Bali - Ku De Ta

sorry for the lack of post lately as i was going through a very very stressful period with job applications/interviews and organising my next holiday!

im still waiting for the outcome but i've received some good news already :)

im so glad i dont need to study now, but i love to learn, but i hate to study in a 'school' setting. 

anyway, right now i've started to focus on cooking healthy food, good fresh ingredients, more organic meat/products and will focus more on blogging!

for people who want to save $$, please download some finance/budget planning apps on your iphone or ipad. i downloaded iexpense on my ipad and we saved so much this month! but that means i have to cut down on dining out as i was shocked how much i spent on dining out! so from now on there will be more home-made recipe posts on this website, healthier and saves me so much money just by cooking at home more. 

this is one of the 10000 backdated posts that i have in the 'drafts' category. 

Ku De Ta is one of the most famous bar/restaurant in Bali for tourists.

The design of the restaurant was really modern, full of beautiful people. I miss Bali so much, everyone there was so cheerful and relaxed because they are on a holiday, and my trip was really fantastic with so much good food and gorgeous restaurants

The restaurant and bar is situated right beside the beach, and the waves crashing at the background set the relaxed ambience of the restaurant.

very classy beach restaurant and truly one of the highlights during my bali trip

they served us complimentary bread with olive oil dip for starter. the bread was warm and soft

drinks were great as well

the food was seriously good, this steak taste much better than it looks, i dunno why the photo turned out quite bad, lol. the steak was grilled to perfection and tender inside

my AMAZING SEAFOOD grill, fresh, well seasoned seafood with lots of dipping sauces, delish!

the dj right in the middle of the alfresco area

lots of daybeds for people to sip their cocktails and chill out. these day beds were always occupied day and night, didn't get to lie in one

the food was very reasonably priced, i think my seafood platter was around aud$60 which is really good value! Expect your mains to be around aud$30-$60

Bali - Made's Warung

short update on Bali -  villa and balinese restaurant 

This was our second villa (with 2 rooms to fit 2 couples) in Seminyak. 

The Villa is called SpaceatBali, one of the cheaper villa for that size. It was spacious, modern, clean and the service was awesome!

view from our bedroom

the breakfast they served, which was wasted during one of our diving trips. (leave it to your imagination)

fresh fruit juice everyday for a fresh start 

the thing we enjoyed most about this villa is the BIG swimming pool. Perfect for the hot and humid Bali weather, having a swimming pool in the villa is a MUST because we spent so many hours just hanging out in the pool. Something we look forward to at the end of the day.

It's a pity that there was a lizard at the ceiling of the bale, and i refused to go in. (pls note: lizards do lose their balance and fall off the wall/ceilings, i am not kidding i am a victim of this too many times.)

this was our last night in the villa... so sad 

website: http://spaceatbali.com/

anyway, let me introduce one of the most famous balinese restaurant in seminyak/kuta.

Made's Warung

The villa staff and taxi drivers all recommended Made's Warung ( it is actually Warung Made in Indo) for indonesian food. We've also read a lot about it so we decided to go and give it a try. Tell the taxi drivers Warung Made and they will know where it is : pronouced as 'wah- rrong ma - dei"

No doubt the place is full of tourists, and is built for tourists. However, the place is big and clean, and the food are all very reasonably priced $5-10 for mains. This is a good place to try indonesian cuisine as our stomachs may not be used to street food that locals eat. 

cheap! (for tourists' standards)

Homemade Ice Lemon Tea - one of my favourite beverages in Asia. Lots of lime/lemon, with freshly brewed tea and sugary syrup - so refreshing!

Sate Babi (pork satay)

This is fresh out of the grill and the meat was very tender. It was flavoursome too

Sate Lilit (balinese specialty, made with minced seafood)

This was my first time trying Sate Lilit which is a specialty of Bali. It is made with minced seafood (tastes like otakotak on a stick). The flavours of the spices and herbs made it so fragrant too. 

Nasi Goreng and Gado Gado (fried rice and vegetables with peanut sauce dressing)

This was my nasi goreng with gadogado. Gadogado is like plain coleslaw with peanut sauce dressing, it was very yummy 

Pork Ribs in Young Papaya

I found this 'stew' really strong in flavour - but in a good way. It was probably slow cooked for a long time, because the pork ribs were so soft n tender, delicious.

Nasi Campur (famous balinese dish, this is a must try!) Rice topped with different type of vegetable dishes, nuts, chilli and meat.

This dish of rice was amazing. The combination of all the mini side dishes was truly divine. This was not my order, but i return to made warung again just to try this dish (see below)

Seafood Nasi Goreng (fried rice)

The food was so amazing we went back again before we leave for Perth. We ordered the nasi campur, satay lilit and satay babi - heavenly!

I went to Bali with 3 Indonesians, and if they reckon the food is authentic, then it is authentic. Might be a tourist haven, but I will definitely recommend any visitors to go to Warung Made for authentic Balinese Cuisine. 

