Asia Archives - BURNESSIE TRAVELS

A Week in Goa

I’ve wanted to go to India for a very, very long time. In my head I’ve always thought I’d go for an extended trip, a few months or so – the country is so vast and there’s an unbelievable amount to see, so I never really considered a holiday there, assuming I’d need longer to satisfy any sort of craving. That said, sometime last year I was musing on the idea of going to Goa to do a smaller, more manageable chunk of India using my annual leave, to get a taste of the place. Imagine my delight when a potted palm with an incense stick shoved in its soil landed on to my doorstep, inviting me to celebrate my friends Hannah and Adam’s wedding in Goa.

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Gili Islands Travel Guide

Dark blue waters fade into turquoise up to the white beaches of the Gilis of Lombok, Indonesia. Made up of Gili Trawangan (or just ‘Gili T’ for ease), Gili Meno and Gili Air, these islands are the perfect combination of the different styles of island life to be experienced in a short space of time. Or, as many do, for much longer than you intended (I have a fair few mates who rocked up for two days and never left).

With stunning sunsets, no cars and dive shops every five metres, the Gilis is not a destination to be missed. Gili T, the biggest of the three islands, leads the way with raucous nightlife (make sure you try a Vodka Joss – I take no responsibility for your heart rate afterwards, proceed with caution) and this combined with the great diving and lazy way of life means that this is the island I have spent most of my time on. If you’re looking for a quieter time or want to island hop between them all, Meno and Air are a mere 10 and 20 minutes or so by boat respectively.

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Asia Bali Food From Travels Indonesia Ubud

Kafe

Kafe and The Garden Kafe alike are a part of the extremely successful and pretty famous Yoga Barn in Ubud. Offering a wide range of different yoga classes every day from early until late in this sleepy town, The Yoga Barn has many loyal customers and as a result their café outposts get pretty busy. Kafe is further toward the centre of Ubud on Jalan Hanoman, whilst The Garden Kafe overlooks The Yoga Barn studios within grounds of tall banana trees and even taller coconut palms in a mass of green. Set far back off the road, the latter is a peaceful place, away from the sound of scooters hooting. The staff are friendly and attentive, and as you may have guessed by now, the food is seriously healthy. Mostly vegetarian with an extensive vegan and raw menu, Kafe caters excellently to the health conscious yogi crowd.

Whilst you couldn’t pay me to turn vegan, the few times I did grab food here during my time in Ubud left me impressed with the quality and freshness of ingredients, and I enjoyed knowing I was eating something truly healthy to go with my side of yoga class. And frankly it made me feel like I’d really earnt my evening Bintangs.

The wide range of different meals on the menu is impressive for a mostly vegetarian and vegan café, as well as inventive. There are a huge amount of breakfasts and mains to choose from, not to mention a large list of salads and raw desserts. The grilled veggie and feta salad I had at Garden Kafe one day was delicious and pretty sizeable at that. Kafe and the smaller outpost at The Yoga Barn do have slightly different menus, and the former is slightly more expensive. Kafe serves dinner in the evening whilst Garden Kafe closes at 6pm.

The juice menu is extensive and there’s no alcohol served, so forget it if you’re after a cold Bintang with your lunch. Kafe’s juices (18,000 – 30,000 IDR) are highly popular of course (because this is Ubud); each juice designed to help your body in some way by aiding digestion, energizing, detoxifying – I could go on. My personal favourite was the Energy Drink: pineapple, apple, ginger and cucumber blended together, and I actually liked it so much I would go to Kafe simply for it, which I’d consider a pretty strong accolade from a staunchly non vegetarian patron. These two hangouts are the perfect healthy option to help you immerse yourself in all things Ubud.

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Asia Food From Travels Gili Islands Indonesia Lombok

Scallywags

The first time I ever went to Scallywags I had to take myself off to bed at 9.30pm after having eaten myself into such an uncomfortable state that I couldn’t do anything other than lie horizontal and rub my tummy. And I mean that in the best possible way: I couldn’t get enough of the food. Never tell a hungry backpacker that a buffet is All You Can Eat.

Along with my friends Hannah and Adam, I had spied Scallywags on Gili T due to its beautiful décor – all rustic wood features, blackboard menus and candle lit lanterns overlooking the sea. Heading back from beers over on the Sunset side one evening, we were further lured in by the piles of fresh fish and meat set up for the evening’s BBQ. We’re already picking what we want, but it’s out of our price range and we know it. I say ‘out of our price range’ – it’s literally around £6 for a meal with a beer, but when you’re backpacking your relativities change. Sometimes you just have to treat yourself though, so in we go, and I haven’t looked back since. Scallywags is one of my favourite restaurants in the world, and I always go back without fail when on the Gilis.

