After Malaysia, there was Bali.
Babi Guling Pak Dobiel
Address: Jalan Srikandi No.9, Nusa Dua
Opening hours: 10:00am - 4:00pm
There was one thing that I was looking forward to eat when I was in Bali and that was babi guling. At Pak Dobiel, the babi guling definitely did not disappoint - hands down, my favourite meal and babi guling joint in Bali.
The pork crackling was excellent, the pork meat was tender and juicy, the sate babi was tasty and juicy (marinated before it was put on the grill) and the lawar (green stuff) was yum. The sambal that accompanied our plate of porky goodness on rice was really really good, just the right amount of spices that kept you going back for more.
To order this dish with everything, you just have to tell them "nasi babi guling complete" and if you want extra crackling, you have to say "nasi babi guling complete tambah kulit".
WAHAHA Canggu
Address: Jalan Pantai Batu Mejan No.33, Canggu
Opening hours: 11:00am - 10:30pm
When in Bali, it's all about that pork. Well, for me it is.
WAHAHA has several locations in Bali and it's worth a visit.
Everything was cooked really well and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal (minus the mosquitoes trying to eat us alive).
If you do pay WAHAHA a visit, must orders are:-
pork ribs (it's tender and finger lickin' good)
roast pork belly (as you can see from the photo above, perfection)
Lawar Sapi Men Daging Sangeh
Address: Jalan Brahmana, Sangeh
Opening hours: 8:00am - 1:00am
An unassuming place you won't even know about unless you did a little bit of research on Ubud. From the outside, you would never know that this place was a restaurant but once you step inside the courtyard of this house, you will sit down at any of the tables and be fed.
Our meal plus two bottles of water cost us AUD$16, that's only $2 per person!
If you are after authentic local food, you have to pay this place a visit. It's simple but very comforting and it's also the perfect spot for breakfast before you start your day exploring Ubud.
Dough Darlings
Address: Jalan Petitenget No. 22, Seminyak
Opening hours: 8:00am - 9:00pm
I am picky with where I get my doughnuts from, some people call me a doughnut snob...I'll accept that.
In Bali, I would never have thought of grabbing doughnuts from anywhere but when Anthony, owner of Shortstop recommended Dough Darlings, I had to give them a go.
Their doughnuts are made using a brioche-type dough, they were pillowy soft and absolutely delicious, definitely did not disappoint.
We tried the chocolate & peanut butter, salted caramel & almond and cinnamon doughnuts, they were all delightful and not overly sweet either.
I really really wanted to try their salted egg yolk bomb, salted durian bomb and matcha black sesame ones but they had already sold out for the day :( Dough Darlings sell different doughnuts on different days so if you are after a specific doughnut, make sure to check out the timetable on their website.
Ji Restaurant
Address: Tugu Hotel Bali - Jalan Pantai Batu Bolong, Canggu
Opening hours: 4:30pm - 11:30pm and on Sundays (11:00am - 11:30pm)
For New Year's Eve, we decided to go to Ji Restaurant for dinner and it was really good. For a restaurant in Bali to be serving contemporary Japanese food, I wasn't expecting much but boy was I wrong, this place exceeded my expectations with how delicious all the food was.
There were so many delicious items on their menu that it made it difficult to choose what we wanted to eat but since there was six of us, we made sure to try everything.
We had the perfect spot outside on the terrace in the corner where we were able to witness the sunset and also, the New Year's Eve fireworks.
For any special occasion or especially New Year's Eve, Ji Terrace by the Sea is definitely the place to be.
Babi Bagus
Address: Jalan Bumbak 113A Umalas, Kerobokan
Opening hours: 11:00am - 6:00pm
Babi Bagus was on my "babi guling to eat" list.
This was a small little place that served pretty decent babi guling and for it only cost $4, I am not complaining. The nasi babi guling special consisted of:-
pork belly
pork crackling
lawar
twice deep fried pork floss
sambal
sate lilit
Balinese spice mix
pork broth
Potato Head Bali
Address: Jalan Petitenget No. 51, Seminyak
Opening hours: 10:00am - 2:00pm
Potato Head Bali is said to be home to one of the best sunset views in Bali.
