Shelter: Brunch under the tropical foliage
Jl. Drupadi 1 No. 2b, Seminyak
Shelter reminded me of the tropical outdoors, with wood as its main theme, decorated with hanging ferns that crawled across the bamboo-framed ceiling. Swinging fans were carefully hidden between the ferns to preserve the natural outline of the place, but gave the place an added sense of airiness. The place is accessible through a narrow stairway beside Nalu Bowls, and only offers a semi-outdoor balcony-style second floor. Because of how the place was designed, it was exactly as its name suggests, a shelter.
As the place was mostly open air, naturally it didn’t have a lot of walls. The only remaining walls were painted over in tropical artwork composing of adventurous words and vibrant colors. The bar offers free lemon-infused iced water, super refreshing on a hot summer’s afternoon. In addition, there was an off-white La Marzocco double head and decorative plants below the bar, which enhanced the feeling of being surrounded by foliage.
The menu features all-day breakfast, an array of burgers and sandwiches, refreshing smoothies and — this one might catch you off guard — Nalu Bowls’ menu. Yes, you can enjoy your delicious acai smoothie bowl under the tropical shades of Shelter.
Coffee: Flat white (IDR 39k)
This time around, I chose the flat white over the piccolo for the occasional change. Naturally, it appeared slightly mellow to my tongue. Each cup of coffee here comes with a complementary butter cookie topped with a single chocolate chip. The house-blend is from Australian roaster Caswell’s, which is starting to get popularity in Bali cafés.
Verdict:
Shelter, in the end, serves way more than just a shelter. It is a place to kick back, catch up with friends, take photographs, and even work-in if you’re feeling productive. Their endlessly joyful and energetic staff-team would certainly brighten up any person’s bad day. In a sense, it is a complete set — you really couldn’t ask for more from this place.
