Bali Diary: Kopi Desa and Cafe Vespa
Sunday, March 2, 2014 
Helloooooo from Bali, everyone!
I have been having a wonderful time so far volunteering teaching kindergarten. But don't worry, I have still been eating, and I even had a chance to create a batik painting (above, you're welcome).
I'm staying in an area of Bali called Penestanan, which is a stone's throw from the now-famous Ubud, which was prominently featured in the novel Eat, Pray, Love. The novel's presence is evident in the town, with cocktails named in its honor and even an ice cream place called Eat Soft Love. I assure you I am not kidding.
But I digress. As a volunteer, we are located between two coffee shops: one called Kopi Desa, and one called Cafe Vespa. Both are adorable, and may be of interest to sweets lovers who find themselves in Bali. Since I've visited both a fair amount of times to use their wifi, I think I will tell you about them.
At Kopi Desa, they will fill basic foodie needs with sandwiches and noodles at extremely cheap prices. But happily, they also have ice cream, so they will make sweet beverages. They also make sweet banana pancakes, which you can pair with ice cream for tasty results. You can eat well here for under $3 US.
And they have young coconuts, which they serve like this. OMG CUTE!
But I guess while I'm cute overloading you, I shouldn't forget to show you how they make a latte. OMG! Cute! 
Down the street, you'll find Cafe Vespa, which is a little fancier, and the food follows suit in caliber and prices.
They have beautiful fresh fruit, and a tantalizing bakery case.
Photo via Trip Advisor
Everything is very well executed, from the homemade banana bread and daily muffin specials to the decadent cream cheese frosting topped carrot cake. 
This is a typical Balinese thing, I have noticed: everything has a wonderful attention to detail. Everything is good. How do they do it for crying out loud?
And the brown sugar is SO dark brown! 
They also make a very pretty latte.
Perhaps most importantly, they serve scoops of an ice cream called Sacred Scoops, which is made locally and boasts this roster of ingredients:
Yes, you read that right. Blessings. What does ice cream made with blessings taste like, you wonder? Don't worry, I found out.
Honestly, my only complaint is that the cone was so small, but it was quite nice. It was completely gluten-free and vegan, with a "rice cone" and a surprisingly creamy ice cream with absolutely no grittiness, just smooth strawberry flavor. It was slow to melt, which made it perfect for a hot day, and tasted so fresh that I could practically feel the fruit smiling at me. I am pretty sure I could taste the blessings. The love frequencies too, now that you mention it.
So far it's been a pretty sweet 2 weeks in Bali, and I am discovering more great places to tell you about every day. Stay tuned, sweeties.
Places mentioned:
Sacred Scoops (purchased at Cafe Vespa)
bali
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