A long love affair with Indonesia came first, and the idea for setting up a restaurant came later. The owner of the Bali Gallery & Buddha Bar, the only Indonesian restaurant in Poland and the whole of Central Europe, lived in Indonesia for many years. In January he opened a venue allowing him to bring Indonesian culture to Poland. Every detail of the interior decoration has been brought from Indonesia, mostly from Bali, as the owner is particularly fascinated with this virgin island and its exceptional cuisine. "My father is a traveler and photographer fascinated with Indonesia," says Anna Gawlikowska, the restaurant's manager. "We have created a restaurant combined with a gallery where some of the furniture and decoration is put up for sale. We also accept orders for furniture." Items for sale at the moment include a unique teak tree screen (zl. 4,500) or elephant-shaped stools sculpted from a single piece of wood.

Before ordering food, take a closer look at the interior. The furniture, cutlery, pottery and floor are hand-made original Indonesian artifacts.

In the middle of the room there is a huge, gilded statue that weighs over 100 kilograms, a renovated antique from Burma. Even the waiters are dressed in clothes made from original Indonesian batik.

There is no such thing as a uniform Indonesian cuisine. The 4,000 kilometers between the region's eastern and western borders makes any uniformity impossible. "We offer sample dishes from different regions, also from the islands of Bali, Sumatra, Java and Borneo," says Gawlikowska.

It took her father many years to collect the recipes. The menu featuring several dozen dishes has the form of a great book with gilded pages. "Indonesian cuisine is characteristic for its spices," says the restaurant's manager. "The dishes feature a wide variety of them: cardamom, cinnamon, nuts, nutmeg, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, curry paste, lemon grass, lime leaves. Every dish is prepared in a different marinade. Instead of water we use coconut milk." The menu features exotic fish, sea food, beef, pork, poultry and vegetable dishes. The specialty of the house is Babi bali, beef with rice and pineapple served in a pineapple half (zl.49). It is a ceremonial dish served in Indonesia on special occasions, mainly to princes. Another dish worth ordering is Remdag, beef stewed for many hours in coconut milk with a rich collection of spices.

The restaurant is cozy and has a warm atmosphere. The lower floor houses a small club perfect for private parties. Next to the main restaurant room there is a VIP room for over a dozen guests, a favorite meeting place for diplomats. The atmosphere is completed with original Indonesian music. Guests can listen to compositions recorded specially for the restaurant by DJs from top Bali clubs.

Bali Gallery & Buddha Bar, 22 Jasna St. (corner of Świętokrzyska), reservations at (+48) 22-828-67-71 or (+48) 502-907-002.