complimentary drinks by the pool. The natural surroundings take you into a sacred space. The layout of the space mimics a traditional indigenous Balinese village. There’s a temple amongst the private terraces and it’s just beautiful here. 

If you are planning a visit to central Bali and want a memorable fine dining experience Mandapa is a perfect place to get it. The Indonesian cuisine here is excellent, extremely nice staff and a gorgeous property to enjoy for an afternoon you need to visit the Mandapa Ritz Carlton Reserve. Bali’s cultural heart is one of the trending travel destinations for 2024, if you can stay at this resort in one of the luxurious suites you’ll have an incredible experience. Dining here was one of the highlights of the trip and left us wanting more for our next visit to Bali

In conclusion our overall score is excellent. I loved this experience for the girls. It was an educational experience that doubled as a world schooling lesson for the girls. When traveling we often see if we can squeeze in an experience at luxury resorts because they do these things really well. We look for day passes or dining experiences. I hope this encourages you to consider trying an experience for yourself or your family in the future.