Ubud: Favorite Places to Eat

Nasi Campur Seafood at

Clear Cafe Ubud

Jalan Hanoman No. 8 Ubud 

Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia

Price: Around idr 150.000 (USD 10)/person

I just stumbled upon my photos collection of my latest visit to Bali and I just remember that I haven't shared anything about places to eat which I'm in love with in Ubud. Me and my friend one night were so starving and we decided to walk from our hotel at Jalan Sugriwa towards Jalan Gootama but we ended up at Jalan Hanoman instead and looking at this Clear Cafe. 

We never heard about this cafe before, but when we looked into its menu we were falling in love with its tons of healthy choices so there we go. Little did I know that I will be falling in love with its Nasi Campur! To be honest, it was even better than Nasi Campur at one famous Balinese Restaurant at Seminyak. 

I ordered Nasi Campur Seafood and it was perfect! They served their rice with smoked fish with just the perfect amount of spicy taste and its vegetable with coconut broth is also perfect. There are also lots of healthy drinks available but I haven't tried it so I can not say anything about it, yet, nevertheless I must say this place is a must visit in Ubud, especially if you want a proper and healthy Nasi Campur!

Chef's Bowl at

Moksa Plant Based Restaurant

Gang Damai, Sayan, Ubud, Bali

Price: Around idr 150.000 (usd 10)/ person

Then again off I went to healthy food restaurant. Moksa Ubud located at a quiet secluded area and it was hard looking for it, especially when you are driving a car instead of a motorbike. But, it was all worth it.

We came upon a restaurant facing a plantation, the ambience is so relaxing. There are two kinds of plant based menu there, the one which is raw and the other one is heated. Mine was the heated one. Eating those bowl of tempe, mushrooms, kimchi, and sambal matah in a bowl tasted better than eating a whole medium well beef steak, I suppose! 

My friend ordered asam laksa noodle and the broth was perfect and the gluten perfectly taste like a real meat, just perfect for an easy afternoon at Ubud. 

But I love plant based food very much it might be different with your taste, anyway. But for a plant based food lover, Moksa Ubud is a must visit for they got lot of choices of plant based menus I hope I can cook like that...

Nasi Goreng Sambal Matah and Iced Cafe Latte at

Littletalks Ubud Library and Cafe

Jalan Raya Campuhan, Sayan, Ubud, Bali

Price: Around idr 70.000 (usd 5)/ person

If you happen to want to spend your time alone, reading a book while sipping hot french pressed coffee overlooking Ubud's river and temples, than this is just the perfect place. Too bad I came there at night so the beautiful background of this place wasn't captured in the lense. 

They provide free (good quality) books to be read at their cafe while we enjoy our foods and drinks. Djenar Maesa Ayu, Sapardi Djoko Damono, until Max Havelaar you can find them all in their bookshelf. And anyway, their hot cafe latte is perfect, with a perfect hint of cinnamon, yum!

Their food is not really special, I must say, but who can resist books and such a comfortable place to read while sipping hot coffee like that? It is just the perfect spot for us, the introvert club, to sit and enjoy our time alone with our mind. 

What about you? Do you have particular place in mind which you love very much at Ubud? 

Staycation: Hotel Vila Ombak, Gili Trawangan

The Private Dock of Hotel Vila Ombak

The Balcony of Our Room

Interior of The Room

The Bathroom 

Dinner at The Beach (Hotel Vila Ombak Restaurant)

When my parents came along with me while I was looking around the neighborhood of my (then) future workplace, Tanjung, West Nusa Tenggara, we went to Gili Trawangan and spent our time at Hotel Vila Ombak. We booked it quite impulsively without really comparing it with another hotel like we used to. When we thought that the price is reasonable and we saw the picture of the hotel on the internet we thought it was enough.

But after experiencing it I thought it was better. The price is not so expensive yet the hotel is very comfortable and offer a great service. First thing first, I love their private dock. I think I did not see any other hotel owning this kind of private dock. There is a public harbour at Gili Trawangan but you can imagine how crowded it is for this island is the most crowded island of all the three gilis. Can you imagine how comfortable it is arriving at the dock right in front of your hotel so you do not have to carry your luggage all the way to your hotel or paying an extra fee for using rented vehicle available?

Then going to our room, we got the standard room at the second floor. Although the room is not facing the pool but the surrounding is so comfortable, with trees around and with the breeze blowing I can lay in the sun deck available at our balcony while reading my favorite book, all the time! 

There is nothing so special inside our room, but of course I love their complimentary drinks for I can drink my coffee while watching the rerun of Harry Potter on HBO before I dozed off, and not to mention they gave us free fruits also (the orange was sweet I love it!). 