The quality of food here is excellent, and really, the value for money is great too, even if it’s not quite backpacker budget. The staff are friendly and efficient, the menu is large, the setting is idyllic and as a result, Scallywags is busy every night. Should you choose the BBQ, you simply choose your fare (the steak is excellent, as is the tuna – and they know how to cook to specification here – my tuna steak is always as rare as I like it) and grab a plate to pile high with the salad buffet that comes included in the price, plus a jacket potato or rice. Learn from my mistakes and mind not to over eat though – you don’t want to miss the fun Gili T is famous for later in the night.

The a la carte menu is just as delicious (I’m told the butterfish is off the charts), and the tapas dishes they offer are perfect for lunchtime. The menu ranges from salads and sandwiches to pies, lamb shanks, steak, local Indonesian specialities and of course – fresh fish dishes. Scallywags has an extensive range of international wines starting from 350,000 IDR for a bottle (or 80,000 – 95,000 IDR per glass), as well as being one of the only places on the island that serve pints of Guinness.

My last visit to Scallywags was for a boozy lunch on my birthday this year, where my friend and I shared a huge sharing platter (140,000 IDR) which included their excellent salt and pepper calamari and chorizo with aioli dip, as well as the seared tuna tataki and rocket salad with ginger, soy and wasabi dressing (85,000 IDR) and a side of creamy mash potato, because it was my birthday and mash potato is probably my favourite food in the world. Once again defeated on stomach space, I’ve never made it to dessert, but the blueberry ice cream (20,000 IDR per scoop) I used to get from the Scallywags outpost on Gili Air holds a special place in my heart.

Scallywags has long been my number one recommendation for dinner on Gili Trawangan, and even with serious competition cropping up all the time as the island develops, it’s still my favourite place for fresh seafood BBQ. Oh also, if you’ve got a bit of money to spend, you can even stay at Scallywags, both on Gili T and Gili Air. But don’t tell me if you do as I’ll be eternally jealous, okay?

Scallywags Resort, South Beach, Gili Trawangan, Nusa Tenggara Bar. 83352, Indonesia
+62 370 6145301

Also at: Scallywags Beach Club, Gili Air

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Asia Bali Food From Travels Indonesia Ubud

Atman Kafe

Salivating. That’s the first thing that happens when my avocado and feta on ciabatta is placed in front of me. Two slices of thick ciabatta toasted perfectly and piled precariously high with chopped up ripe avocado and big chunks of crumbly feta. The kind of bruschetta that falls apart as soon as you prod it with your cutlery – messy, but excellent, because you have so much to cram into your mouth whilst carrying out a balancing act on your fork. A tomato sambal was served on the side, which added depth to the avocado and feta, though for me could have done with being a bit spicier. But then, I am a girl who will sprinkle a whole chilli on her smashed avocado for breakfast, so I’m perhaps not exactly what one would usually cater for.

The cafe has a distinctly chilled atmosphere – a hippy vibe, if you will – with plenty of backpackers and yogi expats using the free wifi and whiling away the day on rattan mats and cushions. The quality of ingredients used is clear, the standard high and the service friendly, if a little slow at times. But hey, this is Asia and you’re on Bali time.

Everything that comes out of this kitchen you wish you’d ordered. BLTs (53,000 IDR) made on freshly baked ciabatta bread from the bakery down the road. Plentiful gado gado accompanied with a big bowl of extra peanut sauce that saves you the embarrassment from having to ask for more. I suspect they got fed up of having to go back into the kitchen, hence why it is now standard. Chicken satay sprinkled with fresh chillies (45,000 IDR). Bite sized fish cakes with lime and tomato sambal. A vegan Balinese curry (57,000 IDR) that was so brilliantly balanced in flavour that I barely missed the meat, let alone realise it was (whispers)…vegan.

And THEN they do this thing were they offer you melted Belgian chocolate to be poured over what is commonly recognised as Ubud’s best gelato (shout out to the panna cotta flavour) and you say yes and then you’re fighting to fit as much of the thick chocolate with ice cream in your mouth at once and before you know it, it’s disappeared. So get at least two scoops.

Atman is a great option for a healthy breakfast, lunch or a quiet dinner and a firm favourite and frequent haunt of mine whenever I’m in Ubud, ideally situated across the street from my usual homestay. Highly recommend. And seriously – do get the chocolate smothered ice cream.

Jl. Hanoman no 38, Ubud, Bali 80571, Indonesia
+62 361 8620505

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Asia Food From Travels Gili Islands Indonesia Lombok

Kayu Cafe

Warning: food envy – high risk. This is the place to come on Gili Trawangan if you’re looking for a great salad to help counteract all the damage you’re doing with the day-long Bintangs that merge into one big haze of making friends whilst drinking in the sea, sundowners at sunset and a night of the debauchery that Gili T is famous for.

