9 Best Warungs in Bali

"Don't forget to try their local food!"
It always be an advice from me to everyone who was asking for travel tips, because I do the same too! Yeah, for me doing a local things while traveling is a must things to do. Started from going to a local neighbourhood, do what locals do, and eat their local foods. For me, traveling is not just a holiday. By traveling, we can learn something new, that we can't find around us or only by reading a book. We'll have a new unforgettable experience, especially by going local.

As you know, last month I had a short trip to Bali with my family. During this trip, we tried to eat local foods everyday (at least once a day). In Bali, locals sell their food at the small restaurant - which usually is a family owned business, called "warung". At warung, you can find affordable meal with the authentic taste of Balinese food. I was asking to my friend who lived in Bali for recommendations, and here we go, 9 Best Warungs in Bali, that can't be missed while you were there:

1. Warung Babi Guling Pak Dobil
Babi guling or suckling pig is a popular local food in Bali. This dish cooked by roast the whole pig over fire, with Balinese spices (called Base Genep) inside its stomach. Many warungs offer babi guling as their main dishes. But the most popular and delicious is Warung Babi Guling Pak Dobiel. Located at the Southern Bali - Nusa Dua, this warung very famous not just for locals, but for tourist as well. No wonder it's always crowded. The deliciousness has approved and there's no doubt for it.

Nasi Babi Guling Pak Dobiel | Source : www.vkeong.com

Address : Jalan Srikandi No. 9, Nusa Dua, Bali. Opening hours : Mon - Sun 10AM - 4PM

2. Warung Babi Guling Pak Malen
If you stay at Kuta - Seminyak area and you don't want to go far to eat Babi guling, just heading to Warung Babi Guling Pak Malen. It's located at the North of Sunset Road, right behind Seminyak area. With its strategic location, this warung become reachable for everyone, without spending much time on the road. The food itself is also delicious. Even some people said it's the best Babi Guling in Bali.

Nasi Babi Guling Pak Malen | Source : www.tripadvisor.com

Address : Jalan Sunset Road No. 554, Seminyak, Bali. Opening hours : Mon - Sun 8.30AM - 7PM

3. Warung Cahaya
Bali well known for their pork dishes and it's not just about Babi Guling. You can find the pork served as satay, grilled, or just simply fried. There's one famous warung who serves the best fried pork in Bali, it's Warung Cahaya. This warung very popular with their simple dish, "Fried Pork with Raw Chilli (Sambal Matah) + Rice". If you never try Sambal Matah before, I think you should try it when in Bali. Sambal Matah is a Balinese styled chili. It only use (a lot of) shallots, cayenne pepper, and lemongrass as the ingredients. Is it spicy?? Very!! But it's so tasty especially when you eat it with their delicous fried pork and warm steamed rice.

Fried Pork with Sambal Matah and Rice | Source : www.gotravelly.com

Address : Jalan Dewi Ratih No. 1, Legian, Bali. Opening hours : Mon - Fri 8AM - 7PM, Sat & Sun 8AM - 6PM

4. Ayam Betutu Khas Gilimanuk
Beside Babi Guling, Bali also has other popular local dishes. It's Ayam (Chicken) Betutu. To try the authentic taste of this chicken dish, you should visit "Ayam Betutu Khas Gilimanuk". In this place you can get a chicken or duck, cooked with a lot of Balinese spices and it's very delicous. Get ready to feel "hot" because like other Balinese dishes, they use a lot of cayenne pepper to cook it. To complete the meal, it also served with plecing kangkung, sambal matah, steamed rice and peanuts. A little advice from me, if you can't eat too spicy food, just order the fried or grilled chicken. It's less spicy then the original one, which cooked with braised style.

