One day in Ubud ~ Dara Ayu Villas, Ibu Oka Babi Guling & Nasi Ayam Ibu Mangku

Ibu Oka 3 Babi Guling

Babi Guling, or suckling pig, is said to be one of the most famous food in Ubud, Bali. We decided to try the one at Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka 3, which is one of the famed babi guling restaurants in Ubud. There is more than 1 branch for Ibu Oka according to our guide, and Ibu Oka 3 is supposedly the residences of the owners. 

Address: Jalan Suweta/Tegal Sari No. 2, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

You can choose the special set which comes with more meat (shown in cover photo) and a soup, or the normal dish with everything in a plate. The dish includes a piece of crackling, pork, vegetables, blood sausages and innards. The crackling (crispy skin of the pig) was much thicker than the normal crackling you find in Chinese restaurants selling roasted suckling pig, or 烤乳豬, to the extent that I felt that it was a bit too hard. Though the dish was tasty, I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected. We had a special set, a normal dish, and 2 drinks for IDR 83,750 (S$9).

Soup

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Dara Ayu Villas

Address: Jalan Raya Buahan No. 88X Majangan Payangan, Ubud, Bali

One of the places we wanted to take our prewedding photos at. Thankfully the fields were green and not so muddy in early July. We booked a two room villa, and the rooms were out of my expectations. I had expected a gate to the villas and normal indoor toilets, but the design of the villas was so close to nature. There were no gates to the villas, and my room had an outdoor toilet overlooking the paddy fields. The bath was also right under the trees! Although I consider myself the more adventurous type, the toilet was too much of an open concept to me. The weather was also cooler among the hills so there was no urge to have a swim.

Reception area

Path to the villas

Stairs to our villa

Our tiny pool

Room interior

Outdoor shower

View from the balcony & shower

Room key

The villa is pitch black at night, so the torchlight will come in handy.

We took a walk around the villa compound, and had our welcome drinks (ginger tea) and snacks (some fried kueh) at the dining area.

View from the dining area

Infinity pools

Room facing the infinity pools area

Indoors dining area

Main building with the kitchen, dining areas and rooms overlooking the fields and infinity pools

As we walk along the paddy fields, we found the gym and spa building. This building seems to be under-utilised.

The drive to the villas from the town area takes about 30 minutes through winding roads, so your choice is either to order from the villa kitchen, or buy cup noodles from the supermarket, unless your driver is around to fetch you to and fro. We ordered our dinner in advance as we heard that the kitchen takes some time to prepare the food.

Fried rice with satay - Can't go too wrong with this dish in Bali. The satay is unlike the ones you find in Singapore. This has less meat stuck onto something like sugarcane. The meat is minced and is really tasty! 

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Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku

Address: Jalan Kayu Jati No.12, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Recommended by our driver, the food here was delicious!! There's only 2 options - Chicken and rice (Nasi Campur Ayam), served in one plate or separate. We ordered for 5 pax (Chicken and rice & 2 coconuts) for about 105,000 IDR (S$11.30).  

Restaurant interior

 

We sat outside in the gazebo and although it was a bit hot during noon, I was too engrossed with the food to take notice of the heat.

The dish was simple - Chicken, vegetables, satay and peanuts

Soup

I can't really take spicy food but I finished at least half of the super spicy chilli because it was that good!! 

And fresh coconut water to cool you down from the heat and spices.

Ubud remains on our bucket list since we didn't get the chance to explore much of it. It was our first time to Bali, but definitely not our last, as we loved the place so much!