yogyakarta eating, indonesia (or, take 2)

what is traveling without eating? certainly nothing quite so interesting – and we did a fair bit while in yogyakarta (also written, jogjakarta). I think my favorite part about traveling to southeast asian countries is how (relatively) inexpensive their dining options are – things that would cost an arm and a leg in singapore are more accessibly priced there, and the variety of flavors and cooking styles are immense.

it was the same in yogyakarta, which has a nice mix of both local eating as well as what you might call tourist options. indonesian food is spicey – with more than a hint of spicy – but it’s an intriguing, eat-all-you-can cuisine that is remarkably tasty, what with its lavish use of coconut milk and herbs.

candi burobudur and prambanan, indonesia (take 1)

I know it’s only the third week of the new year – but I bet you guys are already suffering all sorts of wanderlust, aren’t you? (I know I am).

we traveled to yogyakarta late last year, taking drives out to candi (which translates to temple) burobudur and candi prambanan, a javanese buddhist and hindu temple respectively. both very popular tourist attractions in their own right, they make a majestic picture with their scale and dark-stone facades.

ku de ta, bali

there is something poignant in a dark night spent beach-side, with the wind roaring through and a lonely spotlight going out toward the sea. even the trash on the beach looks like speckles of glitter.

tanah lot, bali

this rock-temple place was too touristy by half – and not the better for it: the beaches were dirty and the temple overcrowded – and I wish there had been less clouds so I could have grabbed better photos. I’ve put them here for sharing (so you don’t make your way down yourself!), and next time I think I might try for uluwatu, which holds another famous spot for sunset-spotting.

ubud rice fields, bali

cascading terraces of green and scattered pavilions. even the requisite smattering of souvenir shops – we bought an indigenous instrument, a kalimba (also known as a finger piano) – add to the charm of this place. I can’t imagine what it’d be like at high tourist season, but for now it was quiet and peaceful – truly beautiful.

goa gajah: elephant cave, bali

no elephants here – it’s so named for the grandness of the architecture, and it’s a beaut. an amazing carved stone temple, a trek amidst temple ruins and a stretch of padi fields, and the quiet beauty of balinese floral offerings.

bali buda/bali buddha, bali (eat-in)

good food – incidentally, healthy too – at this holistic café-deli chain, nearish kerobokan. this place has a slew of good reviews on tripadvisor, and I was lured by their online menu, which had a large range of healthyish (and very interesting) options for brunch and lunch – though if I were honest it was most likely the pancake and cereal options on the menu that truly reeled me in.

the food veers toward the healthy-sounding, which scares off people like my partner – and I think men in general – and even has options for vegan/vegetarian/macrobiotic-sounding diets, but which appeals to me. I like the idea of having a large and satisfying brunch with wholesome ingredients (dimsum excepting), and this place certainly served up. but for all you manly men out there with a fear of supposedly healthy food, they do have things like burgers and pizzas – so you can certainly get your share of the mornin’ grease here.

grocer & grind, bali

pretty decent food at a quiet corner in seminyak, bali. we past this place on the way to the potato head the night before, and ended up at this place when hungry for a spot of dinner. a mix of an air-conditioned cafe with a deli and cake counter, as well as an open-air pizza place, this place was great for a quiet dinner, and had a pretty extensive menu spanning indonesian food to pizzas and grills.

naughty nuri’s warung, bali

really good ribs – and pretty okay everything else at this small but very famous store in ubud. I had read so much about this place before we left for bali, and was pretty excited about it – I love ribs, and there aren’t many place in singapore that serve it, let alone do a decent version.

we came here on our way from kerobokan to mount batur for a look at the kintamani volcano, and the place filled up very quickly at lunch-time. you’re greeted by the sight of a lady piling up glistening racks of ribs on the barbie, and we quickly headed in to get an order.

potato head beach club, bali

generally good food – and better atmosphere – at this sprawl of a beach club in the seminyak area of bali. I’m not one for drinking – almost a complete teetotaler – but I do like a nice place to lounge about and have a bite, and this place fits the bill. the food came in rather large portions – certainly larger than you’d expect at places like this, which casts aspersions on options in singapore – and though our orders spanned the spectrum of terrible to really good, I wholeheartedly recommend visiting this place at least once if you’re in the area. the prices were fair, the menu sufficiently extensive, and service very friendly. an accessible and enjoyable sort of chilled-luxe.