I have always wanted to go to Uluwatu but so often, distractions find its way on my plans: Nusa Penida for their rugged coastline, Seminyak for the ease of a family holiday and Ubud simply because a friend had always romanticised it. It has everything I would want on a tropical island: the beach, good food and dramatic cliffs. In a way, going to Uluwatu was a long-fulfilled dream.
WARUNG LOCAL
When I was young, my aunt would always buy me the most delicious chicken wing deep fried until golden. The ones with little to no batter and marinated in spices I do not know the names of. It would be the same lunch every day when she was taking care of me on days my mother was working. Since then, it has been hard to find something similar or even close. I had given up all hope so it was surprising for me to find exactly what I have been looking for at Warung Local. Eating there was not by chance but finding the fried chicken hidden somewhere at the back of the display was. I would have missed it if Roy had not pointed it out to me. Until today, it is still the closest rendition of my childhood snack after school.
TEJA
Uluwatu has a magical way of painting the sunset. So we felt it would be a disservice not to arrive early at Teja just to admire the change of colours, even if it meant cutting short a lazy day at the beach. As one would expect in a region inhabited by mostly foreigners, the food was Australian with a tinge of Indonesian, which can be easily forgiven for its view and masterful grill with that heady mix of charcoal and salt.
BLUE TERRACE
If I could choose a place to sit and idle in Uluwatu, it would be the Blue Terrace. You can easily steal away from the energetic scene of scooters and overflowing sun beds to linger for an one hour or two with a coffee while searching beyond the blue for surfers playing the waves. This would be especially pleasant when the lunchtime crowd has gone and you have an afternoon to lose to such an utterly captivating view.
KARMA BEACH
My dream of a beach holiday is a sunbed in a somewhat secluded cove which belongs to us and a handful of others. The view from the cliff, it would be perfect as it carries the scent of the ocean. This is the kind of place that calls for unfussy food made for the hands: burgers, pizza or crab rolls. An old couple behind us has just ordered a bottle of champagne, a kind of celebratory toast to a day wrapped in sunlit gold. I would always pick ice cream; the irresistible lure of something creamy and cold never fails to elude me. Roy would have settled for a Gin & Tonic without the headache. The time of the day would come when the water would recede, revealing the reef where little fishes find their sanctuary. At this golden hour, we would be on a paddle board searching for these fleeting creatures. This we would stretch out as if our dinner reservation could wait just a little longer.
MANA
The evening began with a hotel incident, which involved not one but two changes of rooms because of a broken air conditioner. By then, we were not sure if we were in the mood for anything at all. But once we reached Mana, somehow all the frustration melted away. It could have been the guitar music that could soothe even a windstorm or the ethereal moonlight luminous on the boats out at sea. There was just something about Mana that put us at ease. Inviting as the ambience was, the food outdid it with an unmistakably Balinese soul. We went twice for the fish grilled with pineapple sambal and North Sumatran curry. The hotel was a regrettable accident, but the restaurant thankfully was not.
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