Sari Organik (Bodag Maliah) & Seniman Coffee, Ubud

Every time we went to Bali, I had always wanted to try out this place. I read a lot of good praises for this restaurant, but we just never made it until our most recent trip. The main reason was always due to its location, a fair bit of walk from main street Ubud. And there are never shortage of choices to pick in Ubud as well. But, this time I insisted to come and we went there by the rented motor bike:) It was challenging to find our way here, got lost a few times. But in Bali (as per our own experiences so far), just nicely ask people around you and you’ll be fine!

At first we used Waze app to find our way to a Sari Organik Restaurant and it led us to the branch in Penestanan. In there we asked how to get to the one with rice paddy view aka Bodag Maliah. It gets quite rough once we got into the small  walkway in between rice paddy fields. I was so amazed at the surrounding: the rice fields, the sound of bamboo turbines that keep birds away from paddies, the farmers, few small yoga places, few more cafes. It felt like you are far away from Ubud Center, although sadly I think in few years time that area will probably be filled up with villas or other accommodation types.

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The road to Sari Organik is not very shaded, so by the time we got there we ordered three glasses of juices right away. Only after that, we took our time to read through the menu and the surrounding to absorb the pretty view. The seating area is on top of their kitchen, an open air area looking out to paddy fields all around. There are lesehan style seating around the side and corners of the restaurant with heaps of cushions.

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We ordered nasi campur bali and chicken kebab. Both mains are delicious, the seasoning is very light handed and definitely not spicy at all. But the vegetables are awesome, they are fresh and crisp and yummy. Hubby thinks that his chicken kebab are a little too dry and stringy, nonetheless he still enjoyed them well 🙂

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Various organic supplies for sale, such as coconut oil, soaps, incense, etc.
Various organic supplies for sale, such as coconut oil, soaps, incense, etc.

After all that yummy lunch, as we headed back to our hotel, we stopped at Seniman Coffee. Here are what we ordered, that chocolate cake is super delicious! Not overly sweet, hint of salt flakes, and just smooth almost mousse-like consistency of chocolate.

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Sari Organik aka Bodag Maliah

Subak Sok Wayah (Middle of ricefield north of Raya Ubud)
T: (0361) 972087
sari-organik@hotmail.com

Seniman Coffee

Jalan Sriwedari No. 5, Banjar Taman Kelod, Ubud

T: (0361) 972085

senimancoffee.com

[Review] Cinta Grill, Ubud Bali

There are a lot of restaurants that we always put on our to-try list and yet never had the time and stomach space to try them. Cinta Grill has been a favourite to many but it is certainly a new one for us. We passed this place numerous times, never had tried it before although we have hears do many good reviews of it. Aside of the good reviews, this place seems always packed which means it must be doing something really well, right?

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We went to Cinta Grill around 7.30 pm after our delightful massage session by Juwuk Manis and the restaurant is packed! We enjoyed the vibe of the restaurant, it was so much alive. Service was prompt and friendly even though they were so busy.

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Cold beer and mocktail with lime and lemongrass -can’t remember the name now ?

 

We ordered one portion of Surf and Turf and a Full Slab of Baby Pork Ribs. Both mains arrived within 30 minutes of ordering, and both tasted wonderful. The baby pork rib especially was the star, just as many people have recommended it. The meat was so tender and fell off the bones; and has been marinated really well. The sambal is totally worth mentioning as it is actually very flavoursome! Hubby’s Surf and Turf was also delicious, well cooked beef and very tasty grilled prawns. He requested fried sweet potato and truly good choice, crispy and perfect compliment to the meat and sauce. All in all happy tummies and happy customers 🙂 Maybe make a reservation ahead if you’d like to come by during busy hours, just to be safe 😉

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Total spent on the night was IDR 421,575 (approximately AUD 45) – cheap right? 😀

 

Cinta Grill

Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Phone: +62 361 975395

www.cintagrill.com

 

 

 

 

 

Warung Teges, Ubud

Please pardon the lagging in my food review posts from our (not-so) recent Bali trip. We moved home just two weeks ago then haven’t had internet at the new place since. Now that we are settled, I just have to post about this one place that really left such a wonderful impression. Our driver recommended us this place when we were talking about the non-mainstream eateries around Ubud, and he told us about Warung Teges. Warung Teges only sells one dish namely nasi babi. And apparently this is one of the locals favourite in the area and not so much known by tourists as yet.

So, we asked to stop by at this place on our transfer from Bakung Ubud to Oasis Sanur. We arrived there at around 10.30 am and we were the only patrons along with two others. The warung size is rather small with about 10 tables, but I have seen reviews elsewhere that they have ample seating in the backyard as well. We ordered and paid on their food counter then within few minutes our food arrived! At a glance, it looks very similar to other nasi babi guling. There are pork satay, crackles, tender spiced meat, crispy skin, some other bits of pork, urap sayur along with steamed white rice. But only when we ate it, we understood why it is a local favourite! So delicious…

If you love nasi babi in Bali, I am sure you would have visited the famous Pak Malen, Pak Dobiel, Pak Candra and many others. This one is so different in term of heat level, it is not that spicy, but you can taste all the other flavors from different spices used. The chili does not overpowering all other spices meanwhile you can appreciate all other flavors singing harmoniously! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all the other nasi babi as well, ones that are super duper spicy. A definite place to go back to if we are going to Bali again!

