Dija Mara

Continuing on with the theme of "we are not going to eat crap just because we are in a touristy area with a theme park", we ended up at a highly-rated spot in Dija Mara.  This place is also located in Oceanside and according to them, "we mix Southeast Asian flavors with Western flair and Japanese cooking techniques to create our unique, Balinese-Inspired menu".  That is quite the mouthful and sometimes a bit scary for some.  However, we are always game for interesting eats and are totally on board with fusion.

We began with a pretty basic dish in the Grilled Roti, but it was anything but basic.  Normally, we've had different rotis ranging from super crispy and layered to very hard and dense.  Thankfully, this was fluffy and light with a beautifully golden brown and crispy outer surface.  It came with two dips including the creamy and spicy lamb jus curry and the mildly aromatic vegan rendang sauce.

We also got the Chicken Thigh Skewers with mild spice.   These were grilled aggressively where the char was evident in its appearance and completely noticeable in taste.  That added depth-of-flavour and loads of smokiness.   Despite the char, the meat was juicy and buttery.   Lastly, the marinade penetrated the meat and we had some aromatics and savoriness going on.

One of the best dishes we had was the Charred Eggplant.  Served as large chunks, the lightly fried eggplant kept its integrity but was still tender and silky.   However the real star of the show was the intense flavors.  It started with the spicy sambal that had a briny pungency.   It was leveled off by the tangy and creamy lemon labneh.  Finishing off the dish was some crispy shallots on top.

Really enjoyed the Ayam Penyet (Fried Chicken) as the chicken leg was beautifully prepared.  In past versions, I've experienced dry meat but for this one, it was succulent and buttery.   Skin was completely rendered and crispy.   This came with aromatic coconut rice and that killer sambal which added plenty of heat.

Although I enjoyed the Mee Goreng, it was quite salty.  I have a high salt tolerance but for others, I can see that this would be over-seasoned.   For me, it had all of the flavors including spiciness, brininess and the sweetness from Kecup Manis.   Noodles were al dente and the addition of shredded short rib made things really hearty.

Last dish was the Short Rib Rendang.  This was a meaty dish in flavor and texture.  Got the aromatic sweetness from the coconut and the bright hits from the lemongrass and galangal.  Meat was tender with some chew to it.  Really delicious in my opinion.  In the end, we felt the food at Dija Mara to be an explosion of flavors and also a study in textures.  We thought that their fusion was successful and ultimately delicious.

The Good:

- Intensely flavorful food

- Lots of textures

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Some things were salty

Campfire

So my kids are older now, hence theme parks and the sort are not really in the cards when it comes to travel.  However, the immature person that I am really enjoys theme parks.  Seeing how a friend of mine was travelling to both Legoland and Disneyland with her 5-year old, I volunteered to accompanying them.  Of course, we still had to eat and I had no interest in crappy food, especially out near Legoland.  That brought us to Campfire, which is kid-friendly, yet still dishes up tasty and composed dishes.  Yep, they cook everything over an open fire!  

Unlike many of the other Cornbreads I've had, the one here was super fluffy and crumbly.  It was a bit difficult to eat without the use of a spoon, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.   Loved the tanginess from the blood orange as well as the creaminess of the hibiscus butter.  Just a bit of bite from the pink peppercorn.  As you can see in the picture, there was a nice crispy crust on the outside.

We got two of the Ember Roasted Prawns which were perfectly executed.   The shell was crispy while smoky and charred.  Inside, the prawn was just cooked through being meaty and a bit bouncy.  It was naturally sweet and had all of the natural prawn aroma.  The sauce was the best part as it was sweet with great acidity and herbaceousness.

Beautifully plated with bright colors, the Ahi Tuna Crudo was delicious.  The fish itself was fresh with the taste of the sea as well as sweetness.  It was bright and also great texturally.   Once again, the sauce was the highlight.  Bright flavours once again with acidity.  The guava added some real tang and aroma.  Charred avocado was buttery and smoky.  That pepper was pretty spicy.

Their signature dish is the whole head of Broccoli that was aggressively roasted on the open fire.  As such, the florets were crispy and light while also smoky.  Interesting texture which became more appealing with each bite.  Sounding like a broken record, that chermoula was so vibrant and tangy.   Underneath, the hummus was buttery and flavorful.  Loved the crunch from the peanuts.

Off to the larger dishes, the Steelhead Trout was served in a large portion.  Although the skin was perfectly crispy and well-salted, the fish itself was slightly over.  Difficult to regulate the temperature over an open fire...  No matter, as the miso and black garlic provided all the umaminess the plate needed.  Such rich fermented flavors to go with the wild mushrooms.  

Loved the tender, yet meaty nuggets of Octopus.  Nice smokiness and caramelization.  The Spanish chorizo added a smoked paprika hit while also being meaty and a bit spicy.  Underneath, we found some smoked celery root puree which was smooth and well, smoky.  Some basil chimichurri added some brightness while the grapefruit segments added acidity.

Originally, we weren't going to order any dessert, but we witnessed the table beside us ordering the Yes, we have S'mores and well, we followed suit.  As you can see, this was DIY where we found a pile of hot coals with graham crackers, chocolate and a large marshmallow.  Yes, the 5-year old really enjoyed making his own s'mores!  Overall, we quite enjoyed our meal at Campfire where the vibes were lively.  Great place for parents to grab some elevated eats with their kids or anyone else for all that matters.

The Good:

- Elevated eats

- Kid-friendly with a kid's menu

- Nice vibes

The Bad:

- Cooking with an unregulated open flame can lead to some things overcooking