A portion of Ayam Betutu Khas Gilimanuk | Source : bali.tribunnews.com

Address : Jalan Raya Tuban No. 2X, Tuban, Kuta, Bali. Opening hours : Mon - Sun 08.30AM - 09.30PM

5. Warung Liku
Looking for (very) cheap Balinese Nasi Campur? Just heading to Warung Liku. It has 2 locations in Bali - at Denpasar and Legian. Basically, Nasi Campur is a plate of steamed rice, topped with mixed vegetables, egg, and many more, which cooked in Balinese style. In this place, you can get a portion of Nasi Campur only with IDR 18K. It's a very good deal because not just a good taste of the vegetables that they served, it also topped with "ayam betutu" and "braised pork belly". It's totally a perfect combination because you can get a savory flavour from betutu and the sweetness from the pork belly at the same time.

Nasi Campur at Warung Liku | Source : avillabali.com

Address : Jalan Nakula No. 19A, Seminyak, Legian, Bali. Opening hours : Mon - Sat 9AM - 3PM

6. Warung Wardani
It might be located quiet too far from the city center (read : Kuta - Seminyak area), but if you're going to Denpasar, I think you should give a visit to Warung Wardani. They're well known for Nasi Campur, and have numerous choices for it. In this place, you can choose whether you want to make it simple, or special - which has more topping on the rice. Even you can simply make a request which toppings that you want to put on the rice. If you don't know which toppings do you want, you can start it by order the "special" one which has complete toppings. And if you like some of the toppings, you can order more for the toppings only.

Nasi Campur at Warung Wardani | Source : epicurious.wordpress.com

Address : Jalan Yudistira No. 2, Dangin Puri Kauh, Denpasar Utara, Bali. Opening hours : Mon - Sun 8AM - 4PM

7. Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Bu Mangku
Going further to the North of Bali, you can try another best Nasi Campur in Bali. Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Bu Mangku, or simply called Nasi Bu Mangku, has a very good taste for their nasi campur and very popular by locals. Being located at Ubud, they also offer a good places to eat. With an outdoor design like a traditional houses in Bali, it feels good to sit here and enjoy the ambience around you while eating your meal. However, if you're not going to Ubud, you can visit their other branches which located at Denpasar and Seminyak.

Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku, Ubud | Source : www.tripadvisor.com

Address : Jalan Raya Kedewatan No. 18, Ubud, Bali. Opening hours : Mon - Sun 8AM - 7PM

8. Warung Mak Beng
Usually, warungs in Bali serve Babi Guling or Nasi Campur as their main dishes. But it's different at Warung Mak Beng. Even though they're located quiet far (at Sanur), but they never running out of customer and they always have a long queue. No matter where people stay, they will give a visit to Warung Mak Beng because it's the only warung who serves fish as their main dishes in Bali. The unique thing from this warung is they only have 1 menu for the food. It's called "Standard Portion" which consists of a plate of rice, fried fish, and fish soup. Both the fried fish and soup taste very good. The soup itself has a sour yet great taste, and get better with slices of cucumber in it. Very fresh and perfect to be eaten as a lunch meal.

A portion of rice, fish soup, and fried fish at Warung Mak Beng 

Address : Jalan Hang Tuah No. 45, Sanur Kaja, Bali. Opening hours : Mon - Sun 8AM - 10PM

9. Made's Warung
Actually Made's Warung is not really a "warung". It's more like restaurant, but they serve warung's dishes. Since it's a restaurant, they have more options on the menu. You can get a local dishes, sttarted from Balinese food such as Nasi Campur and Satay Lilit (the Satay Lilit is the best!), until the most popular Indonesian dishes, Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice). Beside that, they also serve western food which also a good option. However, between many foods that they serve, I would recommend to try their Nasi Campur, with a portion of Satay Lilit. It's a perfect combo of delicacy. Anyway, they also have another branches at Ngurah Rai Airport. It could be a good option if you only have a short time in Bali.

Nasi Campur and Satay Lilit at Made's Warung 

Address : Jalan Raya Seminyak, Banjar Seminyak, Kuta, Bali. Opening hours : Mon - Sun 10AM - 12AM



Those are 9 warungs that recommended and very popular among locals. Have you tried it? If you haven't, don't forget to try it when in Bali. And if you have another recommendation for warungs in Bali, just leave the comment below.. Happy eating......!!!!!!