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A portion of nasi babi at Warung Teges costs only IDR 30,000 (approximately AUD 3)

Warung Teges

Jl Cok Rai Pudak, Ubud, Indonesia

Phone: +62 36197525

Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Bu Mardika, Ubud

We sure tried many new places on our last trip to Bali, including this dish. Opposed to what we usually eat at Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Bu Mangku, this time we tried it’s sibling’s. Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Bu Mardika is located few doors down from Bu Mangku’s, in the same side of Jalan Kedewatan. We heard about this place a while ago and yet every time we went to Bali, we had always came back to Bu Mangku’s and never had disappointed either. But this time, we wanted to explore new options and here we came.

We read somewhere before that the owner of this place indeed is sister to the famous Bu Mangku. Whilst there are few branches of Nasi Kedewatan Bu Mangku all over Bali, I believe there is only one branch of Bu Mardika’s. But surely it cannot be that bad, right? After all they are sisters and if the recipes were passed down from generations before then it cannot be that different, right?  \ (•◡•) /

There is a visible sign above this restaurant, and knowing it’s approximate location makes it easier to find. We just paid better attention to restaurants after we passed Bu Mangku’s and there it is the blue sign. From the outside, it looks fairly small with only few tables. But once we ordered, the lady led us through the small doorway towards the backyard. The seating area in the backyard actually very similar lay out to Bu Mangku’s however in smaller scale.

Backyard seating
Backyard seating

There is only one dish on offer here just like at Bu Mangku, namely nasi ayam – everything mixed in one plate or dishes separated from the rice. You can ask for extra spicy or less spicy according to your liking. We both ordered the one-dish nasi ayam, hubby asked for extra spicy whilst mine was medium spicy. Our order then arrived within minutes and looked awesome! There are urap, generous portion of rice, ayam betutu, half egg, peanuts, sate lilit, sambal, and some crispy bits of chicken. Also a small bowl of spicy broth on side in case you feel the sambal is not spicy enough already.

Nasi campur ayam
Nasi campur ayam – only Rp 20,000 (slightly less than AUD 2)
The spicy broth
The spicy broth
The verdict

We think it is not bad at all, the portion is slightly bigger than Bu Mangku. Taste wise it is very similar, they are spicy and tasty, little more greasy but not bad. We feel the service is much better than Bu Mangku, the staffs are much nicer and friendlier here. And for that reasons, we’d love to be back here next time as opposed to go back to our usual Bu Mangku.

Nasi Ayam Bu Mardika

Jalan Raya Kedewatan, Ubud BALI

Phone: (0631) 974387; +62 81 999 023 025

[Review] Juwuk Manis Relaxing, Ubud

Undoubtedly one of the big attraction of Bali is how affordable it is to pamper your body and soul. I have never done a review on massage services before, because I haven’t tried that many also nothing has been that spectacular. However, this time I just have to share with you all about this hidden gem, namely Juwuk Manis Relaxing. By the way, this is my honest opinion and we don’t get any benefit whatsoever out of this. In fact, my selfish self would have loved to keep this just to ourselves!

I stumbled upon one of thread in TripAdvisor forum about massage in Ubud and the author wrote very highly of this place. So when we went to Bali last year, I contacted Miss Sony (the lovely owner of Juwuk Manis). She responded very promptly and fit us in her schedule; she would come to our hotel on the agreed date – how convenient! Unfortunately, Miss Sony couldn’t come on the day but she sent another therapist, who did really well too! So, of course on our last trip to Bali, we contacted Miss Sony again and hoping that she would be available this time and she was! So, we truly thankful for that forum author who recommended Miss Sony, and I felt compelled to do the same and share this goodness, too.

Miss Sony started her career as massage therapist at one of Ubud’s hotel, namely Wapa di Ume. She left her job there for another role in Movenpick Hotel and Spa in Dead Sea, Jordan. And three years later, she finally returned back to Bali with better training and more experiences. She mentioned how she loves the rice paddy fields surrounding in Ubud and that inspires her to start her own massage business. Juwuk Manis is located in the very heart of Ubud, surrounded by rice paddy field and it’s serenity. We had our massage at our hotel room both times, so I can not review on the place. Nevertheless there are so many praises on TripAdvisor about Juwuk Manis location and how peaceful it is. Here are some pictures of Juwuk Manis that were provided by Miss Sony herself and judge for yourself 🙂

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Juwuk Manis offers varieties of massages, but I would definitely go for her signature massage. It is a mixture of Balinese, Thai, shiatsu, acupressure and lomi lomi massage. From what I gather, she uses coconut oil that was pressed by her mother and infused with lemongrass and other spices. The massage itself is not just relaxing, it goes beyond that. Miss Sony is very skilled and really knows what she is doing. She would find the knots in your muscles without you telling her. You’ll feel so relaxed and light after your massage session, and if time permits, please do the body wrap as well. It is really interesting sensation when she rub those spices and wrap you up with sarong, plastic sheet, and another later of towel. And meanwhile the spice works the magic to your body, she will massage your head – blissful!

Miss Sony (left) and her theraphist
Miss Sony (left) and her therapist

So, if you happen to be in Ubud and have some spare time, please do your body a favor and contact Miss Sony. You’ll be surprised how good it feels afterwards! What’s better is her charge is so inexpensive for the service you’ll get.

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Juwuk Manis Relaxing

Ni Wayan Soni

Phone: +62 822 236 093 242

Email: sonybentuyung@yahoo.com