After a heavy rainstorm began, I gave up on walking and took a cab back to Castaways Bar + Restaurant, a popular expat hangout in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, where I enjoyed an excellent dinner.
Dinner At Castaways In Dili Timor-Leste
I didn’t want to come all the way to Timor-Leste to eat with the other white people (nothing against white people…I’m one myself!), but it was getting late (after 8:00 pm), I was hungry, and this was the only restaurant on my walk that appeared to be open.
Here, you order food at the bar, then pick an open table. When your food is ready, it is brought to you….they somehow find you.
The restaurant was hopping and while I joked about all the light-skinned people (the American and Portuguese Embassies are very close and the restaurant is part of a diving resort that caters to Australians) there was actaully a very fair mix of people enjoying the evening.
I ordered an avocado smoothie to start (4 USD)…which was a disappointment. The taste of avocado was very faint and there was a lot of water in it, but it was mostly some sweet yogurt…oh well.
For my dinner, I ordered “Peri Peri” chicken with French Fries and a salad. This took nearly an hour to arrive, but it was worth the wait. I really enjoyed the sauce served with the chicken. The fries were not great, but the salad was fresh. I ate every bit of everything.
It was very filling and I left the restaurant satisfied.
The chicken was 14 USD…I thought that was fair. Many folks ordered pizza, which made me think of my Ethiopia dilemma some months back.
As an aside, I paid by credit card: Visa only. Mastercard was not accepted (and certainly not American Express).
After dinner, I walked back to my hotel, which was about a mile away. I came upon a very cute cat playing in the garbage and wondered if garbage ever gets picked up (the answer is yes, because it was clean the following morning).
Sure, it would have been nice to have something a bit more authentic, like the fish on a stick on the beach, but I was glad to eat at Castaways and enjoyed my chicken dinner.
I’m sharing about my whirlwind trip through Asia.
Sounds like the detour to Timor was 100% worth it! Good for you.
In the lead up it sounded like it was too hard but I felt almost certain that you would go for it.
Avocado in a smoothie is so good. Tastes like caramel but with the good nutrients. When done well…
This place has changed a little. It used to be more of a sports bar. I think I put together the US Embassy’s Super Bowl party here in 2016 when the Broncos won. Memories. Your Timor posts have been gold!
Why is a poor country like Timor so expensive?
Very few natural resources – everything must be imported.
Also, looks like the restaurant was basically western food aimed at white people. I imagine the food locals buy and eat is less expensive.
There is cheap food all around if you want it. You can get a tray for a dollar or a smaller packet for 50 centavos. They use the Indonesian word bungkus for it. You get rice, a meat of your choice and some vegetables, plus chilli on almost every main street corner at lunch time and at night.
As I said, the only other food I saw was the grilled fish on the beach. It also started raining.
You need to order avocado shake with chocolate sauce. Although in indonesia it’s made with milk not yogurt.
Hopefully the chicken wasn’t the cat’s sister.
Really necessary?
“nothing against white people…I’m one myself!” *wink*
Love that you’ve found Dili and Castaways. Was there with the wife in 2019, and I know the walk you’re referring to. Did you/will you make a jaunt to Atauro island? Some exceptional diving, and back then, there were two places on island to stay, one with hanging shower heads and one without…. Electricity at times. Felt truly disconnected. In 2019 there were maybe two or three main hotels, and I want to say they started construction on a Hilton? That ever get finished?