Adventures in Bali ep. 1
We set off at 8 in the morning, 3 blokes on scooters making their way to Kerobokan. After about three brief stops(Matthew a.k.a Captain Slow was, as his nickname suggests, not the most agile on the road), we arrived in Pepito Kerobokan. In front of it, the “supposed” best nasi uduk in town awaited. A friend of ours had recommended this place to us but gave very few details of the place besides “it’s right across the Pepito in Kerobokan”, which explained why we went bananas trying to look for the shop.
After a solid ten minutes of meticulous looking, we gave up and decided to ask a local vendor (why haven’t we thought of this sooner?). We learnt that the nasi uduk shack is closed on Sundays. Bummer. Slightly annoyed, we settled on an impromptu switch to bubur just a few meters away. We lit up when we saw that beside it, a cakwe cart stood. Bubur and cakwe, a match made in food heaven. But guess who ran out of bubur? The vendor, of course. Double whammy. Now overcome with hunger, we approached the cakwe stand and bought 10k worth of doughy goodness (they were 1k each).
I then noticed that a woman was sitting on a chair next to the bubur cart. In front of her was a table, and on it were several “packets” of nasi jinggo. We were desperately hungry at that point, and decided to each get 1 of those, which costed 5k each. We ate those with the cakwe. Off to a good start.
It was 11 when we finished our meal, bought an extra 5k worth of cakwe, and decided to head towards Canggu.
SUBTOTAL: 10k
After some time on the road, we made it onto the busy street of Jl. Batu Bolong. At lunch hour, it was crawling with hungry tourists. We parked at all the way at Old Man’s (2k), and set off on foot towards the crowd. The street was lined with shops after shops, cafes after cafes, restaurants after restaurants. We stopped by a rather unique pop-up thrift shop, mimicking a middle eastern sort-of flea market. There were carts everywhere, displaying things from silver earrings and gemstone bracelets, to Cuban-collar floral shirts (which is a huge trend nowadays by the way), and assorted rattan handbags. Brilliant. We then took a recess at Monsieur Spoon for Captain Slowly decided a cake was justifiable for the occasion. Not for me.
Just across the street was Deus Temple, a cafe slash motorcycle workshop run by the famous Deus Ex Machina. We merely entered their shop for some sightseeing, shocked that the shop extended far towards the back, with a small art gallery sandwiched between it and an outdoor seating area. On their grounds, a small barbershop stood, which was run by a Mr. Dorsey, and towards the very back of the area was their workshop. A peak on the window told me it was also a garage for their many custom hand-made motorcycles. I’ve always had a thing for customs.
After walking back to Old Man’s, we stopped at the beach to enjoy the beautiful waves, while also finishing the cakwe we bought earlier in the morning. We left Old Man’s at 2 with no plan devised, took to the roads, and ended up where? Alter Ego.
We had our coffee there (27k), and went back on the roads at 4. (Read about my Alter Ego experience here.)
SUBTOTAL: 39k
We took the the scenic route, passing by rice fields through bumpy roads. After some time on the road (and a gas-filling session), Matthew disappeared. Through a quick call, he told us that he had missed our turn on the gas station and found himself lost at Pantai Munggu. Crikey. We went after him. After the brief assembly, we left off and coincidentally found a satay stand on an intersection. Having visited Canggu many times in the past, this spot was my family’s favorite. Needless to say, we stopped by, and indulged with the delicious treat. The meal was 15k, and soon we set off once more.
SUBTOTAL: 54k
Canggu was notorious for it’s spectacular sunsets, so naturally we were looking for a place to see one. Still wandering aimlessly, we found ourselves arriving at Pantai Berawa, where the infamous Finn’s Beach Club stood. Since everything in it costed an arm and a leg, we ditched the idea of entering altogether. Instead, we wandered into the beach, which of course had a free entry. We made ourselves comfortable on the sand, and waited patiently for the sun to set. At exactly 6.15, I took that shot. Not the prettiest considering the cloudy setting, let’s just say that Canggu had seen better days. At 6.30, we set off for Denpasar.
Pasar Kreneng was as crowded as it gets. It was jam-packed with people and vehicles, making even walking challenging. Your goal was not to get hit. But wait. Why were we even there?
So a fellow culinary enthusiast I met at a local Denpasar coffee shop at had recommended the street food at Kreneng. I remembered taking notes on my phone, but it was there as “soto sapi kreneng” and “sate kambing kreneng”. This was a problem, because there were at least 3 different soto sapi stalls and another 3 different sate kambing stalls. Confused, I contacted Vivi. I thank heavens that she responded quickly, to which she also gave detailed descriptions of where to find each one. Fantastic. First stop, Warung Bu Dewi.
The place was simple, very “streetlike”. You’d have to come up to the kitchen to order, as with other street stalls. It didn’t take 5 minutes for our bowls of soto to arrive, which came with a plate of white rice (18k without drinks).
SUBTOTAL: 72k
Their soto had bakso in it, which was unusual. The broth was light, yet each spoonful contained a ton of flavor. The beef was tender, the bakso was meaty. The fragrant white rice complemented the soup wonderfully and made a hearty meal. But even after downing the soup to its last drop, we knew there was still enough room for something…
Sate kambing.
The sate kambing stall was relatively harder to find, for it was located in the dead center of the crowd. Nevertheless, we found it, made our orders, and seated ourselves. This time, it didn’t even take 3 minutes. The plate of charred goodness lay before us, in all of it’s gloriousness (25k).
The lamb was perfectly charred on the outside, yet super tender on the inside. Some juicy bits of lamb fat were skewered along with the meat, intensifying the flavors. The satay was served with sweet soy and peanut sauce, and chili sauce to your own liking. Naturally, I added tons of chili. Add a squeeze of lime to the mix, and you have the perfect condiment to lamb skewers. I devoured the entire plate within minutes.
Sadly, Kreneng was where we ended the day’s adventure. It was a roller coaster ride, almost quite literally. In total, we spent exactly 97k for the entirety of the day — making one fantastic low-cost adventure, and a great pilot episode.
Total spent: IDR 97k
