We were in Ubud for almost a week and ate out for every lunch and dinner, trying out quite a few restaurants. We ate Western and local food, and even had a fancy lunch in a more expensive restaurant. Breakfast was included in both of the accommodations we stayed at during that week, the fancy hotel and the guesthouse. In this blogpost we share with you our experience about where to eat in Bali.
The fancy hotel where we spent half of our days in Ubud is called Anumana Hotel. Like most (or probably every) hotel, they have their own restaurant: Uma Restaurant. We had our first lunch here: Tuna Sambal Matah (36,300 IDR, actually a starter) and Gai Pad Met Mamuang (78,650 IDR). Both dishes were very good, so we ate at their restaurant a second time and both ordered Gai Pad Met Mamuang. Simply put, it’s stir fried chicken with vegetables and rice and it’s good. We had a four course New Year’s Eve dinner here as well, with a delicious steak as main course (1,113,200 IDR for the both of us, water included). For a detailed description of our New Year’s Eve dinner and celebration, check out another one of our blogposts.
On a hot and humid evening, we had dinner at Waroeng Bernadette, famous for its Rendang Sapi, a kind of beef stew (80,850 IDR). Although slightly more expensive than the other dishes, it was definitely worth it. I had the Keoprak Jakarta (40,425 IDR), a noodle dish which was not really my cup of tea. We had a good starter though: Perkedel (23,100 IDR), deep fried vegetables. I liked the interior of the restaurant, somewhere between kitsch and vintage. A lot of decorations are for sale, so maybe you’ll walk out of there with not only a full belly, but a new piece for your own interior as well.
A few minutes walking from Anumana Hotel, we found Le Petit Paris, a French café with a nice view over a rice field, right in the centre of Ubud. We sat in the back of the café, legs crossed, on a pillow, looking over the rice field. It was real cozy! I had a very good quiche Lorraine (55,000 IDR). It came with a yum cheese dip for some carrot and cucumber sticks. Brecht was looking forward to a nice French onion soup, but unfortunately they were all out, so he had to do with an OK gazpacho (25,000 IDR).
We had a delicious lunch at Three Monkeys Café, another café looking out over a rice field hidden behind buildings in the centre of Ubud. We had our minds set on a ciabatta sandwich with mozzarella, tomato, basil, pesto and prosciutto, but unfortunately they had no more ciabatta bread. Luck didn’t seem to be on our side when it came to food choices in Ubud. I went with the sourdough version and Brecht ordered the Chicken Avocado Focaccia (83,520 IDR each, including a 16% service charge). We were both very pleased with our choice and enjoyed this slightly more expensive lunch. You get a free glass of fruit water, so we didn’t order any other drinks. We liked the option to order free flow of water for 11,600 IDR though.
That evening we went out for some more Western food at Blackbeach, an Italian restaurant. The staff wasn’t that friendly, but we gladly forgave them when tasting our pizza. Brecht went with the pizza boscaiola (72,450 IDR) and I ordered the pizza prosciutto e patate (69,000 IDR). Brecht’s pizza had more flavour than mine, but potatoes just don’t have that much taste compared to mushrooms. The perfect crispy bottom made these pizzas one of the best we’ve had on our trip so far. The interior was nice, with a large map of Italy painted on the wall. Unfortunately the fan in our part of the restaurant wasn’t working properly, so it was quite hot. It took them quite a long time to bring the check and afterwards to bring the change, while we were burning up.
A very popular restaurant in Ubud is the Melting Wok. You have to make a reservation or come early (at the latest 18h), because it’s always full. Guess that’s why they serve your order very fast. I think we were in and out in just over 30 minutes when not ordering dessert. They have a limited menu which is written out on a blackboard. The waitresses come with the board to your table to explain the menu and specials of the day. On our first visit we tried their famous curry (45,000 IDR each), which was delicious! You can choose your amount of spiciness, and “a little spicy” was just perfect. For once it was Brecht craving a dessert, while I was quite stuffed. He ordered the chocolate pancake with ice cream (40,000 IDR), which was very good, although the ice cream was melting fast.
After we were finished, we were eager to come dine a second time. We wanted to make a reservation for two nights later, but on Monday they’re closed, so we decided to just return the next evening. On our second visit we both ordered one of the specials. Brecht chose the chicken tempe sambal ulek (54,000 IDR), I had the mahi-mahi (white fish) sambal matah (64,000 IDR). Both dishes were very good, but I liked the curry even more. You should definitely stop by when you’re Ubud, the food is delicious and quite cheap, and the portions are more than decent, especially when ordering the curry.
On a beautiful and sunny day, we went on a motorbike day trip around Ubud, and ate at Warung BintangBali. Brecht had grilled chicken (35,000 IDR) and I had spare ribs (42,000 IDR). Actually Brecht was looking forward to their grilled tuna, which is supposed to be spectacular, but unfortunately they ran out. Yep, it’s mostly Brecht having bad luck with his choices. The food was good and I really loved the sauce that came with my small rack of spare ribs. The menu says these dishes are served with potatoes, but you get fries, a nice surprise! This restaurant is nice and cozy, surrounded by rice fields. All vegetables are organic and the staff is very friendly. Hopefully you do get to try the tuna if you ever visit!
After reading about Locavore being one of the top restaurants in the world (according to TripAdvisor), we immediately made a reservation through their website. They serve two set menus, each consisting of seven courses. It’s possible to skip two courses and you can opt for paired drinks. We each chose a different menu, tried all seven courses, but saved quite some money by passing up the paired drinks. Brecht had the the Locavore Menu and I had the vegetarian Herbivore Menu. We paid about 1,500,000 IDR just for the food, but we can assure you it’s worth the splurge! You can read about our full experience in another blogpost.
Our last meal in Ubud was at Mama's Warung, very close to Desak Putu Putera Homestay. We went there after our lunch at Locavore, so we only had a light dinner. We shared the chicken spring rolls (18,000 IDR), while Brecht had chicken mushroom soup (22,000 IDR) and I tomato soup (15,000 IDR). The owner is very friendly, and the food cheap and pretty good.
We ate our favourite Western food at the fancy Locavore (modern cuisine with local ingredients) and our favourite local food at the Melting Wok. Two restaurants you should definitely try when you’re in Ubud! Do note that in most restaurants in Bali the prices on the menu exclude a service and sometimes even a tax charge. So read the small print to avoid surprises when you get the check.
Jullie vermageren en eten toch altijd lekker ?kom waarschijnlijk door het vele stappen!