Ibu Oka, Ubud (Bali)

Mention the words "Babi Guling" to any Balinese person and you'll see a smile break out across their face as they start licking their lips. Babi Guling, or roast suckling pig, brought a big smile to the dials of The Boy and I too!  We headed up to Ubud for a day trip - for the sole purpose of indulging in a plate or three of Babi Guling at the famous Ibu Oka.  Traveling 3 hours just to eat suckling pig seemed like the logical thing to do.

I actually thought Ibu Oka would be really flash and touristy...but it wasn't. There were HEAPS of local stopping in to grab a take-away paper coned filled with Babi Guling (as well as hoards of tourists). It's the first place I'd seen in Bali that happily served a mix of locals and tourists. I liked it. A LOT!

Most of the seating is on the floor in an open-air pavilion (no shoes allowed). I'm too old for that nonsense so we grab one of the few "proper tables" out in the front yard where I can sit on a chair with a back AND leave my shoes on too!

The tables downstairs aren't anything flash mind you - plastic picnic tables, with plastic chairs and plastic seats. Of course each table also has the ubiquitous plastic cutlery tray and a box of tissues! Love it!

The serves aren't enormous so we ended up ordering two plates each - OINK. The first was the "a bit of everything plate" that cost about $4.  It came with moist, shredded Babi Guling, a tile of crackling, blood sausage, rice and some other weird bits + pieces that may or may not have been intestines. Anything I couldn't ID went to the street dog who taken up camp near our table - bless him.

The second plate was straight up "Babi Guling" that arrives with piles of meat, crackling and rice. Street doggy got the rice because I felt rude eating in front of him...but I just couldn't give up any of the precious Babi Guling. Sorry doggy!

After lunch we wandered across the road to the Royal Palace - where the Ubud royal family live.  You're free to wander around and check things out - just don't venture into their private living areas.  We noticed a HUGE, weird looking wooden structure at the main entrance. Turns out that they'd had a BIG BIG cremation ceremony the night before.  The body of the royal family member is hoisted to the top of thing and cremated. Everybody else who's being cremated in the same ceremony does so at ground level in a mass-cremation. Being cremated is a BIG important deal in Bali - it would've been a great thing to see.

Across the road from the Royal Palace is the crazy, busy, hectic, insane Ubud Markets - a rabbit warren of trash, treasure and produce.  We'd arrived a bit late for most of the produce and it was a bit stinky in that neck of the markets! I've been to the product market before and it's pretty good.  This trip we did a bit of haggling and I walked away with a few nice silk scarves and some silver jewellery. No idea how much any of it costs as I was being haggled left, right and center.

Apart from the markets there are LOADS of shops in Ubud - catering to just about everything the cashed-up Westerner could want.  I couldn't think of anything that I wanted, other than a Gelato as it was so darn HOT!

We met our driver back at the Monkey Forest. Monkey's FREAK ME OUT (they're always rushing at you and trying to rip the earnings right out of your ears) so I'm glad that The Boy didn't want to go in and visit them. We both agreed though that we needed to try a cup of Kopi from this guys motor-bike stall - damn it was GOOD, so thick yet sweet.

Ibu Oka is on Jalan Suweta/Tegal Sari No. 2 - Ubud, Bali. There are THREE Ibu Oka's in Ubud. We went to the one opposite the Royal Palace. Get their as early as you can (ie 11am) to beat the crowds of tourist buses.

Bali belly + other eats, Bali

After our unexpected mini-break in Melbourne we FINALLY arrive in Bali - a full 34 hours after we left Sydney.  It's normally a five hour flight...just for the record. Did I mention that we had booked a villa in Bali...with our own private pool. That pool made the dramas of getting to Bali just melt away.  Not having to bags a banana-lounge before sunrise just so we could sit by the pool was a true luxury!

Our villa was in Seminyak - far away from the mayhem of crazy-busy Kuta, but still close to the action (which is basically at your front door everywhere you go in Bali unless you go to a rural location and "zen" out). We had shopping right on our doorstep and the beach was about 800m down the road. We spent our days lazing about, wandering along the beach, stopping for cold drinks, shopping (and trying to bargain but mostly failing) and of course...EATING!

We mostly stuck to the local-style eateries near our villa - though we did go fancy twice + I'll write about those later.  Without a doubt our favourite place was Warung Mimpi - a small warung (eatery) that served up simple (but great) Indonesian food...and only Indonesian food. So many of the eateries in Bali try to cater for all tastes so you end up with an odd mix of Indonesian, Balinese, Hamburgers, Mexican, Pasta, Pizza - blah! 

