La Lucciola is perched right on the edge of the Seminyak Beach. An enormous open, thatch-roofed building, with dining on two levels. I always head for the upstairs section, as a nice breeze is almost inevitable. The large bamboo furniture seems to suit the place and the occasion.

Sarong-clad waiters are ready to assist. Service here is always simple and professional, attentive yet never pushy nor over-the-top. Menu knowledge is excellent, and most visits go off without any hiccups.

Excellent fruit juices and/or granita?s make a pleasant beginning for many diners, particularly during the day. Very thirst-quenching and most enjoyable.

For lunch a variety of entrees, very mixed in origin and style, often suffice for a pleasant and relaxing meal. A pair of King Prawns with thin chips of Sweet Potato stuck all over them.

If there’s a see-and-be-seen spot among the Kuta crowd, it’s La Lucciola. Even breakfast draws the beautiful people, and why not, with its prime beachfront location on this deserted stretch of Legian? Morning eye-poppers include tasty ricotta hotcakes and smoked-salmon scrambled eggs on toasted focaccia. The dinner menu is equally enticing, with choice offerings such as lemongrass bok-choy risotto with sesame ginger, or oven-baked snapper with braised shallots and oregano. The seafood specials, calamari, and a unique prawn-and-snapper pie are tops, in addition to a complement of good pasta and traditional Italian fare. End with a bracing espresso and tiramisu.