Rating: 4.5/5

Location: Jalan Raya Seminyak (hard to miss!)

ph: +62 361 753039

Website: http://www.madeswarung.com/

Bali - Seafood at Jimbaran Bay

One of the most memorable nights in Bali was having a seafood dinner at Jimbaran Bay. Jimbaran Bay is a beautiful beach that is lined with lots of seafood restaurant, they are highly competitive so there is not much difference pricing and quality wise (that was what i heard). We randomly chose a restaurant and we had a good time while indulging in fresh seafood.

Across our table, there was a stall selling steamed corn. I was eyeing it the whole time i was there, but I was too full to try it! I will make sure i eat it next time i am there. Before I went to Bali, i heard so much about the corn with different sauces, and i really wanted to try it. I was so disappointed :(
but there will be a next time

Look at the long stretch of restaurants at Jimbaran Bay. The tables and chairs are actually on the sand and your chair can sink into the sand after all the seafood in your tummy! The feeling was surreal, your feet is on the sandy beach, and the waves are crashing right before your eyes. There were live shows and music (with a band going to eat table playing requests, remember to tip!). There were even fireworks at the background. These restaurants really go all out to impress their customers and i'm sure they have succeeded. 

If you are in Bali, please go to Jimbaran Bay for dinner (dont go too late if not you will miss all the shows/fireworks). It was this moment that i realised, i am on paradise island, having local seafood on the beach!  That night, the seabreeze was cooling which was much needed in the humid and hot weather.

If I recall correctly this was what we ordered:

600 g of calamari

2kg of crabs (half in black pepper sauce, half in balianese sauce)

1kg of fish 

1kg of king prawns (BIGGEST PRAWNS EVER)

The choice of sauces were very limited, but this is understandable as it was the freshness of the seafood that is the most important. These fresh local catch were really fresh, the way it is cooked was simple but yummy. The use of lime, chilli, kecap manis (sweet sauce)  and various herbs and spices was a heavenly combination to bring out the freshness of the seafood.

Let's dig in!!
Pardon the lousy photos,  i only had 5 seconds to take the photos before we started attacking the food like vultures. hahaha My fingers were also covered with sauce so I couldn't take more photos.


I don't remember the name of the restaurant we went to. They are all the same to me. We went to the one right at the end. Doesnt matter, just go and pick one they are all situated side by side! Go right after sunset to catch all the shows. I heard that some of them even provide transport so get your hotel/villa concierge to arrange it for you. It was such a pity that we did not have time to go back there for dinner again. 

Please don't miss a dinner at Jimbaran Bay if you are in Bali. For me, this is a definite MUST DO!
Pricing is approx aud$20-50 per person to fill your tummy with delicious seafood.

Bali - Ubud Babi Guling Ibu Oka

More Bali pictures! I want to clear all my Bali posts and there are too many pictures to share.

The day started off with a trip to Ubud Market - where you get most of your local crafts/touristy souvenirs. After shopping, we went for lunch at one of the most famous restaurants in Bali for Babi Guling below.

The entrance of Ubud Market

They sell all sorts of weird and interesting stuff

One of the famous restaurant in Ubud is Babi Guling Ibu Oka. This restaurant is just beside the Ubud Market and opposite the Ubud Palace so you can visit these 3 places in one day which are all within walking distance of 2 min.

It is obvious that their specialty is Babi Guling - which is translated to "rolled pig".

Babi Guling is a very famous Balinese dish. It may seem puzzling why a pork dish can be so popular in Indonesia. It must be remembered that although Islam is the main religion in Indonesia, most Balinese are actually Hindus.

Babi Guling is a widely celebrated dish that was eaten on special occasions. Now, it is easily available at small eateries or 'warungs' around Bali and even some touristy places. It is one of the must try dishes in Bali!

everytime i go to indonesia, i will order TehBotoh (they are also available in some asian stores in Perth), it is a slightly sweetened ice tea. i loveee it

Babi Guling is like a sort of Roast Pork where the skin is really crispy and the meat is succulent and juicy. The dish was also served with a side of vegetables and some fried thingie at the side (you don't want to know what it is, so leave it alone and dont eat it like what i did lol)

just look at the thick crispy pork skin!

The pork was amazingly succulent and the crust of the roast pork was very crispy. The restaurant was really packed with people, both locals and tourists. Prices were reasonable too around $5 a plate. There were dogs walking underneath the tables begging for food, the staff actually welcome the dogs and feed them. have a look here for some pictures of the dogs.

Although this may make others feel uncomfortable, i felt it was just part of Bali's gracious culture, where these dogs were fed and not chased away by the owners. The people welcomed the dogs like they are members of the staff :) 

Coming to this restaurant not only let me experience the famous Babi Guling, I also enjoyed the atmosphere and culture of the Balinese people. Strongly recommended place for pork lovers and people who want to try something different!

Location: all taxi drivers will know where is Babi Guling Ibu Oka, just beside the Ubud Market