Warung Wardani - Denpasar, Bali

Warung Wardani is another eatery in Bali that is famous for their 'Nasi Ayam' or in English 'Chicken Rice'. Basically it shares the same idea with 'Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku' (See post 26/09/12). It is basically a selection of vegetables with chicken cooked in several different way, topped with a chicken satay served on top of steam white rice. The idea is simple but the taste is definitely complex and something you can never belittle.

Menu : Nasi Ayam Campur
Price : Rp 35,000
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> If you look closely to the picture above on the right, you can actually figure out each of the food items on the plate. The side dishes consists of :

1. Keripik Kentang
2. Sayur Nangka
3. Dendeng Sapi
4. Buncis
5. Ayam Suwir
6. Sate Ayam
7. Sate Lilit
8. Acar & Sambal

The items above combined together makes a good fulfilling complete dish. I like the chicken satay and sate lilit best. The other vegetables side dishes were 'okay', nothing stood out to me.

Overall, I would say 'Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku' is definitely much better. I'm sure judging from my score you all can figure out. As a matter of fact, one of the main point that Warung Wardani disappointed me was their poorly executed chili. But bottom line, not a 'to die for' but a fairly good dish.

Warung Wardani
Jl. Yudistira 2 - Denpasar, Bali
Phone : +62 (0361) - 224398

Babi Guling Bp. Dobiel - Nusa Dua, Bali (Lebaran 2012)

Another round of pork feasting in Bali !! There were so many other stalls selling pork rice dishes, besides the obvious famous ones (eg; Candra, Bu Oka) I couldn't made up my mind on which others to choose. My local driver took me here to Babi Guling Bp. Dobiel which was situated in Nusa Dua and I must say, it has potential. 

On an overall basis, I would say Candra has better food but this wasn't half bad either. There were quite a crowd on lunch time and even though they weren't as busy as Candra, but I noticed that there were Jakarta & Surabaya people there, thus fairly known by pork lovers.

Menu : Nasi Campur
Price : Rp 30,000
Score : 6.0 / 10

>> The vegetable side dishes were alright, nothing majorly 'wow-ing' or terrible about it. It was a good compliment on the side. The pork satay over at Candra is better, it has more smoked / burnt barbequed grilled smell in it and the meat was also smaller. However, the stir fried pork meat infused with local Bali herbs (Babi Suwir) were good. It has a subtle herbs smell which does not overpower the meat and most importantly taste good!

So...bottom line I'd still say Candra is the winner but this Babi Guling Bp. Dobiel can be a welcoming alternative.

Babi Guling Bp. Dobiel
Jl. Srikandi No. 9 Nusa Dua, Bali
Phone : +62 (0361) - 771633

Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku - Ubud, Bali (Lebaran 2012)

Upon landing in Bali, this is the first restaurant I went. It was just slightly past lunch time and FW was getting cranky by the minute. He was certain that he wanted Nasi Ayam Kedewatan for lunch and the fact it's situated in Ubud, close by our hotel, I had no issue about it. 

To be honest, I didn't quite understand what is the big deal about this place until I had my first plate....and I'm hooked for life! One of the most spiciest plate of Nasi Ayam I had ever tasted, and you don't get to hear me say 'kepedesan' very often (very rarely actually). I have a high threshold for chili but this made me have tears in my eyes! Bloody good chili! And I even bought a kilo of the chili and took it back to the hotel and home to Jakarta. It's awesome !! A definite must try for chili lovers out there :)

" THE AWESOME CHILI !!!! "

Menu : Nasi Ayam Kedewatan
Price : RP 15,000
Score : 9.5 / 10

>> After nearly one month passed since I actually sat down and ate this plate of rice, I am now still able to drool just by looking at the picture and imagining the taste dancing on my taste buds. This is probably the best food I had ever eaten in Bali. Yes, bali is famous for the pork and their duck but damn! This is the Kings and Queens of all rice dishes I had ever tasted. I may sound 'hyperbolic' but these are my honest words.