Nasi Campur - probably my favourite meal in Bali - is something I had more than a few times at Mimpi.  Simply go to the counter and point to whatever takes your fancy (tuna curry = OMG). It's kinda easy to overload your plate this way but Mr Mimpi (if that is his real name) gave me a nod when he thought I was getting out-of-control.  The Boy was stuck on Nasi Lemak (fried rice with a satay skewer, fried egg + giant prawn cracker) but broke out of the mold a few times for grilled whole snapper ($8 !!!!) and a plate of fried noodles with seafood. I even got my fix of Ikan Bilis (little dried/fried fish)...I kept going back until they finally had it on the menu. Ah Mimpi, we miss you!

Another warung not too far from our villa was Warung Ocha which we tried out for lunch one day. It was much bigger than Mimpi, on a pretty busy road (Jalan Seminyak) and I don't think the staff were anywhere near as friendly as Mr + Mrs Mimpi who ran Mimpi by themselves.  That said we had pretty good lunch at Ocha and they have a nice open courtyard with free wifi! I tried the Ayam Goreng (fried chook) which came with a tasty piece of Tempeh (yum) as well as a bowl of Lodeh. I had no idea what Lodeh was...but it turns out to be a pretty tasty coconut based curry with mixed veggies. The Boy went for a plate of fried noodles...with a non-runny egg! Crimes against eggs...tut tut.

One of the best things about our villa was its proximity to a bunch of great little eateries on the  Seminyak beachfront. None of them were fancy (we weren't in the fancy part of Seminyak), but I guess they were all touristy...but hey, we're tourists so that's fine with me.  We found ourselves at La Plancha quite a few times - mostly for a cold drink (or two) and to sit and watch the waves roll in and the sunbathers get hassled by hawkers.  My favourite drink was a really refreshing lemon-soda with fresh mint (which gave me a GREAT idea of what to do with all my homegrown mint).

After my brief dance with a bout of Bali belly I laid of the Indonesian food for a while and was craving plain, starchy foods.  La Plancha served Spanish Tapas and a bowl of hot chips (aka patatas) and a potato tortilla were just what the doctor ordered. The Boy indulged in serve of grilled prawns and some grilled chicken. All of these dishes were around $4 - amazing...and even more amazing when you can watch the sunset.

And the reason we were in Bali?  The Boy's birthday of course! And a birthday means a birthday dinner.   The birthday boy decided on a Warung near our place called Delicious Onion (I didn't see any onions on the menu though...curious) which was tucked down a fairly quiet street with a lovely big (shady) tree over the outdoor area.

We started with a (lethal) cocktail and an entree of Thai Kafir Lime Leaf Chicken in a wonton cup - like a fancy vol-au-vent. I'd read about the Double Happiness on TripAdvisor when checking out local restaurants so knew before I arrived that this is what I was going to order.  Two types of pork (Char Siew and Roast Pork) with rice, pickles and soup...all for SEVEN DOLLARS! It was such a great meal and it blows my mind that the food in Bali is so cheap!

I don't seem to have much luck tracking down "real" street food vendors when I travel in Asia.  I always just seem to miss the motorbikes full of food as they dash past me, or I've just eaten a HUGE meal and am too full to fit in one more thing. I did try Bali Kopi (aka coffee) a few times...SO good! So sweet, thick and totally addictive.  And we were lucky enough to snag a mystery brown packet off the back of a motorbike which turned out to be a delicious chicken with rice. Prawn or pork crackers are always a good snack too...but whatever the weird coconut drink with vegetables in it was...blergh!

And so ends the first installment of my Bali eats. Stayed tuned!

1945 Dutch East Indies Cuisine, Pyrmont

1945 Dutch East Indies Cuisine is an Indonesian restaurant located in the apartment-dense suburb of Pyrmont that specialises in authentic Dutch East Indies cuisine.

Dutch East Indies cuisine? Say what Willis?

Back in the day colonial Dutch living in Indonesia would serve an elaborate feast of epic proportions knows as a Rijsttafel (aka Rice Table). Traditionally a mound of rice was served first followed by a plethora of small dishes (sometimes up to as many as 40 dishes) with the aim of showcasing the abundance of exotic spices and variety of cuisines throughout the Indonesian archipelago.

My intrepid workmates (from jobs of yesteryear) Mr American and Snooze accompany me to Pyrmont for our adventure into Dutch East Indies cuisine.

At first, perusing the menu at 1945 is a little overwhelming until we “get” that the idea is to order lots of small dishes to share between us in order to get a taste of many different flavours - similar to the concept of Spanish Tapas. Many of the items on the menu are priced per piece so I guess if you’re with a big group it might be better to go for one of the available banquets to keep your wallet happy.

Our waitress Lenny is super helpful in helping us pick some dishes and we start our banquet with Ajam Boemboe Roedjak ($5.00 per piece). This is quite a mild dish of aromatic grilled chicken simmered in exotic blend of spices. A nice way to start the evening.

