Bali - Ibu Oka

24th October 2008 - 11:00 (Friday)

Did i ever mention that i have a focus issue..... whether it's tasks on hand or using a camera.... i have a knack of... losing focus. Yes, i know i am right in the midst of blogging all the wonderful food we had in Japan but i need to break away from all that and blog about food we had in Bali 6 months ago....

Over the weekend i was at home mucking around, surfing the net aimlessly and kaypoing friends' Facebooks when i saw that my uncle Andrew was about to leave for his vacation in Bali. He was asking for recommendations on food on his FB when it suddenly dawned on me that i never got around to blogging some of the most awesome meals i have had in Bali.

Proceeded to dig out the photos from the memory cards and finally.... presenting.... my most memorable meal ever costing less than S$5..... Ibu Oka!



This eatery was a recommendation by Anthony Bourdain and what made me decide to give this a try was when i saw how his face light up when he took his first bite. The pure pleasure that he experienced was instantly recognisable.

Ibu Oka is this warung that is located in Ubud, Bali. It's so famous you just have to tell any cab driver Ibu Oka and they will know instantly where to bring you. Just take a look at the menu.... there's nothing on the menu that's more than S$5! And at those prices, don't expect any luxury. The eatery is open air, has no chairs, you basically sit on the floor and eat from a low height communal table. Yes, you don't get your own table...

But you really don't need all that luxury when the food is this good. It's really only after you have finished your meal that you realise you can no longer feel your legs cos of the limited space you have to cross your leg during the whole duration of the meal.



We had the Nasi + Babi Guling Pisah (loosely translated to Pig Rice Special) and i swear we had that same expression that Anthony Bourdain had when we took our first bite... It was so so so so gooood! The special comes with 2 pieces of really crispy pig skin, a few pieces of fatty pork meat, a few pieces of lean pork meat, some pork intestines and a heap of specially prepared vegetable that would make a mean man cry.



It was so good i licked up every single bit on my plate! I'm lost for words on how good this really is. If you ever make a trip to Ubud in Bali, this is a DIE DIE MUST TRY.....

Ibu Oka
Jalan Tegal Sari No 2 Ubud
Tel: +62 361 976 345