Balinese Cuisine at the Uma, Kota Damansara

One of the family traditions I cherish the most is celebrating birthdays together. Not only is it a good time to catch up with the family, it's also an excellent time to try out new restaurants. I really enjoyed Balinese food from my last trip to Bali, when I discovered the Bumbu Bali Restaurant at Tanjung Benoa in Bali. This was my first taste of the Balinese Rice Table or the "Rijsttafel", which essentially is a set menu comprising rice served with vegetables and meat condiments.

So, when my sis suggested going to the Uma, a Balinese restaurant at Kota Damansara for our latest round of birthdays celebration, it was a lovely trip down memory lane for me. We opted for their "Nasi Ratus", which is equivalent to the Balinese Rice Table at the Bumbu Bali. The portions are fairly big. We ordered six sets with 2 extra rice for the 8 of us. We ended up trying seven sets (they accidentally served us the Babi Kecap Manis which we didn't order, which turned out to be a happy mistake as it was very good).

The verdict? Absolutely delicious! The Nasi Ratus set is served on a bamboo basket, layered with banana leafs. Depending on the set, the rice and vegetable condiments may vary. A sample of the condiments include minced fish satay, shredded chicken salad, tempe goreng, sambal mbe and sambal tomat, mixed vegetable salad and fried long bean. Our absolute favourite was the Grilled Tuna set. The tuna was fresh and marinated in fragrant Balinese spices, not unlike our otak-otak, but much lighter in terms of the marinade.


Dad loved the Pork Rib Curry Nasi Ratus set (yes, this place serves pork - hurray!). The curry, which has a similar colour and texture to our Kurma curry complemented the tender pork rib perfectly.

The house specialty - Bali Bebek - Balinese steam duck. Served in a bowl of soup, very much like our Soto ayam, the duck literally melted off the bone. We also tried the fried duck set. However, of the two, I personally preferred the steam duck.


The happy mistake - Babi Kecap Manis (Sweet Sauce Pork)! Succulent and flavorful.


The pork sate set was scrumptious too. The sate was served on thick bamboo sticks and was well-seasoned enough to be eaten without any sauce. The rice, Black-eyed pea rice which had light sprinkles of nuts and herbs was my favourite rice accompaniment.



On the other hand, we found the grilled chicken set rather dry. To be fair, it was tasty but just paled in comparison with the other, oh so very delicious sets.


The meal which came to slightly over RM200 for the 8 of us was very reasonable. So, if you had a yearning for some good Balinese cooking, but don't have the budget to fly to Bali, head over to the Uma at Kota Damansara (7-G & 7-1, Jalan PJU 5/21, The Strand, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya). Be sure to make reservations (Tel:603-614 2271)!

Postscript: I paid another visit to the Uma in May, 2010 and was pleased that the food tasted as good as ever. As we were there with two first-timers, we ordered our top three favourites - the tuna, pork sate and pork rib curry nasi ratus sets for our group of four. We made sure we had room for dessert this time round. Fans of "hak lo mai chok", or glutinuos rice porridge aka bubuh injin would love this dessert. Served with coconut milk and gula bali, this dessert is rich and creamy. We'll definitely be back again.



One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

Balinese and Indonesian Cuisine at Made's Warung

Made's Warung (Pronounced as Ma-Day) was recommended to us by an Indonesian. When the locals recommend it, you can't go wrong. We went to the restaurant in Kuta. They also have a branch in Seminyak. Made's Warung was established in 1969 and started off as a roadside stall or warung. It has now evolved to a cosmopolitan restaurant serving local and international cuisine to cater to the international visitors to Bali.

The restaurant is spacious and airy, with both indoor and outdoor seating. We opted for local Indonesian and Balinese cuisine. We really enjoyed the sate at Bumbu Bali so we ordered the pork sate here. We were not disappointed. The sate was grilled to perfection - the meat was moist on the inside and golden brown on the outside. The peanut sauce was creamy and had a wonderful flavour. (You really must buy the roasted peanuts in Bali)!

Another winner in our books is the ribs in young papaya soup. The ribs were so tender. The young papaya tasted like Chit Kwa (Chinese cucumber).

We couldn't resist the Indonesian Nasi Campur (Mixed Rice). The white rice was served with an accompaniment of small portions of meat and vegetable dishes, topped off with sambal (chili paste).

And to finish off the meal, we had the Black Rice Pudding for dessert. The pudding was served with freshly grated coconut and was rich and creamy. Beautiful!

Fresh Grilled Seafood at Jimbaran Beach

No visit to Bali is complete without a meal at one of the restaurants in Jimbaran Beach. If you want to catch sunset, be there by 6pm. It also helps to go early as the restaurants are very popular with both tourists and locals alike.

We went to Menega Cafe, which was recommended by an Indonesian acquaintance. The wooden tables are set on the beach itself, lit by a candle in a jar. The gentle seabreeze provides natural air-conditioning, whilst the sound of the waves lapping the sand is the background music. Later at night, a trio of musicians will go from table to table to entertain the patrons of the restaurant (for a tip of course). They will oblige you with your choice of songs. All in all, an almost perfect ambience for relaxation and enjoyment of dinner with the exception of the smoke from the grill.

