Indonesia is littered with warungs offering a place to eat and displaying the dishes each specializes in with a large sign or by name. Most of them have typical dishes on their menu, each focusing on either rice (nasi) or noodles (mie). Considering that my hosts in Java took me around to try the special dish at whatever given place, I may have missed out on some of these items. Not eating with a host though has given me the opportunity to try the dishes that other travelers I have encountered have come to loathe due to the seeming lack of variety as the menus are consistent throughout. Research and a curious appetite will address these woes!Sitting on the beach on Gili Trawangan in front of Coral Beach Bungalows 2, much farther up north of the pier, you have to flip through the menu to get to the Indonesian section, which was much cheaper relative to the Indonesian dishes closer to the village. There was no explanation for what each dish contained. The server said the urap urap was vegetables with coconut and rice. The choice sounded healthy enough not to leave a negatively affect a beach body. The vegetable dish was mostly dry with heaps of shredded coconut in the vegetables. It was still flavorable and looked a lot better than the gado-gado with a peanut sauce dressing covering an assortment of vegetables.
In the village of Gili Trawangan away from the beach side, there was only one small restaurant advertised on the main street for Indonesian food coincidentally called Warung Indonesia. The majority of places along the main drag focused more on the present Western clientele. The only exception was the market area where street carts set up in the evening to cook up local fare at a price substantially cheaper than an iced tea at a restaurant. I recalled a recommendation to order nasi campur, which I opted for. It is a mixed plate of vegetables, meats, and other items surrounding a mound of rice all salty, savory, slightly bitter, slightly sour. You get a little bit of everything, including tempe! Nasi campur is a great choice if you are having trouble deciding exactly what to eat. The combination is satisfying and it tastes delicious as well.
Back in Ubud, after all that rice, it was time to indulge in some noodles. Warung Ijolumut had a more environmental and spiritually-geared environment (and free wifi) compared to other warungs toting local food with flags bearing Chinese characters and bright green walls. This warung costs slightly more than others in the area, but you pay for other amenities that are found at that location. The mie goreng looked like instant ramen noodles tossed with vegetables and served with an egg on top. The noodles were nothing special and tasted like they were pan-fried in soy sauce with a hint of chili. It is your standard fried noodle dish, but is good for sensitive stomachs because it is not spicy, heavy or too oily.
Just off the main road in Ubud is Warung Mina, specializing in seafood dishes. Ubud is at least an hour away from the coast, but no matter. Being a large group sitting crowded in one of the dining huts, we opted for a couple of the specialty fish platters. There was one grilled fish, a fried fish, tempe, raw sambal, sambal, a sort of fish cake, other smaller fish, kang kong greens, and other raw vegetables. The fried fish was cooked in coconut oil while the grilled fish had a lighter taste. Personally, I prefer the grilled fish since the coconut oil does not bode well with me for some reason. With the large platter, each bite can carry a different combination of items such as tempe with grilled fish and the acidic sambal. It gives you the opportunity to test out different combinations of flavors making the consumption of this place a great adventure that rapidly ends as your fellow diners are demolishing the plate at a similar, energetic rate.
The bule crew in Ubud was raving about the soto ayam at Mangga Madu's. Soto ayam is a soup with chicken and some glass noodles or basically an Indonesian version of chicken noodle soup. It is not intended to be a main course (at least at this establishment) so the portion is small. The soup is not spicy at all, but the server will bring sambal if you so desire. The broth is flavorful and lines your insides with a comforting warmth. The chicken was not anything outstanding though, more serving as a source of protein lending its flavors to the broth. Considering the strong flavors associated with Indonesian cuisine, the soto ayam seemed relatively weak, but is a pleasant break from the traveler's grind.So there we have it. I finally was able to try some of the items offered on what seemed to be every menu in Indonesia.
Coral Beach Bungalows 2. Gili Trawangan, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Warung Indonesia. The Village, Gili Trawangan, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
Warung Ijolumut. Jl. Sugriwa 14X, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. http://www.ijolumut-ubud.com/
Warung Mina, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Mangga Madu. Jl. Gunung Sari No. 1, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Tel: (0361) 977334
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