The menu says Babi Guling, but what arrives has none of that glossy crackling skin, and no blood sausage either. This ¥88 "Bali Roast Suckling Pig" has been reworked into a roast pork platter with jackfruit, rice balls, prawn crackers, and long beans, all piled with sambal and fried shallots. The pork itself is juicy and well-seasoned, and the crispy shallots add crunch—it's genuinely tasty—but if you're walking in with expectations of the classic Bali dish, better to reset them now. It's the most honest summary of the whole restaurant: Holy Spice borrows the names, the spices, the ingredients, but what it's actually making is something closer to pan-Asian than authentic Indonesian.
This is OHA Group's latest project, landing on Fuxing Road in Xuhui in the same old space that once housed the group's earlier venture, Maolago. Design has always been this team's strong suit, and here they've turned the space into a colorful dining room draped in palm leaves, with the loose, easy feel of a Bali beachside café. Upstairs there's an actual working rooftop herb garden supplying the kitchen, and the furniture has been repurposed from the group's other locations.
The meal opens with a welcome drink built on galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, and lemon verbena—a thoughtful start. From there, the menu is a mixed bag. The roasted eel with foie gras (¥88) has almost nothing to do with Bali, but it's the most memorable dish of the meal: smoked eel laid over a rice cake that's crisp outside and chewy within, topped with a thin slice of frozen foie gras. The eel is rich and full of umami, the foie gras rounds out the fat and flavor—off-theme, but delicious. The beef skewers (¥62 for two) come close to perfect, with generous chunks of beef layered between white mushrooms, pickles, green peppers, onions, and dressed shiso leaves. The citrus notes come through clearly and the seasoning is spot-on, though the shiso leaves are grilled a touch too long, leaving a faint bitterness at the finish—an easy fix.
The hand-caught squid (¥92) is worth ordering—charcoal grilling gives it a light smokiness, the flesh is tender, and it's topped with an Asian-inflected "gremolata" of fish sauce, lime juice, shallots, chili, parsley, and celery, served with mango salad and grilled corn. It's bright and layered. The Bali-style beef rendang (¥92) takes a wetter, more stew-like approach than the usual version—skipping the dry caramelization typical of rendang—landing closer to a bright, light beef curry, served with house-made flatbread.
The weaker dishes include the green papaya and sour mango salad (¥55), which tastes flat and lacks the tang it needs, and the tofu, tempeh, and orange dish (¥68), which feels like three separate ideas forced onto one plate. I'm a fan of the tempeh itself, but this version is too soft and too sweet to fully convince. Dessert, on the other hand, sticks the landing: the coconut cream pie (¥46), built on a meringue base with shredded coconut, toasted grains, macadamia nuts, white chocolate, and a light chiffon cake, is worth ordering on its own.
Holy Spice is still finding its footing—some dishes already stand firm, others are still halfway there. The space looks great, and the team clearly has genuine intentions toward Southeast Asian cuisine, they've just chosen a tricky angle to work from. If you go, leave your expectations of authentic Balinese food at the door, and bring your curiosity instead—you'll enjoy it more.
