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et ready to chow down on the pedestrian sidewalk in front of Courtyard Bali Seminyak. The hotel has introduced the unique concept What The Truck! as its newest food and beverage offering. Starting April 25, the van will be parked on the sidewalk just outside the Marriott property’s lobby on Jl. Camplung Tanduk, serving Mexican food with a local fusion twist in the fun and lively atmosphere of Seminyak. This food truck concept is expected to
attract passersby and provide a new way of accessing fresh, interesting and reasonably priced food, offering an innovative way to bring the food and beverage experience to younger generations in this popular hangout area. What The Truck! is a fully modified VW Combi van offering convenient takeaway drinks and bites with signature local fusion tacos, from babi guling, beef rendang and chicken pelalah, to fish. In the mornings, signature brews and the island’s Bootstrap Cold Brew coffee are
available, while in the evening local beers and ice-crushed mojitos will be added to the selection. In an effort to better engage with the local community, the process of creating the food truck involved collaboration with the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) Denpasar. Students in the Faculty of Arts and Design were allowed to submit creative designs for the exterior of the truck to have the chance to have their art displayed permanently on the VW Combi and to win a total cash prize of Rp 40 million (US$3,044). After selecting from over 150 submissions, I Putu Yudhi Aditya, a fourth semester student majoring in Visual Communications Design, was announced the winner thanks to his design showing the lively and colorful atmosphere of Seminyak. Using a combination of authentic Balinese elements, references to the different morning and afternoon vibe that the truck offers, along with eye-catching cartoon illustrations with an iconic chef as the mascot, Yudhi’s design was chosen based on originality, creativity, relevance to the local market and presentation skills.
“It has been a long journey from launching the competition to getting this food truck painted with Yudhi’s design. We are excited to finally reveal the creativity of this talented young man along with introducing our newest innovative food and beverage option through What The Truck!”, said John Woolley, general manager Courtyard by Marriott Bali Seminyak. The truck was officially launched during a party held last Thursday evening in the lobby garden, where invitees and in-house guests could hardly wait for it to be uncovered. The fireworks, Balinese dancers and music lit up the party ambience as everyone waited to have their first food and beverages served fresh from the truck. With tacos in their hands, sipping on refreshing mojitos and cold brew coffee, the crowd enjoyed the merriment all evening. Eager to find out more and get hold of these locally inspired tacos and refreshing mojitos? What The Truck! will open its doors to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from April 25. The truck offers an opening promo of a complimentary beer for every first taco purchase for guests following the Instagram account @whatthetruckbali.
April 21, 2016
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