So Much Food and Not Enough Time or Tummy Space!

Naturally, Ubud has grown, since I was there last,  but still has a nice and quieter vibe than that of Kuta and Legian.

Balinese food is wonderful, cheap and Ubud has a lot to offer.   More than I could possibly eat in the small amount of time I was there.

However a few nice discoveries worth mentioning are;

Bebek Bengil or The Dirty Duck,   is a huge rambling place, surrounded by rice fields and serving up yummy roasted ducks.   With their own secret recipe;  steaming and then roasting the whole small duck accompanied by rice and a wonderful sambal.

Sambal Matah, which I  became addicted to and was always searching it out for the rest of my stay in Bali.  It consists of raw red shallots, lemon grass, garlic, chillies, lemon leaves, shrimp paste with a dressing of lemon juice and coconut oil.  Simply delicious!

The youtube clip, gives you a sense of how large and well designed the restaurant is.  I suggest a night time visit, when it is aglow with tea lights and lanterns.  Despite its size and the amount of people who dine there, it still has a wonderfully intimate feel about it.

An unassuming but famous place, tucked behind an old gate and located opposite the Ubud Palace on Jalan Suweta, is Ibu Oka Warung, which has been operating for over 20 years.

Ibu Oka's Warung,  serves up their famous Babi Guling or roasted suckling pig.  After marinating for 36 hours, prepared elsewhere, the crispy, whole, suckling pigs, that have been cooked over a fire, are then carried down the street to be portioned up.  The place is always a buzz,  with local Balinese and tourists and is an absolute treat!   You will normally have to line up and I will happily line up again.  Once you have placed your order, find somewhere to sit, slip off your shoes and climb up into a bale, slide your legs under a communal,  squat table and wait until your feast arrives.

Get there early or you will be disappointed to find, you either can't get in, or worse still, they have sold out!

One day I took a walk up through the top end of Ubud, over the new Campuan Bridge, past the big steps and further still to Kedewatan.

Memories of the lovely family I met in the temple, the walk I was taken on through Kedewatan and the bag of rice I gifted for my tour, made me want to head up there and take a look at the village once again.

There I happened upon another, less famous but equally unassuming place called Nasi Ayam - Ayam meaning chicken.  This tiny, sleepy place serves up wonderfully cheap and delicious chicken skewers, made from mince and spices and served on skewers made from bamboo for under $1.00.  Not a tourist in site and just a couple of locals, it was a quiet, relaxing and rewarding find after a hot steamy walk.