Balinese Cuisine (Part 2)

 If you happen to visit Serangan Beach in Denpasar, Bali, here's a cuisine suggestion. You can tour an unused boat that has been transformed into a restaurant and is tied to a mangrove beach.

We ordered nila nyat nyat. It is a type of cooked fish served with a spicy soup on top. Veggies are also served with the main courses.

Nila nyat nyat is a culinary menu from Kintamani, a district in northern Bali. However, because the cooking process can be done anywhere, it can be found on the southern part of the island.

Nyat is a Balinese word that means "less." The term nyat nyat refers to the process of decreasing the concentration of water in the fish while it cooks. The cooking method is unique to Bali and can be used in other protein-based cuisines.

Bali has another distinct culinary technique: betutu. Betutu combines the procedures of boiling and grilling.

I tried a different kind of ayam betutu in Gilimanuk. The broth is more watery than the one I tried a few days earlier in Badung.

The spice is also hotter in the Ayam Betutu Men Tempeh. The eatery also serves a lot of fried nuts. I ate the rest as a snack during the drive across the Bali Strait and then left the island.  []

Balinese Cuisine (Part 1)

 Ayam Betutu is the beginning and the end of this story. It's a type of food that visitors to Bali simply must taste. 

In Gilimanuk and Badung, I had two tastes of them. Aside from Ayam Betutu, during those five days, I also enjoyed a variety of Balinese dishes.

Late August was a scorching month. I arrived with my team at noon, which was ideal for our first schedule item: lunch. We were taken to Ayam Betutu Khas Gilimanuk by our tour guide.

Situated approximately 2 km from I Gusti Ngurah Rai airport, the eatery presents a unique cuisine featuring chicken dishes. There will be four platters brought to you. Each plate has rice, fried nuts, spinach with a fresh sauce, and steamed chicken with broth.

A few hours later, I walked around two km from Legian Street to Kuta Highway. It was only my decision to add a sporting touch to the afternoon. You can drive or ride a bike, but getting stuck in traffic can cost you more than  you want to spend on dinner at Nasi Tempong Indra.

That was packed.  Fortunately, there was a long, solid table that could seat six people. However, our wait for the serving of our menu was rather lengthy.

We all placed an order for "Nasi Tempong Ayam Pedas," or spicy tempong chicken-rice. After I finished the rice, fried chicken, stewed eggplant and veggies. A sauce which is offered separately made my lips felt bold.

I'll tell you another gastronomic experience in the next post, one that comes from Buleleng as well as Gilimanuk, as I had promised. Stay hungry! []

Totok

 I went to Bali a few months ago. I had a very knowledgeable driver accompany me for several days. He goes by Totok.

I sat next to him and we had a music guessing game. It's interesting to note that certain songs relate to his experiences in life.

If we don't listen to Bali's indie grunge band, Navicula, our trip won't be complete. Through the car's speakers, "Saat Semua Semakin Cepat, Bali Berani Berhenti" was played.

Totok informed me about the band's vocalist, Robi. The grunge guy is now a farmer as well as a musician. A coffee plantation belongs to Robi. It must have felt alive when Robi performed a song about a coffee farm for the 2015 film Filosofi Kopi's original soundtrack.

At an intersection Totok proceeded to play Metropolutan, another song from Navicula. The title makes sense in light of his background.

In 2006, the man moved out of the "metropolutan" existence in Bekasi, West Java. He began his career on the island of God, in order to experience the tranquility.

In Bali, Totok supports himself by working as a tour guide while living with his hobby of riding on a motorcycle. One of his three Honda RX Kings was recently used to visit Lombok Island.

"100 km/h." I mention the title of a song. However, it turns out that I was referring to the incorrect song. It was The Brandals' Lingkar Labirin.

The Brandals, a self titled album published in 2003, featured both of these tracks. It was through a compilation album that Sony BMG Music Entertainment issued that I became acquainted with Lingkar Labirin.

I remember the tape so well that I am aware of a few significant bands from it. Superman Is Dead, Rocket Rockers, Purgatory, and The Brandals were some of the big names that participated in the album.

"Sampeyan referensinya banyak," Totok made me feel good even though I didn't win this song-guessing game. He said us farewell for the day with a promising "sampai jumpa di album berikutnya" in his Klaten accent. []