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
In Jakarta, while my host was making this extensive list of dishes you have to try that are unique to a city in Indonesia, the rave reviews of the spare ribs at Nuri's stood out the most. It could be that the portion was so generous, one person could barely finish the rack. It could also be that the pork is so tender that it slips right off the bone. Or maybe the sweet sauce slathered on the ribs when they are cooking. Maybe the 70,000Rp price tag could be a deterrant for one Indonesian or a gastronomic investment with high returns. Either way, these ribs must have made a strong impression. After reaching Ubud, I had to stay true to my promise that I would visit Nuri's Warung to taste the prized deliciousness of pork flesh. The location of the restaurant is said to be "20 minutes walking from the center," at least according to the guy at the front desk who takes his motobike everywhere, even to go 20 meters around the corner. It did not look so far on the map, but it was a far trek and the journey seemed even longer since it was raining. If that much pork was supposed to be consumed, the least we could do for ourselves is burn a few calories beforehand. At the entrance of the restaurant, there is a vat of pork spare ribs already brined, seasoned, pre-cooked, or whatever has to be done to get the ribs ready for the grill. Once the order is placed, the ribs are placed immediately on the grill and the aroma swirls through the entire open-air restaurant. You can hear a faint sizzle from the sugars in the sauce caramelizing on your ribs. The ribs are served alone with no frills except for a wedge of lemon. If you want any sides, that will be added to your tab. My host was right. The spare ribs were tender, juicy, falling off the bone, and had a slight caramelization from the grill. Yum. The plate looked huge, but I managed to polish it off easily sparing no shred of meat. It was well worth the splurge if you are on a budget. Happy and full, the walk back in the pouring rain reminds you just how much that trek outside of the center of Ubud was worth it for those ribs.
Java chooses beef, but in Bali, pork reigns. Babi guling or suckling pig is the ultimate Balinese dish that made Warung Ibu Oka Babi Guling famous, now a site of foodie pilgrimage in Ubud (at least the Chowhounders or other tourists claim so and the push from Anthony Bourdain does not hurt either). The slow-cook spit-roasting process results in tender meat and crispy skin. This quest for babi guling was another solo mission backed by determination to taste luscious pork.
I sat down at a table with two other small parties finishing their meals. I opted for the Babi Guling Special plate at 30,000Rp and an iced tea with no sugar. The menu centers around all that can be created from the roasted pig, particularly the skins and meat. There was another set plate at 50,000Rp that came with soup and the babi guling came out on a heaping portion on a plate separate from the rice, but it looked too filling. The Babi Guling Special was served in one plate. The base is rice, fried pork skin, roasted pork skin, pork meat, a sort of chunky, spiced vegetable sauce or marinade on top of the meat, and a special salad with a sour and bitter hint. Basically, the plate had the best of everything that comes from the roasted suckling pork. For every bite, I tried to create the "perfect" bite by adding a little bit of each thing on the plate to my spoon. The pork was very tender and savory. The pork skins were also extremely crispy and carried a nice flavor from the roasting. The special salad that came with the dish balanced out the flavors and the iced tea finished each bite nicely.
Asia has its own form of baked goods, but sometimes you miss that nice classic bakery item from the U.S. of A. or Europe. Guilt may take over as buttery, delicious baked goods and pastries are super caloric and will not contribute to deflating the tire around your waist when you hope to be prancing around the beaches of Indonesia and are already feeling bloated from the fried food. Again, the body is screaming for something healthy. Of if those indulgent pangs are still persistent, at least something deceivingly unhealthy. 
An amazing feature of the Bali Buddha store is the day-old section in the towering shelves of baked goods. The items placed in this section are pre-packaged from the day before and are sold for half-price. Amazing! Unfortunately, Ubud is an early-rising town so you have to get to the store pretty early for the best selection. Otherwise, there are slim pickings or ::gasp:: none at all. The baked goods are placed in small baskets with a little net over them and you pick and choose what you want. The cinnamon buns were cooked all the way through, a little more dense than fluffy. I would say that the muffins were the best pick of the lot holding together well are light with just the right amount of blueberry or banana. The apple cake was full of shredded apple and had another component that bulked the filling (which was not totally apple, but I cannot put my finger on it). Each bite is satiating and full of fruity surprises. Also really tasty were the cardamom balls, which were a tad savory and not too sweet. The icing on the carrot cake was a little too thick for my taste, coming off the cake in a singular piece. The actual carrot cake part had more than just carrots - most likely pineapple pieces and other fruits as more complex carrot cake recipes do. There were just so many goods to try. The store also has imported and specialty items like locally made mozzarella cheese, herbs, and dried meats, but the baked goods that were a main source of fuel throughout the day is its highlight.
The fried foods that permeate my diet in Indonesia has left me craving something healthy and fresh. Ubud is the center of culture and arts in Bali, a beautiful area with rice fields scattered through the traditional Balinese architecture and temples. It seems small, but it is really made up of fourteen villages with the focal point being Monkey Forst Road, Jalan Hanoman, and Jalan Raya Ubud. At an elevation of around 600 meters, it is cooler than the coastal towns, though attracting more of the rain. The relaxing ambiance of Ubud and the convenience of its amenities along with the assortment of shops, restaurants, cultural events, and arts makes it a bit of an expat magnet in Bali. The Zen-like nature and affinity to preserve what is there makes Kafe a natural fit in Central Ubud. It is a comfortable place to lounge around and spend the whole afternoon reading, working, using their wifi, meeting with friends, and relaxing. Kafe promotes a healthy lifestyle with its environmentally conscious policies choosing not to serve drinks with plastic straws, advocating 
