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:
- Babi Masak Dompu (Pulau Sumbawa, Nusa Tenggara Barat)
Pork belly marinated with chilies, shallots and garlic, roasted over an open wood fire, served with cassava leaves - Puyuh Betutu (Payangan, Central Bali)
Quail slow-cooked ‘the Balinese way’ with bumbu rajang and cassava leaves - Gulai Udang (Samarinda, East kalimantan)
Prawns braised with garlic, chilies, turmeric leaves, candlenuts, shrimp paste and fresh coconut milkBabi Bungkus (all over Papua) - Babi Bungkus (all over Papua) Pork shoulder marinated with garlic, chilies, galangal, lemongrass, ginger and pineapple, wrapped and grilled in ginger torch leaves over an open wood fire
- Konro Bakar (Makassar, South Sulawesi)
Beef ribs marinated with shallots, garlic, cloves, cumin, star anise, nutmeg, cinnamon, burnt coconut and palm sugar, finished over an open wood fire, served with peanut sauce - Kangkung Bunga Pepaya (Manado, North Sulawesi)
Stir-fried water spinach, turmeric leaves and papaya blossom seasoned with shallots, chilies and shrimp paste - Nasi Liwet (Solo, Central Java)
High-grade Balinese heritage rice from Mas, Central Bali, steamed with pandan leaves, lemongrass, salam leaves and coconut oil - Three sambals:
- Sambal Pentes (Payangan, Central Bali)
Shallots, garlic, chilies, torch ginger stem, shrimp paste and kaffir lime leaves - Sambal Rampah (Selong, Nusa Tenggara Barat)
Shallots, garlic, chilies, turmeric, candlenuts, turmeric leaves and kaffir lime leaves - Sambal Tuktuk (Tapanuli, North Sumatra)
Shallots, chilies, garlic, tomatoes, torch ginger, candlenuts and andaliman peppers
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.