We wanted to check this place out because it was recommended by a number of people. We ended up in the Pizza Garden; even though the place was super busy and packed, the wait staff was very attentive and our food and drinks came out in a timely manner.
We couldn't fault anything, the drinks were delicious and the food was not just gram-worthy but it was really delicious too.
If we didn't have a dinner reservation elsewhere, we would have stayed and eaten more of what was on offer on the menu.
Babi Guling Men Agus
Address: Jalan By Pass Munggu - Tanah Lot, Munggu, Mengwi, Canggu
Opening hours: 8:00am - 8:00pm
Just a short stroll (depends what your definition of a short stroll is) from the AIRBNB accommodation that we stayed at in Canggu, there was this babi guling place that kept catching my eye so we decided to tapau/bungkus back for everyone. There was six of us but we tapau eight packets because my sister and I were greedy and wanted two packs to ourselves :P
We ordered "babi guling campur" and we asked for extra pork crackling "tambah kulit". This cost AUD$3.50 and it was delicious! The pork crackling was just perfection, I could have eaten more.
Babi Guling Pak Dobiel is still my favourite babi guling place but if you are in the Canggu area, Babi Guling Men Agus is definitely worth a visit.
Nusantara by Locavore
Address: 9C Jalan Dewi Sita, Ubud
Opening hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm; 6:00pm - 9:30pm and on Mondays (6:00pm - 9:30pm)
Nusantara mean archipelago in English.
Here, we got to enjoy authentic Indonesian dishes from all over the nation. The food was delicious and the drinks were creative.
Before mains were served, we were given a light starter which they called "Berbagi Rasa" which translate to "To have a taste". The little starters (starting at 9 o'cock, clockwise) were:
Manisan Mangga - unripe mangoes marinated with chillies, sugar, vinegar and lime juice.
Sambal Tempe - deep-fried tempe with chillies, garlic, shallots and coconut oil
Lemet - tuna with tumeric, shallots, garlic, chillies, kencur, coriander and kaffir lime leaves, warapped and cooked in banana leaves.
Bakwan Keladi - deep fried yam with garlic, kencur, chillies and celery
Sambal Asam Manis - Chillies, garlic, sugar and vinegar.
Cuko - palm sugar, tamarind, vinegar and cucumber.
Sambal Kacang - roasted peanut sauce.
Padjri - pineapple braised in chillies, palm sugar, tamarind, honey, star anise, cardamon and cinnamon.
Kerupuk Beras - deep-fried rice cracker.
I recommend eating the little starters with the rice cracker.
If you are planning to dine here, definitely make a reservation prior as there were people getting turned away because they were fully booked (you can make a reservation online).
Pork Star Bali
Address: 88 Jalan Nakula, Legian
Opening hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm
Nasi Campur XXL - this is made for sharing between two unless you are a piggy, get it? Haha I'm so funny.
babi sambal matah - babi sambal embe - babi sambal hijau - babi rica rica - dendeng
Highly recommending ordering the butter rice with this dish, worth the extra calories.
There is definitely no shortage of porky goodness in Bali, you just have to venture out and try as many places as you can.
If there is only one thing that you are allowed to try in Bali, let it be babi guling. The above three babi guling weren't the only places I ate but the ones I have mentioned are the ones I would recommend especially Babi Guling Pak Dobiel.
Also, a word of advice, if you are planning on getting around Bali with a driver, I highly recommend getting a good one that doesn't drive erratically or give you motion sickness.
In saying that, I highly recommend Ketut Mulyantara (WhatsApp - +62 812 395 6288).
The positives are:-
always on time (you say meet at 8:00am, he will be there by 7:45am)
informative, talkative and very reliable
has a 7-seater 4WD so you can squish your group of 6 in one car for day trips.
can converse in English and Bahasa (it was great for me because I could practice my Bahasa)
overall, a really great guy.
