Firstly Beck and I would like to thank all the people who responded to our post regarding ‘Warung's to eat at in Ubud'.
Well, we decided to give the infamous ‘Ibu Oka' a try. And are so glad we did, thanks for the recommendation Jubanne and Balibabe, it was one of the best meals we have had in Bali ever! For Rp15,000 (AUD$2.10) we got Babi Guling Spesial (traditional suckling pig) with rice, bean salad (can't remember Balinese name right now) and a decent size serve of crackling.
The venue has not and will not be moving for those who wanted to know. They cook 4-5 very large pigs a day and business is booming. We were the only tourists in the place but all the locals eat there. They travel from all over the island to eat at Ibu Oka. We took our driver with us and he was so excited. He was teasing and bragging to all his mates outside Ubud market when we left.
Don't be put off by the look of the place ‘cause it's actually pretty clean, it's just the décor that's aged and in need of a few repairs, but aren't most buildings in Bali?
So when in Ubud you must eat at Ibu Oka (been to Ubud 7 times and have never tried it till now). Will make the journey from Legian later in the holiday ‘cause we have to have it just one last time before heading home!
***Other places our taste buds experienced***
•Kafe Batan Waru
Found in the Lonely Planet Travel Guide Book listed as the ‘Authors choice'. Modern style Restaurant, Averaged priced and excellent quality food. If your sick of Mie Goreng made from instant packet noodles try it here. There noodles are made fresh here every day.
•Jazz Café
Fantastic atmosphere, laid back style Café. Great food but a little on the expensive as far as Bali prices go. Good Live Music Tues -Sat (Sat is there busy night lot of ex pat hang out here.
•Ryoshi
(Located in Jl. Suweta opposite Casa Luna). Traditional style Japanese Restaurant. The bar upstairs is usually empty so don't be put off as the restaurant down stairs is below street level and always has a few people in it. Expensive in price but most of the meat and fish are imported from the USA or Japan. Well worth a visit for lovers of Japanese food. This is one of the better Japanese restaurants I have been to and I have been to a lot hare (in Bali) and Australia.
•Nomad
Still great and going strong. We travel up to Ubud from Legian every year just to eat there Mango Curry, FANTASTIC! Always full of ex pats on a Fri - Sat night. The food her is very reasonably priced.
•Alila Hotel
Very over priced. Fantastic breakfast but could do with a bigger variety of cereals (they only have muesli). Beck and I are divided on this one. She enjoyed most of the meals we had here but I didn't at all. A burger I got was burnt but Beck's was fine. One thing we both agree on is that they need to increase the variety of their menu overall. Very limited selection. We're not fussy eaters but both struggled to find something we were interested in.
PLACE WE DIDN'T GET TO TRY
KAFE - This restaurant is located in Jl. Hanoman. It is a non-profit restaurant run to raise money for community projects. Apparently they do a lot of good community work in the area and are well respected. The restaurant is always busy and we are very sorry we didn't get to try it this trip. We recommend it on this principle.