Island Life And A Cuppa

From smashed avocados to marbled flat whites, it’s no secret that Australia’s worldfamous café culture has rubbed off on Bali. But it’s not just the ubiquitous brunch signatures that we’ve inherited from our Antipodean neighbours.

- Alison Pace

The world’s top coffee cities are often a hub of culture and trends. Yet there’s one way that Bali has a real edge on her coffee-consuming rivals. The mere kilometres that separate plantation growers and cafés mean that the latter has easy access to speciality grade beans and a greater control on processing. The proof is in the piccolo. From independently owned houses serving small-batch roasts to beachfront beauty spots for breakfast with a view, here are six island cafés worth the stop.

Great for…plant power fix

Dishing out personalised smoothie bowls, immune-boosting juices and vegan waffles from 6am, Kynd Community is a popular post-gym pit stop for members of nearby Motion Fitness. Expat.Roasters supplies the beans for their brews, which are served with daily housemade ‘mylks’ – your choice of almond, coconut or soy (no dairy). Gluten-free treats and non-dairy cheesecakes line the counter, sourced from Bali-based baker friends, while the kitchen plates up Instagram-friendly fare until late afternoon.

The Kynd Crumble, a tropical bowl of island fruits, house-roasted granola, coconut yoghurt and blueberry compote spiked with sweet dukkah, is a filling, all-natural morning feed. Grab and-go salads, ‘anti-cruel’ platters (pulled garlic sourdough, olives, sundried tomatoes, and beet hummus) and veg-centric gourmet toasts – named after ‘kynd humans’ like the ‘Leo’ and the ‘Ghandi ’– are among the other mid-morning meal offerings.