Breakfast runs all day at Kayu, which is perfect for edging off the effects of the night before with omelettes, eggs benedict, full English and pancakes alongside healthier options such as granola and oatmeal. They have drinks fully covered too, offering a vast array of coffees: hot, iced, blended, flavoured (the creme brûlée made with ice cream, caramel and vanilla was delicious); plenty of health juices made with fresh fruit; smoothies and herbal teas.

Salads are a speciality of Kayu’s, with a wide range on the menu. The halloumi and quinoa salad is excellent, made with fresh ingredients and decked out with fancy cucumber ribbons. The yoghurt mint dressing was perfectly complimentary and there was plenty of it. Its the perfect size for lunch and generous on the halloumi, which I think we can all agree is the most important thing when it comes to halloumi, or indeed cheese in general. They also do an excellent quinoa and feta salad with honey and mustard vinaigrette, amongst plenty of other options, as well as a good range of paninis and a few pasta dishes too, so there really is something for everyone here.

After you’ve made attempts to fix your body with a juice and a salad (if you haven’t opted for a strong coffee and Full English, that is), there’s a big glass cabinet full of amazing looking cakes to undo all the good work: three layer chocolate cake, brownies, banana cake, apple slices and if you are aiming to be more health conscious, raw energy balls. This is one of the only places on the island that take care to offer some of the healthier options usually found in Ubud, and the café even sells some products from some of Ubud’s more famous health cafés for the islanders.

The food at Kayu Cafe is high quality, and you do pay a little more for it, with food coming in between 55,000 – 70,000 IDR and healthy juices at 39,000 IDR. The good news is tax and service is included, unlike many places in Indonesia, so in effect you’re not paying much more than elsewhere anyway. Wifi is free and strong – when it works! (The island is well known for its regular power cuts.)Service is a little slow, but you’re on island time, and I can think of worse places to wait for my food that overlooking the waters of Gili T.

Kayu Cafe, Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Indonesia. To the left of the jetty in front of the night market as you look out to sea.
+62 (0) 878 6239308

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Asia Food From Travels Philippines

El Chupacabra

I have never met anyone who likes Manila. Oh, apart from the random American dude who had been living in my hostel for eight – EIGHT – months without working, just getting drunk and stoned every day and not really leaving the hostel…but I wouldn’t deem him the best judge.

So there I am, in a hostel in Manila, sleeping in a dorm that looks like something out of Annie, surrounded by fifty Americans on a missionary project, missing my friends and hating Manila. The only thing that is going to rectify this shit show is either getting blind drunk in the safety of the hostel or some good food. But the hostel is full of fifty Americans on missionary project, so food it is. Good food fixes everything, at least for a little while.

A quick Google and browse of some local food blogs and I’m swiftly headed in a taxi to El Chupacabra, which turns out to be a true gem in horrible, dirty Manila. This Mexican joint is well known in hip Makati City; the food is authentic and well executed, the drinks are cheap and the restaurant surges into the street as the night goes on, staff erecting little tables and chairs further into the road until cars cannot pass due to an array of furniture propping up the in-the-know locals and expats alike.

El Chupacabra attracts a friendly crowd; the locals at the two tables next to me spoke to me openly, and changed my mind on Manila for around four hours, before a couple of scary cab journeys back to my hostel planted me firmly back into the ‘I Hate Manila’ camp. Can you tell? But my time at El Chupacabra was fun. My kind neighbours invited me to sample their sisig (135 PHP), a traditional Filipino sizzling pork dish with egg that cooks as you stir it and some of their seriously spicy chicken wings (250 PHP) over a few San Miguels. The Baja California fish tacos (125 PHP) were delicious and fresh, the fish beautifully crisp on the outside and flaky on the inside. I also tried the Barbecoa de Res tacos (125 PHP) – shredded chipotle beef stew, and the grilled chicken tacos (95 PHP) and the only problem with my meal was the fact I didn’t have anyone to share all of the other tacos on the menu with. The range at El Chupacabra is excellent, including spicy goat meat (150 PHP), spicy chipotle shrimp (145 PHP) and Shawarma style chili marinated pork (95 PHP), so you could happily sit eating only tacos all night long. Should you want something different, they also serve Tex Mex style mains – burritos, nachos, rice plates and even burgers and hot dogs.

If there are more places like El Chupacabra in Manila, I want to know about them. The grunginess of this open air taqueria gradually taking over the street as the hours tick away on a humid night suits the city and in particular the neighbourhood perfectly. This place has personality and a huge following for good reason. Go early to score a table in the thick of it – by 6.30pm the place was full and there are no reservations, so you’ll have to wait with a margarita or cold beer for your name to be called or for more tables to be put out. If I ever find myself in Manila again, this is the first (and possibly the only) place I’ll go.

