A lovely Easter holiday at Pearl Beach, one of our favourite Sydney getaways. Lazy beach days as summer turns to autumn here, walks, swims and a book fair to keep us all stocked up for reading. Blissful family time and healthy grazing and feasting as well.
Here are some photos of our some of our lunches so far. Promise to post recipes in weeks to come.
It was lovely to drop back in to Hujan Locale in Ubud for a family lunch last Sunday. With the mix of colonial and Asian touches of decore, the backdrop of a traditional Balinese family compound and sunlight and beautiful breeze streaming in to the upper dining room, it is still a beautiful space made even better with their delectable cocktails and food.
True to Will Meryck style, the menu featured fresh seasonal Indonesian ingredients and at Hujan Locale, the menu ranges across specialities from various regions, with strong nods to Malaysian and Chinese flavours and styles.
The style is certainly more Pan Asian but the focus is on great Indonesian ingredients and is very different menu to that at Nusantara., so is a very good option as a contrast.
We began with the superb slipper lobster dumplings in a tangy tomato sauce.
The Crispy While Fish (Tilapia River Fish) served with a green papaya salad., lettuce leaves, and a tangy tamarind sauce …which followed was stunning in its presentation and deep fried in a way which separates the bones from the fillet making it easy to share and enjoy. The combination of the crispy fish, the sauce, papaya salad wrapped in lettuce leaves was delicious.
We tried the light vegetable curry cooked in a mild coconut sauce with yellow rice. Lovely as a side and/or a vegetarian option.
We finished our lavish lunch with the spectacular whole pig hock cooked in a sweet “Babi Kecap” style sauce, with steamed buns, cucumber and spring onions. The expertly deboned and shredded the pork at the table adding a sense of theatre to the occasion.
Definitely another High Five for Hujan Locale at Ubud. Here’s a link to my first review 7 years ago when it was just a new kid on the block.
The shiny new Night Rooster by the Locavore Group is easy to pass by without noticing but once you are through the door you could be in a New York style speakeasy. A projector throwing up a slideshow of evocative words and images on the smoky glass front is the only hint of the adventure that awaits inside.
Now situated at 5 Jalan Gootama, just down from Jalan Raya Ubud, the new shiny Night Rooster is decked out with plush seating, bookcases with an artistic assortment of paraphernalia and a great looking bar. With skylights reminiscent of Bali villa roofs and a mirrored ceiling the ambience is inviting and interesting.
You could be anywhere in the world here, and the new updated version is a step up from the original version of Night Rooster as you will see if you compare the two!
As are the famous Night Rooster cocktails featuring local ingredients which tantalise the sense with taste, smell and stunning presentation. Old favourites such as The Ashes are joined by newer creations including
The new Night Rooster is the perfect pre-cursor to dinner at one of the great restaurants nearby like Nusantara, Hujan Locale and Melting Wok. I would of course say Locavore too, but they are about to turn into Herbivore whilst the new LocavoreNXT is created.
We’ve been back to Nusantara Restaurant in Ubud for their outstanding Indonesian menu twice in the last 6 months and each time the experience seems to get better. As with their other establishments such as Locavore and Night Rooster, the Locavore group continues to deliver excellence in all that they develop and deliver.
At Nusantara for example they have added foam baffling to the underneath of the tables which means the acoustics are much improved, although this has never spoiled our dining experience too much before.
The menu remains true to showcasing the best dishes from across the Indonesian Archipelago with seasonal adjustments to feature ingredients available at the time.
The Berbagi Rasa shared complimentary tasting platter of seasonal snacks is always a great way to start dinner. This time it featured delicious Rujak Cemcem.
Some of you who have travelled to Bali might have come across the bright green drink Loloh Cemcem made using Cemcem leaves. The leaves have been used in Balinese traditional medicine for their antioxidant and antibacterial effects and some studies have shown their potential for this. Needless to say we were much more interested in the taste of Nusantara’s Rujak Cemcem, featuring cemcem leaves marinated in chillies, sea salt and shrimp paste.
Here are some photos of the Berbagi Rasa platter and accompanying descriptions.
