Description: Kartika Plaza is a ritzy address here; and the
Paradiso Hotel earns a five star rating, so you can imagine how wonderful the restaurant is. We were on a walking tour that evening, slumming on the sidewalks of Tuban and got hungry, naturally. A neon lit sign outside the Paradiso Hotel caught my eye, and you can never, ever go wrong with Japanese food.
There is a magnificent waterfall at the reception area that greets you and the airiness of the place is ethereal. Vast expanses of pinkish marble line the floor of the entrance, and they had an art show on the mezzanine which they were sponsoring. We had to go downstairs to the pool level for the restaurant. Made our way via the circular stairway and as we entered Fukutaro , the lights were dim, and we were welcomed immediately and seated. The dining room is immense, with shiny, high backed ebony chairs and ethnic art on the walls. There is a tatami room is you wish to go native, but we were happy to sit next to the floor to ceiling window and realized that we were the only people having dinner here.
Fukutaro has restaurants in 3 other locations, and their prices are so reasonable, that your meal with green tea or red bean ice cream will total less than $25.00 for two. The service is superior and the wait staff is quite attentive, and that may have been emphasized because they only had us at that time. We had California rolls, gyozo, assorted tempura (this is pronounced tempra,-as there is no emphasis at all on the "u" in Japanese). Coke and Beer for liquids and green tea ice cream for dessert. After dinner, we spotted a ping pong table on the way to the pool area, and we worked off dinner with 2 out of 3 games (21 points).
We went outside and it was still quite warm, and the pool area has sand all around it with beach chairs; really great way to compensate for the lack of a beach front. They also had lit torches around the pool which were encased in long, tall stone structures, and the pictures will show you what they look like. It's altogether an extremely romantic atmosphere, and although I wouldn't have traded the Bali Hai for this hotel, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
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