Tag: bali

We’ve just arrived home in Sydney from Ubud after a wonderful 2 weeks there. I thought I’d share our favourite restaurants from this trip, including some old favourites and new finds while it was all fresh in my mind.

When we travel we like eating like the locals do, whilst also trying out the gastronomical stars. This trip to Ubud we did just that, eating at some great local warungs and places like Mozaic, Hujane Local and Spice Gastrocafe. We also tried on this trip to go to a few places that are off the beaten track of the main Ubud streets, so this is quite an eclectic mix!

Here’s an overview of  our favourite places for breakfast, lunch and dinner:

Melting Wok
Our absolute favourite place for dinner. There is also always a warm welcome from owner Geraldine and the team at Melting Wok who excel at great service and being hospitable. Geraldine is French and her husband Phillipe is Laotian and these cultural influences are evident in the  delicious main courses and desserts. The menu is small and simple, featuring the legendary stir fries and light coconut based curries with fresh herbs that have a unique fragrant Laotian flavour. Desserts include chocolate fondue, creme caramel and my favourite, the coco crepes with brown sugar and coconut cream. I could not write up Melting Wok without mentioning the stand out Mojitos which at IDR55,00(AUD $5.50) are an absolute steal. Great value for money dining overall with great fresh food and excellent service. Hugely popular restaurant with local expats and tourists so make sure you book ahead to guarantee a table.

Made’s Warung
In the ricefields behind Penestanan, follow the path which starts next to Bubu’s Warung on Jalan Penestanan Kelod and then turn right. Made’s Warung is up some stairs in a beautiful garden setting. The menu features Balinese, Indonesian and International favourites all freshly cooked. The Soto Ayam(chicken soup)!here is an absolute standout and the chicken with honey and chilli is a great take on sweet and sour chicken. Servings are very generous and the food is delicious. Warung prices so you will be pushing to spend more than AUD$15-20 unless you drink a lot of Bintang at $3.50 for a large bottle!

Kafe
Kafe is an Ubud institution, and a focal point for the Yoga Barn set. Serving delicious organic food, Kafe’s menu features soups, sandwiches,   Small plates and main courses. The rice paper sping rolls, kitchri, Indian plate, Ayam Rica Rica, and Soto Ayam are all excellent and the list of drinks includes Indian style lassis as well as fresh juices, coconut water and smoothies. In Jalan Hanoman.

Soma (sadly closed)
Relatively new on the Ubud scene, SOMA is in Jalan Gootama in a Balinese courtyard setting, with tables set in the shade of frangipani trees and bamboo plants. The menu has a mixture of raw and cooked, healthy organic goodies. SOMA is all about healthy cooking, so if it’s not raw the food is created using slow cooking techniques. My “live” porridge with fresh fruits was absolutely delicious as are the fresh fruit juices. Good healthy lunch and dinner options and excellent for vegans and vegetarians. Service is a bit slow but worth the wait for the ambience and menu options.

Yellow Flower Cafe
Yellow Flower Cafe is tucked away in the Penestanan ricefields, on the walk between Penestanan and Bintang supermarket. If you are coming from the Campuhan end then follow the path from the stairs next to Bintang and if going from Penstanan, the path starts near the “taxi stand” opposite the real estate office. It is a quintesentially hippie cafe, frequented by the yogis staying in the ricefields. Run by a local Balinese family, the Cafe is great for breakfast with items like – Feta,Avocado and Tomato toast, on crispy baguette, which I suspect comes from the nearby Kue bakery in Penestanan; fantastic pancakes with bananas, coconut and strawberries and excellent egg shasuka which are eggs poached in a tomatoey ratatouille type sauce. Once again great frsh fruit juices, smoothies and Balinese “Jammu” or medicinal drinks.

Kue Bakery and cafe (Penestanan closed)
There are 2 Kue bakeries in Ubud, one on Jalan Raya Ubud just down from Jalan Sugriwa and the other smaller outlet on Jalan Penestanan Kelod. If you need a fix of fresh croissants, crispy baguette or to indulge your sweet tooth with a cake or dessert, then Kue is definitley your answer when visiting Ubud. Everything is organic and freshly baked each morning and both bakeries operate as Cafes as well with sandwiches and organic wraps.

