Looking for something a bit different and a bit special this Valentine's; can't stomach an over-priced twenty-hour degustation dinner with a zillion like-minded folk? You need a taste of the 
Never a place to disappoint; the good folk of Tugu Jl Pantai Batu Bolong, Canggu, have pulled out all the stops for Valentine's Day this year with a private bed on the beach overlooking the Canggu waves amidst a hundred twinkling lanterns and under a thousand shimmering stars.
Starting with Valentine's cocktails at the bar (the imaginatively titled Pussy Foot Sambarita and Tantric Kiss set the scene perfectly) it's a short walk through the Tugu grounds down to the private beach where oil lanterns suspended on the antique bed illuminate a dusky Canggu skyline.
One could be forgiven for skipping dinner altogether in favor of a bottle of sparkling, a warm duvet and some privacy but (having had previous experience of the banquet style portions of fare served by the Tugu kitchen team) dinner was definitely on our mind. Canoodling could be saved for later…
The idea with the dinner menu is to keep it as picnic as possible that means lots of individual dishes that could be eaten warm or cold. The clever part of this picnic idea is that every component of the menu has its own distinctive aphrodisiacal qualities, especially where the dessert course is concerned…
Starting with the crab cocktail appetizer with avocado, chilies, coconut and fresh lemongrass, the main course started to arrive served in huge ceremonial woven baskets by a wait staff ceremoniously kitted out in traditional Balinese outfits.
The main course suggestively titled Ménage à Quatre consisted of prawns flambéed in calvados and honey, baby asparagus stems, grilled scallops in fragrant herbs served with a ginger sauce and accompanied by a delicious heaped bowl of baby new potatoes with crispy anchovies, bacon and dressed in virgin olive oil and sprigs of fresh mint.
Things get kinky when the selection of desserts appear as two blindfolds accompany the four dishes, the plan being that you have to guess what you're tasting, the reality of the situation is that you end up spending an inordinate amount of time giggling as you coat one another's lips in a tasty combination of caramelized banana soufflé, tamarillo (the 'lost food of the Incas', a refreshing, slightly bitter tropical fruit commonly found in equatorial countries and referred to in Indonesian as 'Dutch eggplant'), a devilish chocolate torte and dark chocolate coated fresh strawberries.
After you've feasted there's really nothing better to do that sip some post dinner cocktails and star gaze in the comfort of the four-poster bed. Definitely one of the best ways to spend this Valentine's night in Bali and, for that matter, a wonderfully alternative dinner experience at any other time of the year.