The babi guling (spit-roasted pig) of Ibu Oka Warung is world-famous. You cannot imagine how crowded this humble eating place is!
We ordered the special meal (Rp 25,000, S$3.60, US$2.80) in order to get a bit of everything. The hard (instead of crispy) roast pork is served with rice, offal, blood sausage (yucks) and spiced vegetables.
Despite the rave reviews I received about this eatery, the meal was nothing to shout about. There is better crispy roast pork served in some Singapore restaurants.
A worker slicing and cutting the roasted pig.
Staff busily preparing endless servings of babi guiling for hungry diners.
This world famous eatery looks inconspicuous, and hygiene is sorely lacking but that doesn't deter a steady stream of diners the moment it opens for business. :P
There are tables and chairs but many choose to sit on the floor at low tables inside the bale (pavilion). Since space is limited, people just plonked themselves down wherever there is available seat. This is like an Asian fastfood joint, diners just eat and go within 15 minutes. I presume the owner is laughing all the way to the bank daily. :P
Babi Guling is a very popular dish for Balinese as well as tourists. It can be found almost everywhere. Try it at popular eateries.
Ibu Oka Warung Babi Guling
Jl Suweta
11 AM-3 PM daily
Wordless WednesdayFirst Commenter -
Wow...to sit inside the bale seems to cool! :D
ReplyDeleteI was there last week..during my Bali trip. I didn't taste the pork since I don't eat them. But my sis did and it was the last plate served that day. The food's sold from 11am up to 3pm daily.
ReplyDeleteInteresting dish. Sometimes it is not the taste of the food that makes it win raving reviews. It is often about who are the people who eat and rave about the food. ;)
ReplyDeleteroast pork is always a big seller. sorry you didn't enjoy the blood sausage. i had a blood sausage sandwich for the first time in madrid and it was good.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a very busy place. The food looks yummy, except for the blood sausage, lol.
ReplyDeleteMy entries:
Moms... Check Nyo
Yummy-as-can-be
i think everyone that goes to Bali will surely visit this place! :D
ReplyDeleteI have not tried before this dish. I will also try the special meal just to try what is so special about this popular store.
ReplyDeleteYou are daring to try, good for you! If the place is usually packed with locals and I am the only foreigners, I will be hesitant to go it like the many local eateries I visited in Asia. Many reasons such as I do not know how to order the meal, do not know their language, do not want to draw too much attention and usually for some hygiene reasons as well. The hygiene factors is getting more important as I grow older. In the past, I would gabble anything even along dirty lanes and drains. Now I am more choosy.
Another one more dish of babi guling to try when I next visit Bali. Never mind about that lack of hygiene thing. Haha..
ReplyDeleteI wish I could fly in there now. :)
ReplyDeleteTekkaus,
ReplyDeleteYes, but hard to get a seat. There's a long queue.
Hi Mei Teng.
ReplyDeleteYou were in Bali too? Got to see your posts. :)
The babi guling is nothing to shout about, you didn't miss anything. :P
oceanskies,
ReplyDeleteDifferent people have different tastes. One man's meat is another man's poison.
I would usually try a recommended dish or place myself to see if it is really that good. Half of the time, I like what is recommended. :D
ewok 1993,
ReplyDeleteI don't eat blood sausage because (1) of a religious belief;
"One is not to eat or drink another living thing's blood or else you will not be incarnated."
(2) cannot stand the smell and taste of blood.
Liz,
ReplyDeleteIt is a very busy place. One has to eat quickly and get out of there because you cannot stand the sight of having strangers behind you, waiting for you to vacate your seat. :D
Monica,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like all the tourists who visit Ubud were there. :D
Michael,
ReplyDeleteIt's always good to try/ experience the culture of another country and its people.
Usually in tourist areas, the menu will consist of photos of the dishes and a translation or a brief summary of the ingredients and how the dish is done. Or you can see what most diners are ordering and then point to one and say, "That one". :P
I am very careful of the hygiene aspect of an eatery. I cannot afford to be sick on a trip.
stanley,
ReplyDeleteI have another Balinese babi guling restaurant which my student and I visited. The dish tastes better. I'll give you the address if you want, it's a bit out of the way. It's where the locals eat. haha...
Indrani,
ReplyDeletePlan for a Bali trip. There are lots of scenic views to shoot!
Blood sausages? Eeee.......don't think I wanna try.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't like it? I like it! And will surely go there again if I visit Bali!
ReplyDeleteI love Balinese spices so babi guling is a must whenever I'm in Bali but never bother to go all the way to Ibu Oka. Went there once years ago and that's enough. Yes, nothing to shout about.
ReplyDeleteI found one in Kuta and one near airport in Tuban that serve better babi guling ala Bali.
LOL @ the owner is laughing all the way to the bank daily - thanks to Bourdain, tourists are flocking there everyday ;)
the food definitely looks delish, I can't contest why it's such a hit there
ReplyDelete