Babi Guling - the
two-worded dish synonymous with Bali and one that I specifically
sought for on my recent trip. Many had spoken of the epic one at Ubud but as
fate had its way of toying with the human's heart; I didn't manage to step into
the local market at Ubud.
There's no way I
am going to return to Singapore without a taste of the Balinese dish and a
search on google map revealed a few stalls located within a 20-minute walking
distance from Grand Istana Rama hotel.
The closest, Men
Gede, was already closed and we had no other choice but to walk another 13
minutes to Warung Babi Guling Bu Dayu along Jalan Raya Kuta.
Don't you just
love technology? The direction given was pretty straight forward and we managed
to find the eatery in no time. Nevertheless, do note that the directions may not
always be accurate, as I experienced on my last night in Bali.
The whole place
was filled with hungry diners! Now, Warung Babi Guling Bu Dayu is your typical
non-air-conditioned street stall by the roadside and this can be off-putting for
people who tend to feel that food served in such environment is less
hygienic.
Some of our
travel mates decided to find an alternative venue for dinner and I was keen to
join them as my stomach tends to be weaker outside of Singapore! However, the
stubborn ass in me said I die-die must have my babi guling!
Faced with the
language barrier, the five of us were limited in our food choices and the
easiest for us was to point at the top picture with the words "nasi babi
guling". Coming from Singapore, I am fully aware that nasi equates
rice.
Like mixed
vegetable rice, I can help myself by pointing to the dish I prefer to have. Not
exactly an advantage as I am more for the authentic experience and having a
"ready" option would likely be more beneficial for a tourist.
Seats were found
(we had to separate into two tables) and a bowl of soup was given; I quite
enjoyed it for its appetizing spiciness that made me hungrier for this super
late dinner at almost 9 pm.
Serving was not
much even though there were quite a number of ingredients; some of which I
didn't know the name of. I can tick off a few; the piece of crispy pork skin and
the stick of pork satay.
To be honest, the
babi guling (roasted pork skin) was just a small piece and though cackling
crispy, it just couldn't be compared to our local Singapore-style suckling pig
which had a sweeter marination. Satay was also not the fatty, juicy type we have
and aside from using tougher, lean meat, it was also hell
spicy!
I was way more
impressed with this braised pork-belly lookalike which was damn tender.
Nevertheless, you must mix everything up in order to appreciate the myriad
flavors that came with each spoonful into your mouth.
A pity that a few
in our group didn't take very kindly to spicy food; Alex being one of them and
they totally gave up when the spiciness kicked in fast and hard! I would have
loved to take over; if not for the fact that I am way over my carbohydrate
limit!
Since many things
were diced and sliced, I couldn't quite identify what they originally were.
There could be offals, which are quite common in Southeast Asia and the
pork-belly lookalike stuff I mentioned earlier seemed to be pork
trotters!
And you know the
pork skin? It could come from any part of the poor pig on the counter? This was
taken after my meal and I was aghast to see the lady chef peeled off the entire
face!
Shocking no less,
I was shocked beyond words although I didn't proceed to purge what I ingested.
To me, what's done is done; my life has to go on. And I had to admit that in
all, it was still a good meal.
=====
Location
Jalan
Raya Kuta No. 5, Kuta,
Kabupaten
Badung, Bali 80361,
Indonesia
Map
from Grand Istana Rama Hotel
As
above; about 18-minute walk.
Pricing
Nasi
Babi Guling - 35,000 Rupiahs.
For
my short 4 days, 3 nights' itinerary to Bali, please
click here.
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