My Life Goals to Get a Happy Life Before 40s

"Hidup itu dinikmati saja. Roda kehidupan kita sudah diatur jadi tidak perlu dibawa pusing. Lakukan pola hidup sehat. Bekerjalah dan gunakan hasilnya untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidup. Jika ada sisa, tabunglah dan gunakan tabungan tersebut untuk menyenangkan dirimu dan keluarga."

Kalimat tersebut selalu menjadi pegangan hidup saya selama ini. Secara tidak langsung, pemikiran seperti itu yang membuat saya selalu enjoy dalam menjalani keseharian saya. Saya tidak pernah berpikir jauh dan bertanya - tanya mengenai kehidupan saya di masa yang akan datang. Namun terkadang, saya juga merasa bosan dengan rutinitas sehari - hari. Sebagai seorang Ibu Rumah Tangga, kegiatan yang saya lakukan setiap hari selalu sama, dan 90% waktu saya dihabiskan di rumah. Tapi untung saja saya memiliki suami yang sangat pengertian. Melihat saya merasa jenuh di rumah, ia sering mengajak saya untuk pergi berlibur bersama dengan anak - anak. Kami mulai melakukan ini di tahun kedua sejak pernikahan kami, dan saya mulai "ketagihan" dengan traveling.

Bermain bersama anak - anak di Potters Fields Park, London saat musim panas

Traveling adalah salah satu impian saya. Bahkan saat duduk di bangku SD, saya mempunyai cita - cita untuk menjadi pramugari agar dapat berkeliling dunia. Ketika melakukan traveling, saya tidak melakukan itu hanya untuk berlibur. Tapi hal tersebut menjadi sumber pembelajaran terhadap hal - hal baru yang tidak bisa saya dapat hanya dari sekedar membaca. "Ketagihan" yang saya alami dengan traveling membuat saya menjadikannya sebagai life goals dalam hidup saya. Bahkan saya menargetkan untuk bisa berkeliling dunia sebelum berusia 40 tahun. Kenapa harus sebelum 40 tahun? Karena dibawah usia 40 tahun, manusia memiliki kondisi tubuh yang lebih bugar dibandingkan dengan yang berusia diatas 40 tahun. Menginjak usia 40 tahun, akan ada beberapa penyakit ringan yang mulai "mendatangi" tubuh kita. Selain itu fisik kita juga mulai melemah sehingga tidak memungkinkan untuk mendatangi tempat - tempat dengan kondisi alam yang cukup ekstrem.

Tidak hanya berlibur, kami juga mengunjungi museum untuk menambah pengetahuan

Waktu, uang, dan kesehatan. 3 hal itu adalah faktor utama yang harus dimiliki oleh seseorang jika ingin melakukan traveling. Namun dengan kesibukan yang dilakukan sehari - hari, kita mulai lupa untuk melakukan pola hidup sehat. Secara tidak sadar bisa saja tiba - tiba kita terserang penyakit. Pada saat inilah asuransi memiliki peranan penting dalam hidup kita.

Merasakan dinginnya salju di Sapporo, Hokkaido

Asuransi jiwa merupakan salah satu pilihan tepat untuk melindungi diri sendiri ataupun keluarga. Kenapa? Jika suatu hari kita terserang penyakit atau hal yang tidak diduga lainnya, kita bisa menggunakan asuransi ini, sehingga kita tidak perlu mengeluarkan dana yang besar untuk membayarnya. Demi keamanan, dalam memilih asuransi sebaiknya pilihlah perusahaan yang terpercaya dan telah terdaftar serta diawasi oleh OJK. Salah satunya adalah Commonwealth Life. Selain dari segi kepercayaan, Commonwealth Life juga memiliki Unit Link yang merupakan sarana investasi terbaik. Dengan memilih asuransi Unit Link, kita bisa mendapatkan 2 manfaat asuransi sekaligus yakni berupa hasil dari investasi serta proteksi yang merupakan keuntungan utama dari asuransi.