Ambience aside, the quality seafood is the reason why people come to Jimbaran. It's so fresh. Lightly marinated with Balinese herbs and charcoal-grilled to perfection! The sauces that accompany the seafood are excellent. I'll let the pictures do the talking. I was so engrossed with the food, I almost forgot to take pictures. Please pardon the half empty plates!

Lobster

CrabFish

Best Babi Guling in Bali - Bu Oka

I mentioned in my last post that Ma-de, the driver took me to the best Babi Guling (Roast Suckling Pig) in Bali. Bu Oka is a small shop or warung in Ubud, opposite the palace. The warung comprises of a stall up front where the chef prepares the food. Next to the stall, there are a few long tables with benches. To get inside the warung, you have to go up some wooden steps (per Asian custom, you need to take out your shoes). There are low tables inside and you sit on the floor.

The menu, which is on the wall is straight forward. There is babi guling, babi guling and babi guling. You would have figured out by now babi guling is their specialty. There are some variations (e.g. pork with/without skin, with intestine, with vegetables). Ma-de recommended that I try the Babi Guling Special (i.e the works with rice, veg, crispy skin and intestine). It was very delicious. The meat is so tender that it literally melts in your mouth. Ma-de explained that the suckling pig is stuffed with Balinese spices and then roasted in a pit on a roller. It then is turned slowly and roasted for many hours to get the meat tender and juicy. The skin is crispy, while the intestine taste similar to the Chinese "siu cheong" (roast intestine). The assorted vegetables were diced finely and cooked with Balinese spices. Topped with the Balinese sambal, it was an unforgettable meal!

Balinese Cuisine at Bumbu Bali

On our first night in Bali, we decided to have a Balinese dinner at the Bumbu Bali, located in Tanjung Benoa. Bumbu Bali claims to be the first authentic Balinese restaurant and was created following the principals used in designing a traditional Balinese home compound. Surprisingly, the owner of the restaurant is Heinz von Holzen, a Swiss, married to a Balinese. Heinz used to be the Executive Chef at the Grand Hyatt and Ritz Carlton Bali.

Having missed out on the Bumbu Bali during our first visit to Bali a couple of years back, we decided to make reservations for the night so as to not miss out again. It was also very convenient that the restaurant provides complimentary transportation to the restaurant from Nusa Dua hotels guests. The Bumbu Bali is so popular that the driver told us on the way back that it was his 8th trip to the Melia Bali that night.

At the restaurant, the kitchen staff greeted each guest with a cheery "Selamat Malam" or Good Night (which in Bali, is used as a welcome greeting as opposed to in Malaysia where it is used as a farewell greeting). The guests, both male and female are given a frangipani to be worn on the ear.

We opted for the set meal called the Rijsttafel (yeah, it's a mouthful, isn't it?), which means "Rice Table" (Indonesian dishes are always served in the center of the table surrounding a large basket of steamed white rice). We also complemented it with Hasil Laut Bumbu Kuning (Assorted Seafood in Yellow Turmeric Sauce), which was recommended by the waitress.

THE RIJSTTAFEL
APPETIZER

Sambel be Tongkol (Tuna Salad)
Sate Babi, Ayam, Lilit (Pork, Chicken and Seafood Sate)
Peanut Sauce
Lawar - Vegetable Salad

Verdict: The sates were absolutely delicious. The sauce was smooth and had a flavourful peanut taste (it definitely was made from roasted peanuts and not peanut butter). The lawar was fresh and crunchy.

SOUP
Cram Cam (Clear Chicken Soup with Shallots)

Verdict: The soup was seasoned with aromatic Balinese spices. Tasted quite similar to soto ayam.

MAIN DISHES
Ayam Betutu (Roast Chicken in Banana Leaf)
Be Celeng Base Manis (Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce)
Be Sampi Mebase Bali (Braised Beef in Coconut Milk)
Kambing Mekuah (Lamb Stew in Coconut Milk)
Ikan Bakar (Grilled Fish Fillet)
Pesan be Pasih (Diced Fish Grilled in Banana Leaf)
Sayur (Selection of Daily Vegetables)
Nasi Kuning, Merah, Putih (Yellow, Red and Steamed Rice)

Ala carte: Hasil Laut Bumbu Kuning (Assorted Seafood in Yellow Turmeric Sauce)
Verdict: Each dish was simply oozing with flavour. The lamb stew and braised beef literally melts in your mouth. The fish and seafood dishes were very fresh. The pork in sweet soy sauce tastes very much like the Chinese style dish we have in Malaysia.

DESSERT
Kueh Bali (Selection of Balinese Cakes)
Bubuh Injin (Black Rice Pudding)
Jaja Batun Bedil (Glutinous Rice Flour Dumplings in Palm Sugar Sauce)
Buah-Buahan (Seasonal Fruits)
Balinese Coffee or Tea

Verdict: At this stage, we were already quite full. But, we couldn't resist sampling the dessert. My favourite dessert is the Glutinous Rice Flour Dumplings in Palm Sugar Sauce. It was absolutely delicious and not-to-be-missed. The dumplings had a soft chewy texture and the palm sugar sauce was so fragrant. The black rice pudding is similar to what we have in Malaysia (not surprisingly since there are similarities in our cultures).

Final verdict: I'm glad we managed to taste the food at the Bumbu Bali this trip. Absolutely delicious!