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Ubud eateries issue an irresistible culinary invitation
Dicky Christianto , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Thu, 10/09/2008 10:27 AM | Bali
Ubud has long been known as the home of fabulous scenery, art pieces and, of course, its artists. However, it seems that these prestigious honors have not satisfied the locals as they are now gearing up to compete for another accolade: To be known as the island's spot for best eateries.
Dozens of restaurants are now lined up along Monkey Forest Street down to Ubud Raya Street, offering their best culinary works to all who pass by.
Warung Enak restaurant, for example, is among those eateries which might best represent the taste of Ubud as it offers Indonesian cuisine. One of the must-try dishes is Sate Kakul (barbecued snail meat).
Grilled and generously covered in soybean sauce, the snail meat is so tender that one can easily eat it without feeling guilty about its cholesterol count.
Accompanied by brown rice lontong (brown rice cooked in banana leaves), Sate Kakul is one of the restaurant's best dishes.
"Snail meat this tender is rarely found in another restaurant. That is why I like it so much," said Sari, one of the restaurant's customers.
It is actually a rather unique decision for the restaurant to offer a snail-based dish to their customers as others might consider this as an out-of date cuisine.
"We cook every dish in the best manner so that hopefully the customers will experience a delectable flavor," Roland Lickert, Warung Enak's duty manager, told The Jakarta Post.
Commenting on the reason behind the restaurant's decision to offer snail meat as one of its food selections, Roland said that even though it is often recognized as a "second layer" food in many regions in Indonesia, it is actually very authentic and thus deserves to be presented to those who seek the taste of Indonesia.
"This is our idea, to promote Indonesian foods besides those that are already well known, such as fried rice and sate kambing (barbecued lamb)."
Besides Sate Kakul, several other dishes such as Gulai Kambing (lamb curry soup) and Tum Ayam (minced chicken mixed with vegetables) are definitely worth trying.
About a 15-minuted drive south of Warung Enak and offering a food selection just as delicious is Ma Joly Restaurant, located in the Kupu-Kupu Barong villa compound.
As a beginning, the gourmet salad made of fresh vegetables covered with mango sauce will whet one's appetite.
As the main course, pork grilled medallion is ready to spoil one's desire for any other great food. The pork is nicely done, cooked and covered with a tomato-based sauce. Tasty and tender are the right words to describe the experience.
Anak Agung Gede Oka, the restaurant's senior chef de party, said the presentation of the food served was often the result of a never-ending critiques given by earlier customers.
"We are tasked to insure that the food satisfies the customers and that is why their critiques are so valuable to us. They help us to continue to improve the quality of our dishes," Oka said.