- Asuransi, pilihan tepat untuk membantu mencapai impianku -

Sea Circus, Seminyak - Bali

Seminyak, as one of the most crowded area in Bali, offers many great places to eat. Started from local "warungs", until fine dining restaurants, you can find it all the way in Seminyak. As a foodies, it's a paradise for me and I don't wanna missed any visit to the popular places for eat there. Between many restaurants, there's one restaurant that I really wanna try, it's Motel Mexicola. Motel Mexicola is restaurant who serves Mexican food. I love Mexican food. I love tacos, nachos, and churros!! Those all my favorites and I was so craving for them. Yeah, it's kinda hard to get Mexican food in my town. So when I see there's a good Mexican Restaurant in Bali, I don't wanna missed this chance.

Cozy indoor seating at Sea Circus

Short story, we decided to came there for a lunch, because at night this place change into a bar, and I thing it's not suitable for children. When I was there, I found out they only have outdoor seating and at that time Bali was really really hot. My son, Winston always be cranky everytime being at the hot weather, so we moved to other restaurant who serves tacos as well, Sea Circus.

Sea Circus also quite famous in Seminyak. Located not far from Motel Mexicola, this place offers a great food and thankfully, they have an indoor seating so I don't need to feel "hot" while enjoying my food. Sea Circus well known for their tacos. However it only available at lunch time which started at 12PM. Well, while waiting for that time, we decided to order a smoothie bowl. Actually, we're not too hungry at that time because we just had breakfast at the hotel. We just want to have a tacos "snack time", to fulfill my craving with Mexican food.

Acai Bowl - IDR 95K

Acai Bowl 
While I was asking the waitress a recommendation for smoothie bowl, she told me Acai Bowl is the most favorite smoothie bowl at Sea Circus. It made with frozen acai berry blended with banana, blueberries, mango, and coconut water, and it's totally delicious. It's not the first time for me to eat smoothie bowl. I make it everyday as a breakfast at home (i'll post the recipe next time). But this smoothie bowl is different. I love the crispiness of granola (they use a lot of it!), and also the very cold smoothie which comes from the frozen acai berry.

Spicy Prawn Tacos - IDR 90K

Spicy Prawn Tacos 2Pcs (90K)
Tacos at Sea Circus is unlike the original taco. It's not a hard shell tacos. Instead, it's soft and unfolded. There are many options for the toppings, but this time I chose spicy prawn with mango salsa sauce, infused with sour cream. To be honest, I don't really like the sauce, because it's quite tasteless. But I love the prawn. It was grilled perfectly with tasty seasons.. Maybe that's the reasons why they make the sauce tasteless.. So I can taste more the flavor of the prawn. Anyway, you can choose is to be served as 2 or 3 pcs tacos.

Detail of the toppings

Choices of the toppings of tacos at Sea Circus

Mango Tango (55K)
After had a lovely taste of Mango Lassie at NOOK , everytime we go to cafe or restaurant Aurelia always request a mango flavoured drink. Luckily, they have mango flavoured smoothies called "Mango Tango". Mango Tango is a smoothies made with mango, yoghurt, and milk. It wasn't bad, but not as good as Mango Lassie at NOOK.

Mango Tango Smoothies - IDR 55K

My lunch at Sea Circus wasn't too bad. But some people said this place is more popular for breakfast than for lunch. Maybe next time I'll come back for breakfast and eat more smoothie bowl..






Sea Circus
Address : Jalan Kayu Aya No. 22, Seminyak, Bali 80361
Phone : +62 361 738667
Opening hours : Mon - Sun 7AM - 12AM
Website : https://seacircus-bali.com

NOOK, Seminyak - Bali

Still about Bali, this time I gonna write a post about the popular restaurant in Bali, NOOK. Tucked away at Seminyak area, this place become a favorite restaurant to be visited, especially for tourists. However, even most tables full of tourists, doesn’t mean it’s a tourist trap restaurant. I had a lunch here when I was in Bali, and the food wasn’t bad at all! Even it becomes my favorite place to eat in Bali.