Having been here many times, we alternate between the set menu (usually when we take friends for the first time) or ordering our preferences from the a’La carte menu. This time there were four of us allowing us to share and taste many different dishes from across the various regions of Indonesia. Definitely a feast for our tastebuds!
Here is a list of the dishes we enjoyed including descriptions from the menu:
To finish we shared the very Asian dessert dish featuring sticky black rice, mung bean flour cake, sweet potato balls, sago, young coconut and condensed milk….all served in a coconut!
Es Kembang Desa
Tape ketan, tape injin, selendang mayang, bola ubi, sago, young coconut, condensed milk and frozen coconut
The entire meal was delicious and every dish and each sambal brought new flavours and taste sensations. Beautiful food representing flavours from across the Indonesian archipelago- a way to experience the whole of Nusantara without leaving Ubud!
Here’s a link to my previous review of Nusantara from back in 2019, which brings back memories of all the great meals we’ve enjoyed.
Semar Kunig Resto is just down the road from the famous Semar Kuning artist collective gallery in Lodtunduh village just outside Ubud.
It was a lovely day trip to soak in the vast collection of art on sale at the gallery which has works from about 150 Balinese artists ranging from modern to traditional styles. It’s a nice feeling to know you are buying art from a collective which exists to support the local artists. I even got a background bio on the artist of the painting I bought. After wandering the amazing collection of art and bargaining for our paintings we headed to lunch.
The restaurant is very well appointed, spotlessly clean and has lovely views of an adjoining rice fields peppered with colourful traditional statues and flags.
We were warmly welcomed with complimentary snacks and a cleansing tangy ginger drink. The menu includes excellent Indonesian food as well as western favourites. We opted for the highly praised local dishes which come with a delicious range of sambals, ranging from mild to super spicy.
The smoked duck and crispy duck were both delicious and Semar Kuning is particularly known for these specialities. The Nasi Campur and Nasi Goreng were also a hit.
The cocktail list is appealing and my caprioska made with palm sugar was a standout.
Only open now for a year, it is fast becoming a favourite of tourists and locals and the place was buzzing when we dropped in for lunch.
Despite the vastness of the restaurant, the service was also friendly, efficient and speedy.
Highly recommend a trip to Lodtunduh for an artful day and dining experience!
This local gem, Warung Mek Juwel, is hidden away in a back road of Sayan, just outside of Ubud but worth the trip out for delicious Nasi Campur Ayam, the iconic Balines chicken and rice dish. It certainly was a great way to kick off this trip to Bali. It is a one dish restaurant so you just sit at the table, help yourself to soft drinks from the fridge and the food magically appears. It’s like being in a Balinese family home.
Nasi Campur translates to mixed rice and is traditionally served with a mixture of meat cooked in different styles and a mixture of sambals and sides. Throughout Bali the competition and legends of various Nasi Campur warungs (local restaurants) abounds….with many different styles and flavours. Therefore the search for the best Nasi Campur is I believe a lifetime task! Today’s visit to Warung Mek Juwel definitely makes the cut of one of the best I’ve tried.
Warung Mek Juwel hasn’t quite made the map of the best Nasi Campur in the world as yet, but I suspect this will not be far away. However I just saw that it is Ubud Food Legend Janet de Neefe’s recommendations in her top places to eat like a local in Ubud.
The (Ayam)chicken served in the Nasi Campur here at Warung Mek Juwel is a combination of roast chicken, sate Lilit(minced chicken on lemongrass skewer), smoked chicken and crunchy chicken skin “floss” all cooked with a delicious “bumbu” – the name for traditional Balinese spice pastes. The smoked chicken was flavourful with a smokiness that apparently comes from being roasted in coconut husks.
Served with fiery sambal, boiled egg and a mixture of crunchy peanuts, and delicious vegetables, noodles and rice, this is a truly authentic nasi campur ayam. the restaurant was full of locals which of course is always a great sign if you’re eating local food. (I skip the small serving of fried internal bits and pieces of chicken but my husband loves it all!)
The restaurant itself is situated next to the family home and has a lovely, simple feel and overlooks rice paddies and local homes with ducks wandering around quacking in the background. Prices are still local so it’s about RP45,000 each which is an absolute bargain for this truly authentic experience!
Great authentic Nasi Campur Ayam experience to kick off our current trip to Ubud, Bali.