Waterlily Contemporary Balinese Bistro @ Mutiara Tropicana, PJ.

Mutiara Tropicana recently became slightly more busy when a row of shoplots opened up along the Jalan Tropicana Selatan. At first it was just a 7-Eleven, followed by the Jaya Grocer supermarket and subsequently the Waterlily Bistro. We did not pay much mind to the bistro, but one fine day (it was during lunch, I think) we got hungry, we were nearby, and we wanted to try something new.

So we decided to try out the Waterlily Balinese Bistro.



The whole place looked well thought out -- from the external decor to the internal finish, everything reminds you of a modern Balinese residence, which is nice. The expansive main entrance allowed a well-ventilated place which is always a plus (to me at least, because for some reason I get claustrophobic easily). When we first went there it was during lunch so it was not packed, so service was all right.

However, the place does not have proper baby chairs. What they do have is a portable, travel-lite child booster seat that does not even come with the proper restraints so for babies who can't be trusted to sit up on their own, you're better off using your kid's stroller/pram instead.



(My son, who was about 8 months in the above picture, could only sit in the booster chair for all of 36 seconds before he stood up and threatened to jump over. It was slightly harrowing to say the least, but manageable).


The Siap Megoreng. Basically it is rice with grilled chicken marinated in lemongrass marinade. I had this, and it was delicious.

Now, it has been more than 10 years since I was last in Bali, so for the life of me I cannot recall what sort of food Balinese people consumed. At Waterlily though, everything is supposed to be Balinese-inspired with a contemporary touch so it was interesting. They had your usual rice and fried chicken fare with assorted condiments by the side, and they also had this glorious salad that came with either grilled chicken or squid, lathered in this lovely lemongrass and lime juice that was so obviously homemade. It was eastern food with a western touch, for sure. And that sort of food always worked for me.


The grilled squid balinese salad. Scrumptious! My absolute must-have when I come to this place.


I forgot what this is called, but it came with grilled squid, chicken, beef, prawns, rice and assorted condiments. A generous portion indeed.


Grilled seafood pasta. Another house-trademark which is lovely and oh-so-yummy.


The ambience at the Waterlily.

Our overall verdict with regards to :

The Food : 9/10. Although there weren't much in terms of variety, what they do offer tastes good and wonderful. It is difficult to describe. I totally totally loved the way they mixed up the pasta with the grilled squid. Not to mention the sesame lemon sauce they used in the salad was totally wicked.

The Ambience : 8/10. A nice relaxing place, suitable for families but might be a bit of a hassle for those with younger kids. But otherwise the decor is nice to look at.

The Location : 7.5/10. The rating is only because it is located in a housing area. It is very near my house so I do not mind it, but I suppose people would only come here after hearing other people talk about it, rather than because they happened to be driving by it/working near it.

The Pricing : Moderate high, as is standard with the upper-end bistros in town.

Baby-friendly? : Not really. They have the portable booster seats but nothing in the way of actual, proper baby chairs. Bring your kid's pram/stroller if you're planning to come here with a baby.

Address :
The Waterlily Bistro
No. 11-G, 11-1 & 11-2
Jalan Mutiara Tropicana 3
Mutiara Tropicana
Petaling Jaya