I spotted Ravintola Bali from the quiet taxi ride from the airport (€35 within what felt like a city area – which seemed reasonable after a long day of travelling). “That looks like an Indonesian restaurant,” I told Fafa, but his gaze—and maybe his mind—was elsewhere.
Once we reached the hotel and freshened up, he asked, “So, are we doing the Indonesian?” referring to Ravintola Bali.
He did hear me, after all! — “Yes, please!!“, I almost yelled.
So far, I haven’t had any Indonesian food on this European trip (special shoutout to all three Indonesian restaurants that were closed in Budapest). Helsinki, being the last leg of my journey, would be my last chance to have Indonesian food overseas (little did I know I’d be having Indonesian meals two days in a row in Amsterdam before flying back to Melbourne).
We took the blue tram from the hotel and sat back, enjoying the view. After a few blocks of cityscape, the tram entered more residential areas. Everything in Helsinki seemed too quiet—too few people, too closed. And it made me wonder whether Ravintola Bali would be closed too, especially after the bad experience in Budapest. I checked Google; it was supposed to open at 3 PM until odd hours.
“Shall I call them?” I suggested to Fafa. “We’re almost there” he said, offering me an alternative—the possibility of being disappointed in person. Ha!
The tram stopped, and we walked the rest of the way, passing by an open Japanese restaurant. “We have an option,” I told Fafa, but the man seemed determined to locate this Indonesian restaurant he had never seen before in a place that was utterly foreign to us.
Half a block later, we arrived—at an empty restaurant that seemed closed. But just as I peeked inside, someone noticed us and let us in.
We were in Ravintola Bali baibeh! And I am so ready for a break from the Middle-Eastern cuisine galore we had in the past few days.
The first thing I noticed: “We’re the only ones here,” I whispered to Fafa. “It’s 4 PM,” he replied.
Who was this man who oozes calmness and positivity sitting in front of me? Not the man I married—the one who complained extensively about paying €7 for coffee at Santorini Airport this morning.
Santorini and Helsinki — places that can really change one personality, eh?
Aside from the lack of other patrons, another thing I noticed about the place was the decor mismatch. I spotted one Balinese mask, then some Javanese paintings, and a lot of East Indonesian woodwork.
“The decor is a misrepresentation of the restaurant’s name,” I told Fafa. “As long as the food is good,” he replied thoughtfully — seriously, who is this man?
The food, incidentally, turned out to be incredible.
We ordered tempura prawns (not really Indonesian IMO—Fafa’s choice), Bebek Sambal Ijo (Green Chili Duck), and Oxtail Soup.
We requested everything extra spicy, and they made it just as we asked. We know because we could hear the cook humming, “extra spicy… extra spicy…” while making the food.
The tempura came first. It was so good—it tasted homemade, like Amma made, especially when combined with the chilli sauce.
Once we finished the tempura, the friendly Filipino waiter brought out our main dishes. Both didn’t look like anything we’d had before. My oxtail soup was dark red (because of the extra spicy concoction), and Fafa’s duck came sliced and not green. But any doubts disappeared with the first bite.
The taste was incredible—so spicy, so delicious. We polished it off quickly and quietly.
Ravintola Bali food was authentic, easily the most memorable Asian meal of this trip, and one of the best Indonesian meals I’ve had outside of Indonesia. I’d come back again and again.
Ravintola Bali address: Mäkelänkatu 22, 00510 Helsinki, Finland.
Indonesian Food Around the World series: A Cheat Sheet for Indonesian Food in London / Rijsttafel-ing Indonesian Food in Amsterdam / Indonesia Food in Zurich My Most Expensive Meal in Switzerland / Authentic Indonesian Food in Seoul at Bakso Bejo Korea / It’s Java Authentic Indonesian Street Food in Auckland / Makan A Celebration of Indonesian Cuisine in Melbourne / Rasa Rosa A So So Indonesian Food in Canberra / Indonesian Restaurants in Cairns / Indonesian Food in Darwin Leaves Something to Be Desired
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And €7 for a coffee is blasphemous
That was the first time I had sliced Indonesian duck and boy was it yummy 🤤. I’m glad my calmness got us here 😎