Before I begin my food experience feedback during my 4-day stay in Bali Indonesia, let me share some things I observed from this beautiful island.
- They place daily offerings along the side street of their business/homes made from banana leaf -half uncovered box with some flowers, biscuits and incense.
- No beggar anywhere we went to, even on the far-end area of the island.
- Their gates (home or business) are always extravagantly designed.
- Incense here and there which may be the reason why…
- No mosquitos flying around
- No extra charge for early check-in (in our hotel)
- Meals are more affordable than pasalubongs 🙂
On to my foodies… so after arriving early in the morning around 7-8am, our first stop was the Warung Babi Guling Dolbi. Side note, I just learned that “Warung” means a family owned business so whenever you see or hear an eatery name with “Warung”, you can assume that people working in it are mostly family members.
The ‘meal’ includes a medium-sized platter of all-pork dishes plus soup and chicken skin- there’s the crispy pork skin, shredded pork meat, crispy chicken skin, pork floss and vegetable side dish which I think is string beans with ginger and not sure if the yellow part was egg. Careful with this side dish as you can really get sweaty coz of the green peppers (string beans look-alike). The soup, though I’m not sure if it’s beef or pork, also has the aroma of different herbs and I couldn’t tell what are those. It comforts your throat all the way to your stomach on a hot day. This is the farthest eatery we tried by foot and also one of the good meals we had on our first day.
A few steps from our hotel, is the Warung Ketut’s which is owned by a couple right infront of Marriot’s Hotel in Nusa Dua. One blogger posted that the owners are very friendly but not intrusive. Like they always say hi/hello then smile but no pressure on having a conversation that may feel awkward.
They offer both local and western dishes. Their pizza dough is handmade, and all other dishes were priced affordably. My hubby really loved their Nasi Goreng and Mie Goreng and I couldn’t agree more. They’re willing to adjust the spiciness as you prefer.
Our first Bakso Ayam was very memorable because we just passed by the foodcart on a mortorcycle and looked at the display. It looked yummy and so we tried it. ‘Twas around IDR 20, 000 or around ~PhP71-72. This is a hot soup (literally) which actually helped cool down our bodies on a mid day.
Almost everyday, we checked the foodcart since the soup is somehow addicting but we never succeeded getting our second try. Unaware we were, there was a better and cheaper Baksos just a few steps from the hotel we’re staying. When the door closes, there’s always a window that opens. hehe..
We loved the chicken and beef ball noodle soups and it only costed a few IDRs. Bakso Ayam (Chicken Ball Soup) and Bakso Sapi (Beef Ball Soup) were priced for 14,000 IDR and IDR 16,000, respectively.
In between our meals, we were able to get a few snacks here and there. Side story: when we saw a small store near the hotel that has these small packs of snacks, I initially grab 2-3 then the seller looked at me like she was surprised. I tried to talk in simple English words but I think she didn’t get me. Then my husband whispered “pang-alay ata” or for offerings. Then I realized that the small snack packs were for offerings since they also sell small banana leaf boxes (without cover). I just said thank you then I think she understood me and pointed us to another store.
Form left to right: I really don’t know the names of these snacks but I can still remember how it tasted. There were only two spicy snacks on the 1st picture – the 1st one has herbs on the crackers and the orangey color below it. The 1st is weirdly good. I really can’t describe the taste but I love it. Then the clover chips-lookalike is super spicy like my eyes were tearing and so my nose. haha. The snack on the upper right is just so -so. The 4th one really tasted like squid. The dark brown is like popcorns that were glued together and helped me counter the other spicy snack/s. It’s sweet and has chocolate flavor.
I wanted to highlight the 5th snack on the 2nd photo. It also has spicy kick – a bit hard on crispiness but it lasted until we got back to Manila. This can replace your coffee to wake your senses ‘coz just a small bite and sure enough your sleepiness will run away. Others included were crispy fish skin, sweet choco rolls (how it was tasted) and watermelon.
And the last or third photo shows a slice of green match cake with mocha and 2 cupcakes – chocolate and banana flavors. Can’t remember the price but I think these were cheaper but the tastes were heaven.
Here are the other meals we tried at Warung Made’s near our hotel – the first one is just so – so coz I thought the chicken was grilled as shown on their menu. While the Chow Mien with sambal was super peppery but tasty.
On our 3rd day, we travelled along the coast of Jimabaran which is famous for sunset dinners as it’s along the beach. You can actually see the airport from here and the sunset. I appreciate this place as it’s recommended by locals but to be honest, there’s nothing like the sunsets we have back home. The place is crowded with tables and chairs and I didn’t see anyone taking a dip here. Also, you can’t watch the sunset unless you dine in one of the restaurants along the beach – or we’re just not informed. Our driver dropped us at one of the restaurants with a nice view of the sunset.
How to order – choose any seafood on display, weigh then cook – fried or grilled were the only options you have unlike in Manila’s “dampa”. The set menu included a big bowl of rice – that green bowl with white cover is the rice ( and we’re not able to consume half of it), stir-fried water spinach (kangkong), a pitcher of water and 4 small slices of fruits – honeydew and watermelon. The grilled fish was seasoned with sambal as sauce so it’s peppery with a hint of sweetness. And yeah it’s well cooked but I can still get a whiff of the fishy smell.
We ordered a coconut juice – nothing special aside from how it was served . The straw and spoon were attached to the coconut as seen on the picture. The food is just okay for me but the price is around IDR 400,000+ which is pricey compared to how it tasted. I think other dishes we tried that were less than half of its cost were better and maybe you just pay for the view and not really the food.
On our last day at the airport, we checked Warung Made’s Nasi Goreng (for hubby) and Beef Rendang (for me).
Beef Rendang is mildly spiced not for me and I do love that did not overpower the beef and coconut taste. The dish is complemented with steamed water spinach (I think) with the yellow sauce from the tofu. I’m really not sure what sauce this one was, but it has mild taste which I no longer remember..yeah nothing special that I can remember.
Warung Made’s Nasi Goreng includes vegetable sidedish – thinly sliced cabbage, cucumber and carrot, then a small bowl of diced tomatoes and onion (I think it’s another kind of sambal) plus a big crispy cracker. When I asked hubby which one tasted better, he still preferred the Warung Ketut’s version.
I really miss Bali Island and their foods (+ beach). Hopefully we can visit other parts of Indonesia and experience their other cuisine that we haven’t tried.
Bye for now and will have more posts for my next food trip in one of Asia’s food haven. *wink*.
My eatsperience 
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