Wayan’s Juice Bar
On Jalan Penestanan Kelod, next to Warung Mendez, this is Boost Juice, Balinese style! The kitchen is more like a storeroom for the fruit, vegetables and herbs used in the juices. There is a huge list of combinations of fruit and vegetable juices, all made to order. My favourites include the banana, pineapple and passionfruit and the Beetroot, carrot, lime and  ginger! Delicious 🤗

Hujan Locale
Will Meryck’s Ubud restaurant offers a smorgasbord of regional Indonesia dishes in an elegantly colonial style restaurant in Jalan Sri Wedari. Using ingredients sourced through their partnership with local farmers and suppliers, the dishes range from tasty appetisers such as crispy pig’s ears through to stir-fries and curries, as well as dedicated vegetarian and gluten free menus.  Quality of food and service is excellent as one would expect from a Will Meryck establishment.
Smorgasbord of Indonesian delights

Mozaic (re-opened 2023)
Mozaic restaurant is one of Ubud’s finest dining experiences and has won numerous awards to attest to this. The restaurant is very elegant and features dining in an tropical garden setting – very romantic at night. Chris Salans and his team use French and European cooking methods to create imaginative and divinely delicious dishes, each inspired by one key Indonesian ingredient. Mozaic offers set course menus of 6 or 8 courses and prices are high by Bali standards, but I recommend at least one visit as a true gastronomical adventure. Mozaic also has a lounge bar for cocktails and snacks.
See the review of our New Year’s Eve dinner.

Spice (sadly closed)
Spice is Mozaic’s Chris Salan’s latest Ubud offering which he is calling a gastro-cafe. If you can’t make it to Mozaic, and even if you can, make sure you try out the fabulous more casual dining offer at Spice, on Jlan Raya Ubud. The menu features small plates as well as as more substantial mains and a daily specials menu. We tried gorgeous vegetarian dumplings; crispy pork belly with turmeric sauce, cauliflower and dukka, green salad and a very authentic Malaysian prawn laksa. The wine list is good, and wines are available by the glass. like Mozaic, each of the dishes incorporates local herbs,spices and sambals in a creative and thoughtful manner. The attention to detail in presentation and great fit-out make for a very pleasant casual dining venue as you watch the action of Ubud’s Main Street through the glass frontage. Must visit!

Warung Saya (sadly closed)
Always a very eclectic experience at this tiny Warung, with only 4 tables, now relocated from Jalan Gootama to Jalan Sugriwa in the centre of Ubud. The owner Amir is a one man band, for taking reservations, serving the food, cooking it and entertaining guests with his loyal miniature poodle, Princess by his side. As well as being a fabulous cook, Amir designs dog costumes and Princess is usually decked to the nines! Bookings are essential and Amir usually requests food orders are placed ahead of your arrival by email so he can prepare ahead and cut down what can be otherwise a long waiting time while he cooks your dinner from scratch. The food is really delicious, and I always enjoy the Indian inspired dishes such as the Mysore Chicken. The fried tofu is to die for as is the stunning grilled eggplant served with yoghurt and tomato chutney. Amir is not a fan of hot chilli, so the dishes are delicately spiced. I’m not sure how he manages to do it all on his own but it is always feels like you are in his home and he is cooking for special guests.

Warung Mendez
Specialising  in Javanese food, Warung Mendez in addition to tasty appetisers such as their corn and spring onion fritters, battered tempeh, and lumpiah(spring rolls); soups such as Rawon, rice dishes like Nasi Goreng; Warung Mendez also serves special dishes like BBQ leg of goat and Beef ribs marinated with herbs and spices and served with rice and Lawar (green vegetables with coconut and spices). The meat dishes are perfectly slow cooked over coals and are redolent of smoky spicy flavours. The accompanying sambals and the green papaya salad are perfect accompaniments to the bbqed meats. Would highly recommend the special Gado Gado which is topped with fried tofu, a poached egg and delicious peanut sauce. Never tasted a Gado Gado like it before. Located in Jalan Penestanan Kelod. Warung Mendez Lunch Review

Bubu’s Warung
Down the road from Warung Mendez, Bubu’s Warung allot feels like an Australian cafe with chalkboard messages explaining the provenance of the ingredients as being fresh from the markets each day, and a light airy setting which is quite minimalist. This could be the influence of Bubu’s son Kadek who lives and works in Australia. The family run Warung is cheap and cheerful with wholesome, good food prepared by Bubu herself. Menu is a mix of local and international favourites. Balinese special dishes must be ordered 24 hour ahead. The service is excellent.

Warung Ibu Suna (
For an authentic Babi Guling experience, outside the famed Ibu Oka which is now filled with bus loads of tourists, I’d recommend you venture up Jalan Sangingan to Ibu Suna, which is on your left hand side as you head out of Ubud, just before the turn to Kedewatan village. Most local warungs serving Babi Guling only open until that day’s pig/s has been finished so I’d recommend you factor in Babi Guling at Ibu Suna for brunch and go before 12.30 or you might find it is closed. The Babi Guling here is served traditionally with crispy crackling, tender white meat, bits of crispy fried innards(which you can skip), a spicy lawar(green ferns and coconut), hot chilli sambal and rice. Ibu Suna’s version gets top marks and is understandably very popular with locals.  A real Babi Guling experience