The bathroom is quite spacious but there is no bathtub available for the standard room, but it was reasonable enough when looking at the price. They provide us essential oil soap and shampoo and I love the smell of it! 

Hotel Vila Ombak has an outdoor cinema and they provide free ticket for their guest while outside guest who want to watch the movie have to pay for around idr 100.000 (usd 0.7). That night they were playing The Beach, yes the one starring Leonardo Dicaprio shot at the beautiful Thailand! After enjoying my dinner (with a cool live band playing along  -which I fallen in love at first sight, and I requested a John Mayer's  Song "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" because I thought the singer would sang it perfectly, and he did!-) I watched The Beach at the outdoor cinema, at the beach, with the constellations up above, can you imagine? It was perfect! :)

And in the next morning, after walking around Gili early in the morning and while waiting for our check out time, it was cloudy so I can enjoy their swimming pool like my own pool because nobody was swimming haha. I love their pool it is so big and comfortable, too bad I didn't take any photo of it, maybe next time I can upload some video (wish me luck for the video editing haha!) Anyway they also provide sun deck on the beach along their hotel so we can just lay there and watch the beautiful sea and the green hills of Lombok Island across the sea. 

So overall I give 5 out of 5 stars for this Hotel Vila Ombak, definitely will come back someday when I have the chance, I hope it soon!

Hotel Vila Ombak

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Price upon booking: idr 1.100.000 (usd 88) for Superior Lumbung Terrace Room

Phone +62 370 6142336

Moving to West Nusa Tenggara, Unexpectedly

On a Fast Boat on My Way to Gili Trawangan, North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara

Along The Shoreline of Gili Trawangan

What Do You Think About The Crystal Clear Water?

Dress (Minimal), Sunglasses (Giordano bought at Optik Melawai), Watch (Fossil)

Above all are the beauty of moving to North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. I have planned my life the way I wanted it to be. Dreaming and then working my best to ensure that my dreams will becoma a reality. 

When I was a child my dream was simple, I only thought about my self, only thought about the best and most convenient way of life, for my self. I wanted to go to college and then continue my education abroad in a developed country, USA or UK. I can imagine my self walking down the central park on a snowy winter day while enjoying the christmas festivities during my winter break or also I can imagine my self sitting at a small cafe on London's alley after my hectic exam days. Doing it all behind the so called precious reason that I study abroad so that I can build my country after learning at the best school available. 

But my dreams are developing as I travel more, my mind is expanding its muscle, I think in a broader point of view. How can I think about the way to develop my country if I only understand about the way people live in the big city. I only understand about education, health and economic development in a developed city. I do not really understand how people in a more under developed area live because I only visited another city when I am on a holiday.

So then I chose that I have to at least try to live and try to understand how do the majority of Indonesian live. I am a dentist then why the hell I do not also abuse my skill to try to help others around me? So then come my plan, I will sign up for a program for medical doctor and dentist to work at under developed area, maybe half or a year later. But the universe had another plan for me, in a very short time there suddenly come the opportunity, and I just grab it. So long story short, I only had not more than three weeks for the whole moving process. 

I was assigned to work at a primary health care at North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Here you can barely find cafes, malls, convenience stores or anything people usually include as the sign of a developed economy of a city. North Lombok has a very beautiful nature and rich of its resources also, I can see green hills here and there and it is an easy access when I want to enjoy its crysteal clear sea. A spa session or swimming at infinity pool? It always is an easy access to the resort available. 

But, behind all this? The locals, Indonesian living in Lombok is not the owner of these resorts. They are its employees. Most of them do not hold the power to make the most of their land, I do not know exactly the real reason behind this of course, I just barely came. 

I just barely came here, but within a week, when I was giving education to elementary students of North Lombok about the way to manage hygiene along their menstrual period, a program from Plan International and Dinas Kesehatan Kabupaten Lombok Utara (North Lombok Health Bureau) I suddenly felt sad, I have a short talk with Plan International's Official and they said that the rate of girl students drop out and child marriage in North Lombok is so high. This girls often do not realize that to be a mother they have to be able to do the best to raise and educate their child. They do not understand that for a marriage to work out best they need education. Why don't they realize? Because societies around them and the culture around them never show that, so how can they be inspired? They rarely saw their mom or aunties or girl friends become a well known entrepreneur, doctor, lawyer, ballerina, and tons other inspiring work. So how can they think of one? 

When I do an oral health screening at one village, I also find a woman who does not go to school at all, she barely knew her age and it is really hard to have conversation with her because she barely understand anything, can you imagine that?

So, behind the beauty of Lombok's nature, a development of health, education, and economic is still very much needed. I just wish that I will figure out a way, for my dream and also for the development of my beloved country. Meanwhile, I might just try to enjoy and learn everything the universe try to teach me, no?