PEPeNERO

It was one of those lazy Sundays.  We woke up all set to go to the beach after a big breakfast and as soon as the last cup of coffee was finished, we all piled into the car.  We drove down the hill then the sun suddenly hid behind a cloud and the sunny day turned cloudy and overcast.  As we were headed towards Nusa Dua beach, hoping for the sky to clear, we decided to change plans and veered off the road towards Jimbaran instead stopping at this little Italian restaurant that we'd been to once before.

PEPeNERO is hidden away alongside the Temple Hill Estate on the winding road that ends up at the Four Seasons Hotel.  The three-story restaurant has a little deli/takeaway counter at street level, a small eating area on the 1st floor and the actual restaurant on the 2nd floor with a fantastic view of Jimbaran bay.  The open-air dining area has several wooden tables on two levels and lots of ceiling fans that help on hot and humid days.  The menu is extensive and has antipasto & carpaccio, pastas (Primi Piatti), meat and fish main courses (Secondi Piatti), pizzas and paninis.

The first time we went for dinner and I had the spaghetti alle vongole - deceptively simple yet not that easy to make and theirs had just the right mix of garlic and clams.   This time, I chose the rigatoni salsiccia e funghi with Italian sausage and a chunky tomato and mushroom sauce.  The pastas are generally good but on the small side, portioned the Italian way as "first plates" to be followed by a "second plate" or main course so if you're hungry, order the pasta as a starter.   We also had a couple of pizzas to share - the margherita which is a classic (perfect for kids) and the bianco al crudo, a non-tomato sauce pizza topped just with mozzarella, speck, cherry tomatoes and arugula.  For main courses, we had the Cotoletta a la Milanese (breaded beef) with homemade french fries and the bocconcini di maiale alle erbette - pork tenderloin in a herb and cream sauce.  Both were simply prepared and delicious.  PEPeNERO serves unfussy Italian food in a casual setting and the surprise is that the bill is always reasonable (about 100,000 Rupiah per or US$11 per person for two courses).
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PEPeNERO
Temple Hill Studios
Jalan Wanagiri 18
Jimbaran, Bali
Telephone: +62 361 704 677
Open daily for lunch and dinner
Takeaway available