 As I was saying, NOOK located at Seminyak area. However, it's not located right in the middle of the crowd. It's located at North Seminyak, where you can find a different ambience. NOOK has a unique place. When mostly café and restaurant in Bali offers an ocean view or private beach, NOOK has something different to be offered. It’s one thing that makes me likes this place. This restaurant only has outdoor seating, and surrounded by paddy fields. Yes, a paddy fields! Can you imagine to have a breakfast or lunch with this green scenery?? It’s gonna be great especially if you feel bored with beach view.

Enough with the scenery around it, and let’s talk about the food. We came to this restaurant at the lunch time, so we’re looking for some “heavy” meals. Thankfully, unlike other café or restaurant in Bali which mostly only have Western Food on their menu, NOOK also offers Indonesian food and it’s perfect for lunch. We ordered Ayam Betutu and Soto Ayam, because we started to missed Indonesian dishes (Indonesian food is the best!!)

While waiting for our meals, we saw that most people ate the sandwiches, burger, and smoothie bowls. I asked the staff and they said it’s their recommended menu. I felt curious with their sandwich and decided to order it because it looks delicious.  Well, here’s the review of those meals.

Soto Ayam IDR 40K

Soto Ayam

For Indonesian people, Soto Ayam is not something special and you want to eat on your holiday. We can find it everywhere because it’s everyone’s favorite dish, including Aurelia. She loves Soto Ayam and that’s the reason why we ordered it. Soto Ayam is an Indonesian chicken soup. It comes with a clear broth mixed with tumeric for the soup, it’s really savory and tasty. Anyway, if you eat Soto Ayam, don’t forget to put a squeeze of lime juice. It’s gonna be taste much better.

Lunch with a stunning view at NOOK

Ayam Betutu

Since we’re in Bali, eat Balinese local food is a mandatory. I love every kind of Balinese food, including ayam betutu (Betutu chicken). Usually, I always eat this chicken dish at Ayam Betutu Khas Gilimanuk, the original restaurant for Ayam Betutu. However, at that place they only serve Ayam Betutu, and my children can’t eat it because it’s extremely spicy. So this time we decided to eat this spicy chicken dish at NOOK.

Ayam Betutu IDR 60K

Ayam Betutu is a spicy chicken dish, authentic from Bali. It cooked with a lot of Bali spices, and cayenne peppers. Yup, the original ayam betutu is using a lot of cayenne peppers and it’s really spicy. But in NOOK, they make a modification for this dish by using less spices and less cayenne peppers. It makes this dishes has not too strong taste, and to be honest, this kind of Ayam Betutu is pretty good. So you can enjoy this dishes without make your tears come out because of  the spiciness. No wonder Ayam Betutu also become their specialty, come along with Nasi Campur.

Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich IDR 60K

Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Actually this is a breakfast menu. However it’s still available until 2PM, and I’m so lucky still have a chance to order it because this sandwich is the bomb!! It has a crispy bread, filled with avocado, mushroom, spinach, and of course mozzarella cheese. But one thing that make this sandwich special is the pesto sauce that they put to complete their filling.  Not just the sandwich, I love the salad as well. It was really fresh, and the dressing was delicious.

The fillings of the sandwich

Blushing Berry Beet IDR 40K

Mango Lassie and Blushing Berry Beet
Great smoothies are something that you can get in every restaurant or cafe in Bali. That's why I always order smoothies to complete my meal. Since the weather was really hot at that day, we decided to order 2 glasses of fresh smoothies. I love them both my favourite is Mango Lassie. It's the best Lassie's ever!

Mango Lassie IDR 35K

Well, those are my honest review about this happening restaurant in Bali. All of their dishes so delicious, both for Western and Indonesian food. If I back to Bali, definitely I'll come back again and try their Nasi Campur, which is also a recommended dish at NOOK.

