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. 

The sight of Pasar Seni Kuta

Gavin and Bli Dito

What is vacation without a beach?

Welcome to Bali!

#sorrynotsorry

Warung Makan Nikmat

Jalan Bakung Sari

Gang Biduri No. 6

Kuta, Bali

Pasar Seni Kuta

Jalan Kartika Plaza
Kuta, Bali

Pulau Dewata: Pantai Kuta

In Bali, you can do water sport pretty much anywhere since the island has numerous beaches. But, the one beach that provides you all kinds of water sports is Pantai Tanjung Benoa. The beach is located in Nusa Dua, 40 kilometers away from the capital city of Bali. 

Unlike any other beaches in Bali, where you can usually spend your money on getting your nails painted and hair braided, you can spend some Rupiah to do sports at Pantai Tanjung Benoa. Banana Boat, Scuba Diving, Surfing, Seawalker - you name it! - are available and the price of each activity varies, starting from Rp100.000,00. 

I went for the parasailing, since it's the only water sport I have been dying to try. Each round consisted of you soaring in a circuit for two minutes, and it was worth a hundred Rupiah. I didn't know parasailing would be this expensive. Dad was very kind for buying me two rounds. I ended up flying for five minutes for Rp200.000,00 because of the crew's generosity. I wonder what made them give us this valuable time discount. 

That's me flying!

The line for parasailing was not that long

Up up and away!

It was eleven in the afternoon when we finished our acitivity, but the scorching sun made it feel like as if it was two o'clock. Lunch time was still an hour away, but we decided to drive casually in search of a nice restaurant to dine in at. We headed to Pantai Kuta, another popular beach in Bali, and it seemed that the people outside our car was heading the same direction with us. 

In just five minutes, we spotted a nice place to eat and parked the car immediately. No, it was not a restaurant, nor it was a cafe, but merely a humble and small warung on the roadside. You see, warung is Indonesian for a small family-owned shop. Here, you will most likely find powder drink sachets, traditional snacks and crackers, and bunch of other knick knacks. But, this particular warung had something that I have never found in any kind of warung before, which is Nasi Campur Bali.

Your choice of instant thirst quencher

The owner of the warung came out and offered us food and drink. We immediately ordered three plates of meal, consisted of rice and every side dishes available that day. There were more than five kinds of side dishes - Hallelujah, praise the Lord! - and all of them were pork. Pork Broth, Satai Ikan, Gorengan Babi, Spicy Pork, Kerupuk Kulit Babi, Urap, Ayam Balado, Sambal Goreng Tahu were the ones that accompanied the rice.

The wife of the warung owner

Scooping side dishes onto the plate

Yum, look at them food calling out, "Eat me. Eat me."

While we wait for our lunch to be served, we chatted with the owner. He built the warung so that he can earn some extra money for his family. His boss own a particular hectares of land and told him to take care of it. "Since it was merely hectares of nothing, I decided to built up this warung and start my own business. That way, I'm doing what my boss told me to do - which is taking care of his property - and I'm earning additional salary for my wife and kids," he said while doing some tricks with his dog. Smart man.

Woof!

The legendary puppy dog pout

After a while, the wife of the warung owner finally served our lunch. My plate was decorated with numerous kinds of side dishes. All I could see was bits of fried pork, chicken, fish, and other unidentified object - I didn't know which was which. So, I just ate it. 

The thing about Nasi Campur Bali is that it is always hot and spicy. Always. As a person who can't handle peppery dish, it tormented me. I love Nasi Campur so much - with all its' combination of flavors; savory, sweet, salty, and peppery - but on the other hand, it will always give me a hard time in the loo. 

My favorite side dish was the Gorengan Babi, or leftover-pork-skin-meat-and-fat fritters. As unhealthy as this food may sound, it tasted beyond delicious and very addictive- savory, slightly oily, porky, and crunchy. 

Nasi Campur Bali

Lunch is served!

Our lunch came with a bowl of soup, consisted of pork meat, fried onions, and some diced carrots. It tasted very delicious, very savory and rich in flavor. At the bottom of the bowl was where you can find them pork meat and diced carrots. Mom and Dad loved it so much. As for me, I sticked with my Gorengan Babi instead. 

The owner's treats!

Dad enjoyed it so much

A glass of Orange Juice to quench your thirst

We finished our lunch and we bid goodbye to the sweet and friendly warung owner. It's a shame I didn't get to know their names and the exact location of their warung. People ought to try eating at their humble shop, as it was very cozy, home-like, and simply enjoyable. 

We continued driving to Pantai Kuta to spend our afternoon at. The blazing sun was excruciating. Tourist were in bikinis, putting on their sunglasses and beach hat to protect them from the cruel ultraviolet that the sun emitted. It was one o'clock sharp when we arrived at the beach. We immediately rent us some seats and ordered cold beverage. And by cold beverage, I meant cold beers.

Beer in the afternoon? No problem.

Your choice of cold beverage

I don't do beers because I think it tasted bitter, fizzy, and absolutely far from being delightful. I got myself a couple bottles of cold tea and simply enjoy the sweet sugary sensation of the drink. While Mom and Dad leisure around with their beers and cigars, I took my camera and went down to the sea and shoot some pictures.

Kuta Beach, Bali

Time to relax 

Got your surf board?

The beach was filled with girls in bikini

Tanned skin 

Another surfer spotted

Panai Kuta will always be filled with people. There will be those who are in their bikinis getting sun-tan, and those surfers with their surfboard and funky wet hair, and those who are being chased by nail artisans and hair braiders who go, "Miss! Braid your hair, Miss! Very beautiful! Paint your nails! Only 80 Ribu, very beautiful!".

Don't mind the crowd, just enjoy the beach.

Look's like I'm not the only one who's taking pictures

Careful there, Miss!

Darkness slowly took over Pantai Kuta 

The beautiful sunset of Bali