One of my favourite movie, "SEVEN" dealt with 7 deadly sins namely wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony. This trip to Bali was sin number 7 - gluttony. Palatable pleasures, if I may say and the only sin here were the calories. Dining in Ubud was a breeze with many fusion restaurants with a Balinese twist.
Our Airasia KL-Bali 3+ hour flight was smooth. The pilot took time to point out to us the cone of a volcano as we neared Ngurah Rai Denpasar, the capital of Bali. The plane cruised eastwards over the calm evening Bali Strait. As twilight approached, it was difficult to gauge depth and our plane looked as if it was just skimming the surface of the sea. Not a good feeling especially when the plane banked leftwards on the final approach. The wings looked as though it was about to touch the sea. Mental scenes from AXN's 'Aircraft Investigation' crept in.
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| Volcanic cone before reaching Denpasar |
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Loo with marine fish view
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Upon touchdown, rushed to the airport loo. It was one of the most calming cum relieving pee. As you do your business, live marine fishes swam in customized aquarium right before at eye-level. Ranked it an 'A' for novelty and loo-innovation.
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| Our hotel The Tjampuhan Spa |
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| Complimentary shuttle to Ubud |
Our stay was at Hotel Tjampuhan & Spa, Ubud's first hotel ( http://www.tjampuhan-bali.com/index.php ). A quick check-in and we were in the centre of Ubud via the hotel's complimentary shuttle service. Our first stop was IBU RAI at the Monkey Forest Road. The place was crowded and for us it was a good sign. Dinner expectation rose. Service was prompt and we were seated quickly. The glossy menu had a photo of its founder on the first page.As you order your food, her smiling pose seemed to be looking at you like Mona Lisa.
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| Founder on the face of menu |
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| Dinner at Ibu |
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| Nasi goreng Bali |
Quenched our thirst with an ice cold lassi mango and a lassi coconut-lemon. Preferred the classic mango lassi. Had the ' Nasi Goreng Bali ' that came with 2 sticks of satay. The peanut sauce was served in 2 clear glasses. Made it easy to see the consistency and richness of the sauce. The rice was well fried and rich in texture. However, the satay was not served hot as it should be and the sauce a tad sweet for my liking.
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| Avocado chicken curry |
The ' Avocado Chicken Curry ' was a fusion dish. Suitable maybe for European palates as the curry was light, Asians and me, Malaysian like it more spicy!! Came with deep fried crackers or keropok with peanuts inside, rice and garnishing. Avocado in Asian cooking was worth the try.
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| Lab lab pancake |
Dessert was the lab lab pancake, a combo of ice-cream served together with wrapped caramelized bananas and chocolate sauce. Needless to say, any combination of this nature has got to be wonderful and it certainly was. Total bill was IDR$213,900 or about USD$25.00. Not too bad.
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| Sacrificial golden calf |
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| Men at work |
Walked back to our hotel which was about 15 minutes away. There were preparations for cremation of a Balinese royalty. Died in May but cremation only in August. One of the burnt offering was a golden calf with intricate ornaments and rioted with bright colours.
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Side view
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| Right side of chariot |
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| Left side of chariot |
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| View of our restaurant for the morning breakfast |
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| Breezy feel to the dining area & view was superb |
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| Out typical breakfast at Tjampuhan |
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| Stuffed and ready for the day |
Our morning started with a hearty hotel breakfast. Not a wide spread at the buffet but was sufficient to power us for the day. They had the usual 'egg-station' where you could order your eggs scrambled, omeletted, hard or soft boiled. Other offerings were local fried rice, noodles, sausages & croissants, congee, juice and coffee.
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| Ubud Market |
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| Lots of 'orang putih' |
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| carved souvenirs |
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| Decor |
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| Paintings |
UBUD MARKET
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| Pendants |
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| More paintings |
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| Out rim of market |
Did the touristy museum circuit and bought vanilla pods which was cheap at the Ubud market. Need those for baking. Souvenirs were aplenty in the market but it was not our cup of tea. We were adopting the " No Souvenirs " policy on our travels these days. Too much clutter!
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| Ibu Oka |
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| The hog |
Lunch was at Ibu Oka Warung, an institution famed for its babi guling or roasted pig. Named in most Top 10 Places To Eat In Ubud by the Guardian UK, Ibu was one of our mandatory stop. The pigs were roasted elsewhere and when they were carried in, it commanded everyone's attention. Patrons and tourists alike whipped out their cameras and shutters clicked away freely. Yours truly included.
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| Standard serving |
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| Raised dining area |
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| Came in basket and waxed paper |
Ordered a standard meal ( USD $3.50 / IDR$30,000 ) and served atop a piece of nicely cut waxed paper enveloped by a rattan basket. There were slivers of the famed roasted pork, salted deep fried fats ( heart surgeon's best friend ), pork skin, spicy vegetables and Ibu's secret sauce. It was salty for me and the rave reviews from other travellers must have pushed up my expectation too high. Conclusion - Tried something different that did not cost an arm and a leg.
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| Roasting coffee |
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| Coffee belt |
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| Up close |
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| Our baristas |
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| Range of coffee flavours |
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| Kopi Luwak - Civet Coffee |
The afternoon was spent exploring Ubud on a rented motorbike. We went Tegallalang Village to see the terraced paddy fields which was nice but not as spectacular as those in Sapa, Vietnam. On the way back, we stopped by a coffee farm for a break. Kopi luwak or civet coffee was sold here. A in-house barista followed us around the farm playing his first role as tour guide. After the round trip, he was the sales person trying to sell us this exotic yet gross blend.
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| Surrounding garden |
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| What we ordered, kind of dry |
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| Pavilion cum dining |
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| Bebek sign |
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| Alternative dining area |
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| The manicured gardens |
We also dined at Bebek Bengil or The Dirty Duck Diner, a place famed for its crispy duck. Listed as one of the must try in Bali, the place was strategically located in Ubud. Saw Anthony Bourdain ate it whilst in Bali on one of his travel shows. The verdict? ... The style that we ordered was nothing exceptional, a bit dry in fact. The restaurant's signature dish needed 24 hours to prepare and we gave that a miss. The gardens surrounding this restaurant was awesome. A haven for shutterbugs.
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| Puteri Minang nasi padang |
Had lunch alone on the last day as my wife had a severe bout of diarrohea. Had a simple nasi padang at Puteri Minang. Usually considered as cheap eats or budget savers, the range of dishes available was huge. My choice was fried egg, tempe, brinjal with chilli and some broiled vegetable. It was time to cut down on meat and repent.
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| Dinner at Ayu's Kitchen |
Dinner was also a solitary affair at Ayu's Kitchen. The yellow rice ( could be safron ) at rhp$25,000 ( myr$8.00 ) came with a tiny morsel of fried chicken, tempe, tauhu, crackers, peanuts and cooked jackfruit. Drink was avocado juice priced at rph$20,000.
Overall, the taste buds were tantalized with something new. Good change of setting :))