Lenny also suggests we try Oerap Sajoer ($7.00) a small dish of blanched vegetables tossed in spices, grated coconut served jauntily in a coconut shell. This is a fairly simple dish, however the crunch of the vegetables and grated coconut are a lovely combination - the dish feels light, fresh and healthy.

Snooze was insistent that we try the Rendang Daging ($6.00) and she met with no resistance from Mr America and myself. This dish was lovely, tender beef braised in aromatic spices and rich coconut cream. I think I remember Snooze saying this was her favourite dish.

My absolutely 100% favourite dish of the night (that I cannot stop thinking about) was ordered from the specials board – and man was it special! The Odeng Saos Padang ($24.00) is an AMAZING tasting dish of King Prawns cooked in an aromatic sweet and spicy sauce. The prawns were big and juicy, but it was the sauce, reminiscent of the sauce that comes with Singapore Chilli Crab, that had me hooked. I’d be happy just eating a bowl of the sauce with rice to be perfectly honest with you.

Another winner (for me anyway) was the Igar Bakar ($15.00) - grilled marinated pork ribs that are drizzled with fried garlic oil and served with and served with a shrimp chilli sauce. Seriously, if you're into ribs this is the dish to have...forget Tony Roma's or Hurricanes.

The last of the dishes for the night is Kangkoeng Tjah Odeng ($15.00) – stir fried water spinach with tiger prawns in shrimp paste.  A simple and mild dish that is a nice counterbalance to some of the more meaty dishes of the night.

To go with our meals both Snooze and I order a Nasi Bakar Wangi ($5.00) - mini whitebait coconut rice grilled in banana leaf. We’d noticed whitebait appearing on the menu quite a lot so this seemed like a good chance to try it. The whitebait was rolled inside the rice and gave it an interesting texture – a bit of salty crunch.

Mr American chooses the Nasi Koening ($4.00) as his rice dish - turmeric rice cooked with lemongrass and bay leaf. Don't you think Mr America would make a great hand model?

We received an Assorted Crackers Basket (normally $8.00) as a complimentary side – oh the perks of being a famous blogger! This was actually a great little side dish and so much better than your standard Prawn Crackers. As well as the standard prawn cracker the basket hide a plethora of cracker gems such as Bitternut crackers, Soybean crackers AND (drum roll please) BEEF CRACKLING! The beef crackling was great – puffed up pieces of deep fried skin – drool.

Because we're all clutching our belly's by this stage we decide to share just the one dessert and we finish the night with an Es Tjendol ($7.00, plus $2.00 for the addition of grass jelly).  This is basically the same as Ais Cendol I've had in Malaysian restaurants, however the ability to add "extras" such as Grass Jelly, Jackfruit or Durian was unique.  The sweet mix of condensed milk, pandan jelly "worms", palm sugar and the simple tasting Grass Jelly is the perfect note to end our feast on.

Our night out at 1945 was great. Not only were both the food and service exceptional, I really enjoyed trying a totally new cuisine. I’d love to come back here for a family dinner and order the banquet – a little something for everyone.

1945 Dutch East Indies Cuisine is at 2/42 Harris Street, Pyrmont.

Saucepan Cafe Restaurant, Darlington

I've been walking past Saucepan Cafe Restaurant in Darlington each work day since it opened last year thinking it was just a "regular cafe"...you know, the ones that serve sandwiches, burgers and the like.  Not very interesting really.  Infact downright boring.

Little did I know that this cafe, which is just a hop skip and a jump from my office, also has a large range of interesting Indonesian meals on offer. Lucky for me the ever-intrepid Miss Chicken and Mr Shawn have done the reconnaissance work for me and unearthed the delights on offer here.

Miss Chicken is keen for a return visit so we rendezvous for lunch. I’m excited to find such interesting food in the deep dark depths of Abercrombie Street, on a stretch of street that has ample cafes on offer (not that that is a bag thing mind you).

Miss Chicken orders the Nasi Goreng with Chicken ($10.00),  Nasi Goreng is an Indonesian Fried Rice, quite dark in colour due to the addition kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and it is delicious.  The dish comes topped with a fried egg, the runny yolk oozing over the rice when pierced with the fork.  I have to admit I have food envy.

I'm overwhelmed by the selection of dishes on offer - everything sounds so amazingly tasty.  I make a hasty decision to order the Gado Gado Ulek ($11.90) as the Waiter is standing in front of my wanting to take my order.   The Gado Gado comes with the largest prawn cracker I've ever seen - yay!  The dish is a medley of fried tofu, boiled potato, hard-boiled egg, choko and Kangkung (aka Morning Glory) topped with peanut sauce.  It's pretty nice and feels like a healthy feed. 

Saucepan Cafe can be found Shop 6/ 245-249 Abercrombie Street, Darlington.