I really think the secret weapon lies in their chili. My goodness! Eat a spoonful of it and I guarantee you'll blow your brains out. I loooooove chili and I couldn't remember when was the last time I was running for icy cold water wanting to ease off the heat from my mouth. This plate of chili really brought me there. It was extremely HOT !!!! And it actually made me have tears and made my lips rather swollen. The rice itself is cheap (Rp 15,000 or around only USD 1.80) and also generous with their meat, veges and other fillings. If I ended up broke while in Bali, I'll probably spend my money here and still manage to get a decent meal !!! This is not only worth your money but also worth your time for traveling all the way to Ubud.

Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku

Jl. Raya Kedewatan 2 No. 18, Ubud Bali

Phone : +62 (0361) - 974795

Babi Guling Candra - Denpasar, Bali (Lebaran'12)

Babi Guling Candra or better known as just 'Candra' is a famous restaurant especially amongst Chinese living in Jakarta & Surabaya. That is obviously proven when you're there. Only Jakarta & Surabaya people crowds that eatery, even during non peak period of the day. The restaurant is situated on the busy office street of 'Denpasar' and thus parking might be an issue but if you're a fan of pork, I'm sure you would not mind the hassle.

Menu : Sate Babi (Pork Satay)
Price : Rp 20,000 (For 10 sticks)
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> I like this pork satay because it is purely meat, without organs or the belly fat part on the stick. I waited for this for a good 20 minutes because they just ran out when I reached there and they were only starting to grill a new batch. The result of patience was rewarding for this case. Succulent bits of pork meat, smeared with specialty sauce on all over and has a slight burnt charcoal smoked smell infused into the meat. Good Stuff !!

Menu : Nasi Campur Special
Price : Rp 30,000
Score : 6.25 / 10

>> Slightly fall short of my expectation. I thought it would be mind blowing as people always says that this is a 'must go place'. Don't get me wrong, this is good overall but maybe I was hoping too much. The pork was cooked well, loved the pork satay at the side and even though the pork crackling wasn't very crunchy, the vegetables dishes were there to compliment. Overall, a nice dish, suitable for a lunch but again may I remind you, don't go during peak hours or you'll need to wait for seats and that is just painful !!

Menu : Babi Goreng
Price : Rp 60,000
Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Like this !! I think they only include one piece of this 'babi goreng' in the nasi campur and thus you'll need to order another plate of this in addition to your rice. Loooove this slightly crispy, slightly chewy, heavy on the sweet side meat dish. Maybe they used honey and definitely sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) to give the color and the taste. Eat this with steam white rice and chili with a few sticks of pork satay and you'll come back here again the next time you're on your Bali trip !


Babi Guling Candra
Jl. Teuku Umar 140, Denpasar Bali
Phone : +62 (0361) - 221278 / 9940098

Manega Seafood - Jimbaran, Bali (Lebaran 2012)

I always put aside one dinner slot schedule for about eight out of ten trips to Bali, especially for this restaurant. There were some renovation made to the place, better decor all around but one thing for sure, their food is as good as ever! I made a point to come there sharp at 5.30 pm, just managing to catch a good glimpse of the Jimbaran sunset while waiting for the dishes to be cooked.

If you reach here at their peak period (per say 7 to 9pm) you will need all the patience you can find inside you to wait for seats and chasing the waitresses for to deliver your food out of their super chaotic kitchen. Therefore, I seriously suggest for you all to reach no later than 5.30 pm. Rather early for a dinner but the time they get your food onto your the table it's 6.30 pm! Perfect timing isn't it?

Menu : Sate Cumi (Squid Satay)
Price : Rp 75,000++ (For 15 sticks)
Score : To Be Advised

>> If you don't know, I don't eat squid unless maybe fried calamari rings (not a fan either). I didn't try any of these but hearing from FW, he loved it. There is something about the texture and the chewy pat of the squid meat that I just don't like any bit.

Menu : Tiger Prawn

Price : Rp 70,000++ (For 4 pieces)

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Very well cooked, exactly how a prawn should be grilled. It's well done, but still retains it's 'springy' texture when you bite and chew into it. The smoke grilled taste is infused into the dish and when dipped with 'kecap manis' (sweet soy sauce) and cut chili with sambal matah, you'll probably order another dozen of these!

