Indonesian Immersion: Porkage and Monkey Forest in Bali (Babi Guling Ibu Oka & Naughty Nuris Warung)

The moment we had all been waiting for since our landing in Dempasar airport was finally here: Balinese Suckling Pig (Babi Guling) at Ibu Oka.



Made famous by its its full segment feature on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations episode on Indonesia, he actually dubbed this "the best pork he's ever had" in his life. Quite the claim coming from the rude, critical and accomplished character of Bourdain...I had to taste it for myself.

The establishment was fairly cracking with tourists and locals alike. Getting a table here is an utmost test of your assertiveness, there is no one to show you to your table but instead, you and your level of willingness to stand close to an emptying table, closer than another eager patron at least.




Babi Guling (Indonesian style Suckling Pig) is a unique contender in the world of suckling swines. It is stuffed with a fine balance of Balinese spices and veggies then rotated over a controlled fire where it is continuously brushed with nature's natural glaze: Coconut water (naturally high in fructose means naturally high in glorious rind caramelization).


so juicy

Its served with a couple of pieces of blood sausage and other anonymous fried pig parts, and BEST served with a super chilled big bottle of Bir Bin Tang, Indonesia's tasty national Pilsner that is as universally available here as a bottle of coke in the states.



After this, Fiona's brother Steven murmured that he also knew of a 'good rib place'...if we were interested. Sooner than we knew it, we were in the car and on our way--

But it was not after we strolled around and "exercised" first of course, what better place to do that in than the local Monkey Forest!


He actually reminded me of how I eat a banana

A little less than an hour after the Babi Guling and we were at Naughty Nuris Warung, a well known Western style BBQ but still signature Indonesian all the way. The menu ranged from tuna melts to curry but that's not what every single patron was gnawing away at, at their table...



Being an equal opportunity protein man, I instead veered towards their New Zealand Lamb Chops, lamb-y in the least, more succulent than anything thanks to that illustrious bbq sauce which hinted of lots of Kecap Manis, a soy sauce with a really sweet tinge, a staple all around the islands here.


Oh yeah...

Indonesian Immersion: Pre-Porkage Snacking in Bali

Mosquitoes in Surabaya are fiendish little bastards, greedy in their foreign foodblogger preferred blood thirst and not stopping until you stop them. My sleep deprivation was to continue for the third day in a row as sooner than I knew it...the Surabaya sun was rising and it was time for us to jet.


To Bali, it was yet another short flight, less than a sleep deprived hour. As if my excitement was going to let me catch any Zzzz's anyway...I still couldn't believe I was going to freaking Bali!.

The morning was barely breaking in as we smoothly landed, our driver on hire had arrived kept punctuality.

At first, I was mesmerized by the sheer prevalence of people on motorbikes. For every one car there must had been at least fifteen bikes meandering their ways through the traffic stop-and-go formed smoggy labyrinths, dangerously close to the courteous but compulsive driving of cars that went to and fro everywhere.

Never thought that 100cc light-frame pushbikes were able to serve as family vehicles but guess I was wrong. I saw as many as a family of four to a simple nuclear family of three, all riding along nonchalantly.


don't worry, the baby...has a helmet

First things first, a pit stop for snackage was due before the driven scenic tour (since the suckling pig place wasn't open yet).


Nori Seaweed flavored Lay's for breakfast. Crisp and briny, mmmmmmm....

Nothing though, had prepared me for the breathtaking sensory overload I was about to behold:


Rice Paddy Terraces made me treasure every single grain of rice I ate on this trip (and that's a lot).


The traveling photo genius Mattatouille also having a field day with the scenery.

Some more pre-pork snacks was to be had at one of the many local spice and produce shops along the curvy roads.




Passionfruit, Salak, Mangosteens, Mangoes


Salak or 'snake fruit' as it is also called is up there with the unique exotic, hard-shelled spectrum of fruit. A look and feel like monstrously enlarged garlic cloves with a hard, sweet crisp. For me, a flavor reminiscent of sweetened vitamins with kiwi essences.


Exuberant Passionfruit with its alien-baby like flesh and seeds.


A Fresh Fucken Pineapple!: I never really thought about where they grew from...


Cacao trees were were also usual around these areas

And last but not least....Kopi Luwak.



This coffee achieves a particularly murky nuttiness and deep flavor due to its fecal, pre-digested sourcing: the precious droppings of the Musang Luwak.





Actually preferred it over the normal non-pooped ground Kope Bali coffee...yup, I just said that.

Next...porkage.