Babi Guling Bali

We went to Bali on the way back to Semarang from Adelaide. One of the best things in Bali - and there are very many - is babi guling. Babi guling is an ode to pork. Many parts of the pig are used to create a rice dish that is a symphony of flavours and textures. There's the crisp shiny skin, dark blood sausage, crunchy curly intestines, pig ear & spicy veg accompaniment for those who need to see greens on their plate, sate, smooth white slices of meat and lots of other pork goodness served on a plate of fluffy white rice. Sometimes, there's a steaming bowl of pig bone soup too.

My favourite babi guling places are Tjandra/Chandra at Jl Teuku Umar and Ibu Oka in Ubud. Tjandra has awesome soup but Ibu Oka doesn't make any. However, Ibu Oka has kickass fried battered pork bits. Ibu Oka also has an excellent cooked nangka (jackfruit) dish that you can order on the side. The trouble with Ibu Oka is that if you go when it just opens (at 11ish), a lot of things won't be ready. If you go during the peak lunch period, there won't be any seats and you'll have to put up with the worldwide restaurant phenomena of the Waitress With Unseeing Eyes. But if you go a little past the peak lunch crowd, a lot of good stuff will be sold out and the babi guling you get will be a shadow of what it should be. I haven't been able to determine the magic hour for optimum porcine pleasures at her place.