Day 1 in Bali: Dinner @ Made's Warung

It was raining on our first day in Bali for our 4-day trip but that didn't stop us from enjoying our first night there.  After a very long travelling day (including getting up in ungodly hours to catch a super early flight), we finally reached Jas' beautiful villa in Umalas.  Once we were done being amazed at how big her place was and how luxurious the house was (with an open kitchen and a swimming pool), we laid around her house being bored as we waited for her to come back from work for about an hour (literally doing nothing).  Finally Jas came back a little after 6:30 p.m. and it's time for some good food! 

Jas initially wanted to bring us to Ku De Ta, her favourite restaurant in Bali.  Having lived in Bali for almost 6 months, Jas spoke like a true expert of the where-to-go's and what-to-do's locally and we thought most of her recommendations and comments were heartfelt and sincere.   But since we have booked Made's Warung, we would like to go there as none of us have been there before.  Warung is a type of small family-owned restaurant in Indonesia. 

We were driven there by Jas' driver and Made's Warung, located just in Seminyak, was a big open-air restaurant with two sides and a bar in the middle.  There was also a stage where they performed some sort of Balinese dance every 15 minutes.  The environment was comfortable and casual with a lot of woods and naturalistic decoration.  When we arrived, we could see some tourists dining there already.  D commented how he liked the restaurants that needed no reservations.  Because of the rain, it was actually quite cool to sit in the open-air space.  The menu offered a variety of international dishes, including Balinese, Indonesian, American and Japanese.  Since we were here on vacation, Balinese and Indonesian dishes were our obvious choice. Dinner was priced at around HK$100 to $150 per person. 

(1) The Beef Rendang (HK$100) was the first dish that D specifically requested as it was his favourite Indonesian dish.  The dish almost never disappoints and the beef was incredibly tender and juicy, and the sauce was also deliciously cooked. 

(2) The Nasi Campur Babi Guling (HK$80) was the well-known suckling pig dish in Indonesia.  Despite the pig skin was ultra hard and not easy to chew, the meat was delightfully soft, moreish and tangy!  C was definitely wowed by the dish even though it was a bit spicy and the waitress said the chefs couldn't reduce the spiciness. 

(3) When the Nasi Goreng (HK$40) first arrived, it did not excite us visually but it was utterly indulgent and certainly one of the best dishes that evening!  The Nasi, the rice, was kept very warm and soft with a suitable amount of seasoning which made this extra decadent!

(4) The Green Curry with Tofu Jas ordered was simple but also tasty - it was light but spicy.  The ingredients were fresh and the sauce was perfectly adjusted. 

Overall remarks:  When we speak of our favourite restaurants in Bali, Made's Warung is certainly one to be mentioned.   There's plenty of magic and heart to be found at its dishes, in spite of a slight down-to-earth quality of the restaurant--at the end of the day, it is still a Warung.  Made's Warung is wonderful as it is providing us with a satisfying amount of authentic Indonesian flavours to begin our joyous journey.  

Food: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Ambience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Service: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

INFO

Made's Warung (website)
Br. Seminyak, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Telephone: 62 361 732130