5782 Felipe, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
+63 2 895 1919

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Asia Bali Food From Travels Indonesia Ubud

Biah Biah

Bali is full of little warungs – small hole in the wall restaurants run by locals that serve up cheap food all day long and into the night. Some will be distinctly average, and some will surprise you with some of the best meals you’ve had on your trip. As a rule, trust the crowds, especially …

Asia Bali Food From Travels Indonesia Seminyak

Petitenget

Oh this place is nice. Suddenly very aware that I look like a beach bum backpacker; with my Bali shorts tasselled with pompoms and my hair chlorined, unbrushed and pulled back into a low ponytail. Seminyak’s Petitenget has an air of France on a summer’s day about it, with comfortable wicker chairs, big glass doors, huge mirrors and a bar lined with Veuve. All this in dovetail grey and with a beautifully patterned tiled floor. Within minutes I was already trying to work out when I could fit in visiting Petitenget again, and that’s just based on the bruschetta and chicken club baguette with bacon and avocado I’ve seen being passed to the table of young hipster Australians across the way from me.

A few days of partying in the beach clubs of Seminyak and you start to crave some goodness, which Petitenget can certainly help with. The restaurant has an organic farm nearby from which 80% of the produce used in the kitchen is farmed. The focus is on sustainable methods and the quality of the fresh, local ingredients used are evident in the dishes served. I ordered the pineapple, green apple and ginger juice (30,000 IDR)- which is deliciously refreshing – along with the pearl barley salad with marinated feta, chickpeas, tomatoes, roast pumpkin, green beans, chilli roasted cashews and a blossom honey vinaigrette (70,000 IDR). The salad was large and filling, beautifully presented and with a good kick of spice to it. I did expect and wished for more feta than was presented dolloped on top, and although the rest of the salad was delicious, I missed that extra saltiness coming through. That said, it was certainly one of the better salads I’ve eaten in all my months in Bali. Dessert was a dark chocolate, espresso and salted caramel tart (65,0000 IDR) topped with glossy pecans and served with a raspberry sorbet that cut through the rich and dense tart well.

The menu here is big, with a wide range of salads – choose from yellow fin tuna, Vietnamese duck, poached chicken, goats cheese, barbecued tiger prawns; risottos and pasta with wagyu meatballs; along with other mains such as fresh snapper, steak and a chicken and seafood laksa. Prices range from 80,000 – 110,000 IDR and whilst a treat if you’re backpacking through Bali, is a steal if you’re on holiday – especially for food of this quality.

Breakfast is just as good if not better than lunch when I return, though I am notoriously biased towards a decent brunch. Smoked salmon, asparagus and scrambled eggs fill a buttery croissant (67,000 IDR) and serve as the perfect filling breakfast to tide me over until I reach next destination hours later. The coffee is strong and the bite sized sample of granola with fruit and yoghurt assures me their healthier offering is strong.

There are a lot of people who seem to know each other here, and you can swiftly tell this is a favourite of Seminyak’s large expat community. An excellent option for breakfast, lunch or dinner and just a stone’s throw from some of the area’s best shopping. The perfect pit stop.

Jl. Petitenget Raya No. 40X, Seminyak, Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
+62 361 4733054

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Asia Bali Food From Travels Indonesia Ubud

Melting Wok Warung

Simplicity is key at Melting Wok: two curries, one made with coconut cream, one made without; served with your choice of chicken, beef, pork, tempeh or tofu; plus rice or noodles. Not spicy, medium or spicy. Bar two specials that are offered every day, this is the menu. You wouldn’t usually expect somewhere with a menu this basic, to be that in demand, but making a reservation here is a must unless you’re willing to eat dinner at 5.30pm. Because the food at Melting Wok is anything but basic. My chicken coconut cream curry (spicy, always) served with rice was ridiculously good. Full of flavour and texture from the peanuts crumbled over the dish, I didn’t want it to end yet simultaneously couldn’t shovel it in my mouth quick enough. The portion is generous and costs 39,000 IDR, which is around £2. In short, I’m furious I didn’t go sooner, seeing as I was living in Ubud for a full month. Which is why I went again two days later, this time opting for the noodles. Again, I could not fault it. It’s some of the best food I’ve had in Indonesia, and it’s as cheap as you could hope for.

Owned and run by a friendly French woman, Melting Wok offers a dessert menu inspired by her native country, with creme caramel, chocolate fondue with fruit and crepes with ice cream, the latter of which could have been served to me in France itself, good as it was. The staff are friendly, explaining the menu well and service is quick. They will warn you if the table needs to be turned over, which it will, because Melting Wok is almost always fully booked, so be sure to make a reservation. Nothing is worse than food disappointment.

Jl Gootama no.13, Ubud, Indonesia
+62 (0) 361 9299716
Open Tue – Sun, 10am – 11pm.