Saturday, April 24, 2010

The Cultural Centre of Ubud - Bali

More food-related photos on Bali! We went to Ubud which is known as the Cultural Centre of Bali. Ubud market was loud, interesting and packed with so many shops selling traditional crafts and products. (more pictures on Ubud market later) Ubud is about 1hour drive from Kuta/Seminyak so if you plan to go there, plan your time wisely. 

We stopped at The Three Monkeys for lunch.

It is a casual and cosy cafe.

We ordered the famous Balinese dish Ayam Betutu.
The way the chicken is cooked infuses all the flavours of the spices into the tender meat. The presentation was so appealing as well. The dish may look simple with the chicken, veggie and fragrant rice, but it was bursting with flavours.

"If you are a fan of processed chicken dishes, you must try one of these Balinese cuisine. Ayam Betutu (Chicken Betutu) dish which is made from chicken or duck, which contains the whole spices, then roasted in the husk fire. Ayam Betutu used as food in religious ceremonies and traditional ceremonies. Now, chicken betutu can be enjoyed in a variety of restaurants. Consumers not only society of Bali, but also overseas visitors who come to Bali. Ayam Betutu is one of the dish proud by people of Bali. Chicken or duck is usually wrapped in banana leaves, then wrapped again with the stem nut, so wrapped tightly. Duck or chicken grown in a hole in the ground and covered with hot coals for 6 to 7 hours until cooked." - http://www.bali-indonesia-tourism.com/2010/01/ayam-betutu-chicken-betutu-chicken-with.html
Click the link above for the recipe.



After the traditional indonesian meal, we ordered the traditional italian dessert. (a bit weird but this restaurant has a wide range of international cuisine to choose from)
The Tiramisu was cold and it was yummy! Perfect to cool down in the hot weather.
This is a good restaurant to stop for a quick bite if you are in that area.

Rating: 4/5
Location: Monkey Forest Road, Ubud. (near the forest)



Since we were in Ubud, we made a slight detour to the Hanging Gardens well known for their villas situated in the middle of the gardens, exactly what the name is about!

It was FAR and the crazy slopes made the car stall and it was like a mini roller coaster ride, i was so afraid we were going to roll backwards (which happened at one point of the journey). When we reached there, it was all green forest that we see. What a change from working long hours in the office/sitting in front of our computers to be so near to the greenery.

There was a built in lift in the resort just to take the guests back to their villas or other parts of the resort. It costs about $1000aud a night to stay in this secluded villa, with infinity pool, view of the big forest. However, the location is so inconvenient, it takes about 1hour from Ubud market to come here, and takes about 2hours from Kuta. I guess people who loves the forests very very very very much will spend that kind of money to come here?

In front of the restaurant, there is an infinity pool facing the forest. It looks so amazing.



Had a cold glass of Lychee Spritzer to cool down after the long ride here

This is their open-air cafe where we lazed around till its time to go to Tanah Lot Temple 


It was definitely an eye-opener to see the architecture of this villa, and how grand and exclusive it is. However, it was a bit out of the way, and the journey there was long with crazy roads. 

It was time to move on so we went to Tanah Lot Temple to view the amazing sunset. To see pictures of the temple please go to my photo blog. There are more bali pictures there too!

3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. yea it was wonderful, i cant wait to get back. thanks for leaving a comment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ubud is a romantic place on the earth. i went there with my parents in beach hotels in bali summer vacation. and stayed in . it was a wonderful experience going there.

    ReplyDelete