Menu : Kerang (Shellfish)

Price : Rp 40,000++ (For about 12 pieces)

Score : 9.0 / 10

>> This dish is not only the cheaper among the menu but also simply the best tasting one! The shape of the shell retains all the sauce that was smeared all across it instead of dripping down the grilling stove. The sauce is simply yummeh!! It's their specialty I suppose, it's buttery, able to taste the smoked effect from the grill, strong in garlic and has a slight BBQ tang ! Hmmm....delightful :)

Menega Cafe

Jl. Four Seasons Muaya Beach, Jimbaran Bali

Phone : +62 (361) - 705888

Nasi Jinggo - Ubud, Bali (Lebaran'12)

The first time I tried 'Nasi Jinggo' was about a year ago. A Balinese butler introduced me to this dish. Nasi Jinggo is perceived as a 'peasant' food, due to the relatively cheap nature I assume. A packet of this particular Nasi Jinggo in Ubud Street costs only RP 3,000, USD 0.30 when converted to the US Dollars. With that mere amount of money, you can actually get a decent amount of rice, with a scoop of fried noodles, a little bit of stir fried egg, half handful of ground peanuts and most importantly a dollop of home made chili ! All that for only RP 3,000 !! Try to beat that price! Well, that is the basic Nasi Jinggo, but there is always room to make a simple vegetarian rice dish to be slightly more interesting.

At this street food stall (Warung Kaki Lima), there are options for additionals; chicken, pork and tuna. Those side meat are packed in banana leaves and charged at RP 1,500 per packet. I had all three meat together with a packet of Jinggo Rice and I like the Tuna best. Unfortunately, I forget to get pictures of those meat dish thus unable to share it here. Tuna is best, second is the chicken and last was the pork meat due to the powerful stench 'pork smell' (difficult to describe that smell, but I'm sure you readers could understand).

Honestly, I wasn't impressed by this particular 'Nasi Jinggo' but was rather surprised to be able to still find a decent rice with meat meal that cost RP 7,500, barely a dollar!

Nasi Jinggo, Ubud Bali

Ayam Betutu

Signboard on the main street

A different Saturday brunch. DH tried this same restaurant in Nusa Dua Bali before and he claimed that this was superbly superb! So when "Ayam Betutu" opens a branch very close to my house he wanted to try it very badly. I was a little bit skeptic over his food reviews due to previous disappointing eat outs, but I agree to eat anyways.

Menu : Nasi Campur Bali
Price : Rp 25,000
Score : 6.25 / 10

» There's a lot of things going on the plate. There were steaming hot rice, sate lilit, sayur urap, ayam goreng betutu, ayam suwir, kacang, belut goreng, orek kentang and kuah saus at the side. Overall, I only liked the ayam suwir and sate lilit. But honestly have to say that the taste was some how different from the one in Bali. Nevertheless, this is the closest you can get in Pluit.

Menu : Ayam Betutu Setengah Ekor
Price : Rp 35,000
Score : 6 / 10

» There was an additional side dish for this Ayam Betutu set; "Kankung Pelencing". I'm sorry, I didn't get that inside the picture. To move on, the chicken was well cooked, juicy and moist. But apart from there's too much bones, the gravy was not very tasty. I loveee the "sambal matah" though! It's an oily combination of cut chilies, shallots and garlic! Hmmm, can cause bad breath but worth it!!!

Menu : Sate Lilit
Price : Rp 2,500 / each
Score : 6.5 / 10

» Yummy fresh fish wrapped onto sugar cane stick! The price was reasonable too but there was not enough spices there. Definitely rooms for improvements!

 

And so bottom line, If you ask me whether I'll come back again to here, I might say "yes". Not because of the fact that the food was excellent (it was okay, so - so), but because it is the closest Balinese food I can get in my area. It is only 5 minutes drive from home.

AYAM BETUTU BALI
Address : Jln. Pluit Indah Raya No 25. Jakarta Utara
Phone : 021 - 6660 6388

Balinese food escape!

This trip to Bali was actually a couple of months back during Lebaran Holidays! I ate so much great food that I came back to Jakarta about 3 Kilo heavier. Nevertheless, it was freakin' worth it!

Venue : The Ayana Rock Bar - Jimbaran, Bali
Menu : Chicken Popcorn
Price : Rp 85,000 ++
Score : 6 / 10

>> Visit Ayana Rock Bar for the beautiful view but not the food. The menu has a great selection of alcoholic beverages but not ideal for meal. Nevertheless, the place was a great place to hang out!

