Travel: Trip to Bali (Part 5 - Local Food vs Touristy Food)

Some people have been asking, "Where is the PerutBesi?" "Sudah karat kah? Hehehe"

I struggle to find time & 'motivation' (as well) to finally sit down & start blogging. The entire month since my last post has been a crazy journey, especially on the perspective of work. The hectic & busy lifestyle of work just ate me up & probably blew me into pieces that I had to use the entire month to piece myself up once again. Whenever I had time, I just want to not stare into the computer!

Now that my work project has finally entered its 'peak' period, frankly speaking, most things have stabilized. Preparation for anything for the matter of fact is probably worse than the 'peak period'/main event itself. I truly am looking forward to the end of the project, but I also have questions on what next.

Anyhow, I should give my poor Bali trip post a proper conclusion. This was & is supposed to be the finale, but due to work commitment, I just couldn't attend to the blog a month back.

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*halal*
As an adventurous person who looks out for good food at lower/non-tourist prices, my mum, sister & I decided to have a simple lunch at the Mount Bratan's local market instead of at the restaurants that overlook the majestic Mount Bratan itself.

 
As we didn't have much time to research on this place prior to our trip, we just walked around & decided to stop by at this Warung Muslim Ramun/Ummi for a bowl of the typical bakso or soto ayam. I have to say that the serving is MINI (at least for my appetite)!

Bakso Sapi (Rp10,000/ ~RM2.83/bowl)

Taste is acceptable although slightly bland, but the portion is just really small. We could finish 1 bowl up in like 3-4 mouthful! I also realized that most of their bakso soups are rather bland because most Indonesians actually add the chili sauces/dark sauces & spices available on the table into the soup.

Soto Ayam (Rp15,000/ ~RM4.24/bowl)

It looks neater than what you see here, but my mum didn't realize that I still wanted to take photos of these humble bowls of noodles, so she started eating already. I have to say that although more pricey than the Bakso Sapi, the Soto Ayam noodles is actually more tasty & flavorful & pleasant to be eaten without adding any sauces.

Nasi Impit came with the Soto Ayam

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*non-halal*
On that same day, on the way back from Bratan to the hotel, we stopped by at the famous Warung Naughty Nuri's (Batubelig). This is like THE place for a good serving of pork ribs, barbecued to perfection, accompanied by a great range of margaritas & alcoholic drinks. Naughty Nuri's is well-known among tourists & you'll rarely spot locals in the restaurant apart from those working here.

The environment is fun, vibrant & lively. Don't expect to come here for a quiet meal after a long day, but you'll definitely get to enjoy a glass of alcoholic beverage with a porky meal.

Interesting deco (non-halal? :P)

Fun workers!

Happy piggies everywhere!

As we're not THAT hungry & the prices of food here are much higher than at the usual stalls, we decided to order 2 dishes & share it among the 3 of us.

Quesadillas (Rp58,000/ ~ RM16.40/serving)

The size is like a personal-sized pizza, so it was like an appetizer for the 3 of us. I can't say that it's thumbs up cos I would still prefer Chilli's version to this if I've to make a choice between the two. My mum wasn't too excited with this since the jalapenos are pretty spicy for her! :P

BBQ Pork Ribs (Rp110,000/ ~RM31.13/serving)

Frankly speaking, it felt like a personal portion, not something that should be shared. As we ordered to share, thinking that the pork ribs would be much larger in size, we only had 1/3 of what you see below per person. The taste is great, but the portion could be more generous. I love the smokiness, slight sweetness & the tangy taste from the marination & the squeezed lime.

It's good!

Meat "falls off the bones" easily - tender, juicy, & flavorful.

Interesting signs at the restaurant

This one's spotted in the bathroom.

Here's another interesting sign at the car park area

I can't say that we're 100% satisfied with dinner, but we didn't go hungry through the night. Given another chance to go to Bali, we will not go to the famous & touristy restaurants anymore! It's local all the way!


Naughty Nuri Batubelig
Jalan Batubelig, 41 (Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta, Bali)
Tel: (+62) 0361 847 6722
Email: mail@naughtynurisbali.com

*****
*halal*
On our 2nd last day at Bali, after an enjoyable visit to the Uluwatu Temple area & before our amazing spa & massage session, we stopped by for a quick lunch at a nearby Warung Es Teler 66 behind the Murano Spa.

Unlike the warung at Mount Bratahn's local market, this stall certainly serves a much better tasting bakso. I would recommend this stall for their big meatball bakso & their yummy es teler!

Bakso Ayam (Rp8,000/ ~RM2.26/bowl), Bakso Sapi (Rp9,000/ ~RM2.55/bowl), Lontong (Rp3,000/ ~RM0.80/serving)

Check out the size of the meatball! It's much bigger & much cheaper than what we got at Mt Bratan's local market as well! SUPERBLY WORTH IT! It tastes pretty good once you add the sauces as well, so I've no complains here. Their "lontong" (blocks of rice behind the bowl of bakso in the photo below) wasn't what I expected it to be though (I thought it would come with gravy & vegetables). I guess culture is certainly different although many Indonesians & Malays in Malaysia have this for their meals. I can't complain much since it's RM0.80 for a 'side dish'...hahaha.

Es Teler Coklat (Rp7,000/ ~RM1.98/serving), Es Juice Orange (Rp7,000/glass)

Es teler is alike our ice-kacang back in Malaysia, but it's not shaved ice, just roughly crushed ice with a whole load of jelly, avocado pieces, atap che, nangka, & this version had chocolate sauce in it! YUMMY!!! Orange juice is quite straight forward, so I didn't bother with a photo here. Nothing very spectacular for that drink...heh.

Ah, reminiscing on the Bali trip sure brings back loads of good & heart-warming memories.

I need another vacation! Time to plan for the next one...where to next...? Any ideas? ;)


Es Teler 66 & Mie Ayam Bakso
101, Jln Dewi Sri
Kuta, Bali
Tel: (+62) 087 862 411 666 (delivery service available)


Love traveling & enjoying good food,