- See you at another post about our culinary trip in Bali -

NOOK

Address : Jalan Umalas 1 Gang Nook No. 1, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan Kelod, Bali 80361

Phone : +62 361 8475625

Opening hours : Mon - Sun 8AM - 11PM

Website :https://www.facebook.com/Nookbali/

Ultimo Italian Restaurant, Seminyak - Bali

As I was saying at the previous post, I just had a Bali trip with my family for celebrating Aurelia’s 8^th birthday. I was so glad that she liked our “present” for her, especially when she knew we stayed at the luxury resort, Anantara Uluwatu. Nothing can make me feel happier than see the smile from my children.

Outfit for dinner - White Floral Dress : Topshop , Bag : Longchamp

 A birthday celebration, won’t be complete without a dinner. We’re looking for a good fine dining restaurant to celebrate this special moment. Since we gonna had dinner with children, we’re looking for a restaurant, which serves a child friendly menu. Finally, we decided to have a dinner at our favorite restaurant in Bali, Ultimo.

Ultimo is an Italian restaurant, located at Seminyak area. This is one of our favorite restaurant in Bali. Everytime we go to Bali, Ultimo is a must for us. Not just because of the delicacy of their dishes, but they also have an affordable price for that good quality food. They have a good interior for a fine dining restaurant. However, the ambience is quite not suitable for children. It has a low light, with a small space at indoor area. They do have an outdoor area which more spacious, and have live music too!! But as usual, outdoor area is a smoking area, and it’s not good for children.

Extremely delicious complimentary bread

Despite the ambience, we chose this restaurant because they serve Italian food which is our children’s favorite. They love pasta, a lot!! I’ve tried their pasta before, and I like it. And if I like it, so the children do. Beside the pasta, I also love to eat their seafood dishes. It was so fresh and also taste delicious.

Ravioli di Pollo

Ravioli di Pollo (IDR 65K)

First dish is the pasta. This time I decided to try their ravioli, which is stuffed with chicken. It was so tasty, and the pasta also cooked perfectly.  This ravioli is cooked with creamy sauce and mushroom, which make it taste better.

Grilled Snapper with Sautéed Vegetables& Caponata Sauce

Grilled Snapper with Sauteed Vegetables & Caponata Sauce (IDR 135K)

To be honest, this dish is quite disappointed. Even though the snapper was really fresh, but it was overcooked. The texture was too dry and not juicy at all. Beside that, the sauce also has a very strong taste, and too sour.

Grilled Seafood Platter

Grilled Seafood Platter

At the time we ordered, we didn’t see this menu. But the waitress was telling it’s one of their recommended dishes. Based on what he said, we decided to try it and it’s very very delicious. This platter contains squids, prawns, muscle, and it’s all grilled - my favorite cooking method all the time - and French fries for the side dish. I love grilled food especially for seafood dishes. This seafood was grilled perfectly, and also comes with less spices, so I could taste the flavor of the seafood itself. How tasty it is!!! Suddenly it reminds me with grilled seafood dishes from Cerveseria Catalana which is also very fresh, and delicious.

Not just the foods, we love their bestseller beverages too. I don’t know what does it called, because we didn’t see it on the menu. We just saw every table had this drink, so I asked the waitress to make the same. This beverage is exactly the same with the one that we got at Nervino Dieci Trattoria, Milan. It made with full of sorbet and it’s really fresh. The only difference is the flavor. While in Milan they only have watermelon flavor, UItimo has more options for that. This time I tried the mango flavor and it wasn’t disappointed at all. It was really good and fresh. You really need to try it when have a dinner at Ultimo.

Ultimo is the right place for you who are looking for a fine dining yet affordable restaurant. You can reach this place by short walking from Seminyak Village. Since this restaurant has many tables, reservation is not necessary. Except if you want to celebrate a special occasion, with many peoples on your group.

Ultimo Italian Restaurant

Address : Jalan Kayu Aya No. 104X, Seminyak, Bali 80361

Phone : +62 361 738720

Opening hours : Mon - Sun 4.30PM - 1AM

Website : http://ultimo-bali.business.site