Wirastani: 66 Goes to Bali: Warung Makan Nikmat

On the first day of our stay in Bali, the gang and I went to Warung Makan Nikmat, a restaurant specialized in Javanese dishes with a wee bit of Balinese sparks here and there. I know what you guys think, "Why eat at a Javanese restaurant when you're in Bali", right? Well, why the hell not?

Warung Makan Nikmat is just 10-minutes-drive away from the airport. Located at Jl. Bakung Sari, the restaurant is hard to miss, as it had this gigantic green-colored banner sticked on the roof. Same like any other Indonesian restaurant, Warung Makan Nikmat looks very modest and simple - it actually looked a bit like a warteg, yet bigger and slightly modernized.

Warung Makan Nikmat

The restaurant had a wide varieties of dishes and they are displayed in a large food display made from glass. They were very colorful because they are cooked using the finest spices and herbs that the chef can find in Bali. I lost count on how many kinds of dishes available for us to dig in - all sorts of meat with various method of cooking, countless veggies to indulge for those who fancy some greens, and even traditional Balinese treats like sate lilit. It was a shame the restaurant didn't serve any suckling pig because the owner is a moslem. But still, the food was a sight for sore eyes.

The system here at Warung Makan Nikmat is to point at the food that you want to eat, then the food lady will then put the dish onto your plate. You can have whatever and as many dishes as you want. Each dish has its' own price and it varies depends on the type of the dish. After you're done decorating your plate with food, the food lady will count the total price of the meal and she will hand you a card with the nominal price printed on it. Pretty cool, don't you think?

Gavin being confuse in choosing what to have for lunch

Gavin and Bli Dito who ate here often whenever they visit Bali recommended me the Ox Tail's Soup. "Swear to God, it's the best Ox Tail's Soup there is," said Gavin. But, since I was not in the mood to suck on tail bones, I skipped the offer and choose me another dish to have for lunch.

Gavin, on the other hand, was dying to have the so-called delicious broth, so he ordered a bowl. Accompanied with a plate of rice, sweet and sour squid, and serundeng (sauteed grated coconut), the chubby fellow enjoyed his Ox Tail's Soup. He offered me a bite and, boy, was that soup tasted delicious. I simply love the warm savory broth of the Ox Tail's Soup, it truly was delicious! On the one hand, the ox tail was cooked to perfection. The meat was very tender and it fell off the bone right away, I didn't have to struggle to cut a small piece of it.

Gavin's set of meal

I had me a plate of warm white rice with omelet and sate lilit. Sate lilit here is a traditional Balinese cuisine, which is minced meat on a stick. They commonly use pork, fish, or chicken meat here in Bali to make the sate lilit, and my favorite is the fish satay.

The sate lilit here at Warung Makan Nikmat is brown-ish red in color because of the chilly pepper that they use, hence it tasted spicier compared to any other satay I have ever tasted. I love how the satay was grilled nicely, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It went well with the warm rice and the omelet.

A plate of warm white rice with fried egg and sate lilit for me

What Pace Febrian had for lunch

Bli Dito's luxurious dish

How much does your lunch cost?

A selfie wouldn't hurt
From left to right: Pace Febrian, Bli Dito, Gavin, and yours truly

After we finished with lunch, we made a short trip to Pasar Seni Kuta, a marketplace where you can buy souvenirs with shockingly expensive price if you can't bargain. You can find lots of good to bring home with you here at Pasar Seni Kuta. Bangles, necklace, canvas bags, t-shirts, tanktops, you name it! But, you have to be able to bargain if you don't want to spend a ridiculously big amount of money for a piece of T-shirt. It's a good thing we were with Bli Dito, otherwise Pace Febrian will get charged Rp90.000,00 for a pair of sandals.

The marketplace is just a few steps away from the beach. Since we were waiting to pick up another friend of ours, who were on a flight to Pulau Dewata, we took the liberty to take lots of selfies with Pace Febrian's brand new GoPro Hero 4.