Venue : The Ayana Rock Bar - Jimbaran, Bali Menu : Virgin Lavender & Virgin Tropical
Price : Rp 80,000 ++ (each)
Score : Lavender 5 / 10 & Tropical 7 / 10

>> The tropical drink is very refreshing, very citrus! The lavender is more of a fragrant and soothing drink.

Venue : Ibu Andika - Kuta, Bali
Menu : Nasi Pedes
Price : Rp 17,000
Score : 7 / 10

» Don't count on the surrounding, it's just hawker food along the street. The dishes are actually plain, but the chili is crazily superb !!! I'm a sucker for chili and my tongue definitely dance with sensation!

Venue : Ifiori - Across Discovery Mall Kuta, Bali
Menu : Australian Sirloin Steak
Price : Rp 155,000 ++
Score : 7 /10
» Simply one word ; JUICY !! Very well cooked and tender indeed.

Venue : Ifiori - Across Discovery Mall Kuta, Bali
Menu : Asian Chicken Springroll
Price : Rp 55,000 ++
Score : 5 / 10

» It is too oily and reckoned overpriced for spring rolls. Order something else if you happen to be there.

Venue : Metis - Seminyak, Bali
Menu : Grilled Barramundi with Lemon Olive Oil Juice
Price : Rp 68,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10
» Very very suitable for a light lunch.

PS : Scenery view of across the paddy field.

Venue : Metis - Seminyak, Bali
Menu : Le Steak Frites with Garlic Butter
Price : Rp 85,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

» Juicy and I like the garlic butter sauce a lot... YUMMY !!!!

Venue : Metis - Seminyak, Bali
Menu : Bali Fruit Fantasy & Banana Frosty
Price : Rp 50,000 ++ (each)
Score : Fruit Fantasy 5.5 / 10 & Banana Frosty 7.5 / 10

» Fruit Fantasy is okay but the banana is yummmy!!! They added expresso and chocolate bits blended with vanilla ice cream. Drooling yet???

Venue : Metis - Seminyak, Bali
Menu : Chocolate Dream
Price : Rp 55,000 ++
Score : 7.7 / 10

» You never ever go wrong with Chocolate! This devil consist of Mini Chocolate Moelleux and Brownies, Chocolate Pot de Creme and Sauce !!!

Venue : Nuris's Ribs - Ubud, Bali
Menu : Pork Ribs
Price : Rp 78,000 ++
Score : 8.5 / 10

» For the mere price this is good stuff! Ask for more lime squeeze and lots of their home made sambal. Definitely two thumbs up for this. Pig out mode : ON !!!

Venue :  Warung Made - Kuta, Bali
Menu : Sate Lilit Ikan
Price : Rp 55,000 ++
Score : 7.5 / 10

» Delicious !!! Spicy Tuna fish satay that can only be found in Bali :) Heavenly good!

Venue : Warung Made - Kuta, Bali
Menu : Nasi Campur ala Made
Price : Rp 50,000 ++
Score : 7 / 10

» Generously big portion and satisfying !! I like the sate lilit and the sambal chili :)

Venue : Coco Coffee Bali - Nusa Dua, Bali
Menu : Nasi Goreng Sari Nusa
Price : Rp 45,000 ++
Score : 5.75 / 10

» I wanna give this a six but the service bad -_-". Took such a long freakin time to get this dish out and yet they're not packed.

Venue : Bubba Gump - Kuta, Bali
Menu : Boat Bucket of Trash
Price : Rp 220,000 ++
Score : 6 / 10

» Deep fried shrimp, slipper lobster tail and mahi mahi seasoned with Cajun spices and french fries. But however, i think this dish is OVERPRICED for fried finger food.

Venue : Bubba Gump
Menu : Cajun Shrimp
Price : Rp 85,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

» Sauteed in a spicy Cajun butter sauce, served with garlic bread for dippin'. I like garlic bread super super muachhhh!

Venue : Bubba Gump
Menu : I'm Stuffed! Shrimp
Price : Rp 190,000++
Score : 7.5 / 10

» Large shrimp stuffed with crab cake, baked in garlic butter and topped with mozzarella cheese. Served with rice! The crab cake is gooddddddddd me likey :)))