Warang Cahaya’s crispy pork rice with sambal matah is one of our all-time favourite things to eat in Bali.

This nondescript local eatery is as old school and local as you can get. It looks super unassuming but what do you know? It has one of Bali’s best local-style crispy pork rice!

This is one eatery we always return to over the years and we have never once been disappointed.

Warang Cahaya in Legian is a gem. There is nothing quite like enjoying a plate of unpretentious Indo-style crispy pork and chicken rice with kickass sambal matah, and that’s exactly what you would get here.

Inexpensive and every bit authentic, the crispy pork rice is really just a simple but very comforting serving of, well, crispy pork and rice and raw chilli. There is also a chicken option if you are not a fan of pork.

The menu is concise and straightforward. Just pick your choice of meat. And regardless of your choice, you’d have to enjoy it with the raw chilli that’s made in-house. That is the game changer. Indonesians are known for their sambal and here at Warang Cahaya, they use sambal matah as a condiment for all their rice options.

For the uninitiated, sambal matah is actually Indonesian raw spicy shallow salsa and mainly comprises onions, chilli and lime. It can be really spicy so if you can’t hold your chilli well, go easy.

The prices at Warang Cahaya are averagely RP40,000 per portion, and we advise you to go early lest be disappointed. They usually sell out on their pork shortly after lunch hours.

Biku—known for its traditional Indonesian classics and afternoon tea—is one of our all-time favourite Indonesian restaurants in Seminyak, Bali. While the naysayers may argue that Biku is touristy and only caters to the foreigners, the food and ambience are excellent; it is a place that we always visit every time we are in Bali.

Opened throughout the day, the restaurant is also a tea lounge during the day where ladies love to gather for afternoon tea with cakes and a wide array of tea selections from China, India and Indonesia. Their lunch and dinner menus are primarily inspired by Indonesian flavours but Biku does not shy away from infusing international culinary influences either.

Set in a 150-year-old teak joglo (Javanese wooden house), Biku blends rustic style with luxury—think wooden pillars, glistening chandeliers, vintage dark reddish brown furniture and heavy drapes in red.

Lighting is dim at night and candles are placed on every table to create a lovely, romantic ambience for diners. The setting is perfect for a dinner date or even family dinner with your loved ones.

Biku makes wonderful Indonesian classics and one item you should order from the a la carte menu is their Nasi Campur A’la Biku (RP55,000/ S$5.50). The filling dish came with rice, two types of vegetables, shredded spicy chicken, spicy egg, beef rendang, satay lilit chicken, tofu and tempe.

We were addicted to the juicy shredded spicy chicken and satay lilit chicken which came with a hint of lemongrass flavour. If you are someone who can take spicy, mix all the side dishes with their homemade chilli sauce because Nasi Campur tastes best with Indonesian chilli!

Another dish that left a great impression on us was the Nasi Goreng Special (RP48,000/ S$4.80). It is an Indonesian-style fried rice and the one at Biku comes with chicken sate, krupuk and fried egg. It is a simpler dish compared to the Nasi Campur A’la Biku but we enjoyed the fragrant fried rice just the same.

Other Indonesian dishes to look forward to are Mixed Sate (RP55,000/ S$5.50), Babi Kecap (RP60,000/ S$6.60) and Mie Goreng (RP43,000/ S$4.30). For variety, Biku also offers Western mains such as burgers and sandwiches.

Biku
Jl. Petitenget No.888
Seminyak, Kuta Utara
Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 851-0057-0888
Daily: 8am – 11pm

Need more dining recommendations in Bali? Read our food guide here.

Bali Pork Star is an eatery in Seminyak, Bali that specialises in pork dishes. Imagine our excitement when we found out it.

Bali Pork Star is unique in such a way that they deliver traditional Balinese food with a twist. Diners can expect a fusion between Indonesian cuisine and other Asian influences such as Japanese and Chinese spices. While we love the classic Indonesian dishes, we are always game to try something new.

Go to Bali Pork Star with an open mind and be prepared to be blown away by their unpretentious, yet mouth-watering food. 

Nasi Campur is THE local food to try when you are in Bali and we simply cannot get enough of it. However, when you are at  Bali Pork Star, forget everything you know about Nasi Campur and your expectations of how the dish should be like.

While Bali Pork Star’s Nasi Campur (RP48,000/ S$4.80) is different from the typical mixed rice dish with small sides, we love how diners get four kinds of savoury pork—Babi Sambal Matah, Babi Sambal Hijau, Babi Rica-rica, and Dendeng—with steamed white rice.

The Babi Sambal Matah was so good that we were considering to get an a la carte portion of it.

Bali Pork Star’s Pork Belly (RP50,000, S$5) features French-style pork belly accompanied with truffle sauce or black pepper sauce. Diners also get to choose between steamed rice, baby potatoes or french fries.

Although the ingredients used seem ordinary, the pork belly came with the right amount of fats which melted in our mouths almost instantly. It is a must-order when you are at Bali Pork Star.

Bali Pork Star is also rather known for its Pork Ribs (RP75,000/ S$7.50). Our ribs came drench in sweet and spicy sauce and we chose baby potatoes as a side. To be honest, it was decent but not something that we would come all the way here for.

Bali Pork Star
Jalan Nakula 88C
Seminyak, Badung, Bali
Tel: +62 0818 817 760
Daily: 10am – 10pm

For more recommendations, read our Bali food and travel guides.

Nasi Campur is technically a mixed rice dish filled with multiple small dishes and we, like many other tourists, find ourselves drawn to it whenever we visit Bali. This dish is simply a showcase of all the best kind of food you can find in Indonesia.

It is similar to our Singaporean Cai Fan or mixed vegetables rice, and it consists of a number of dishes surrounding steamed white rice. Some of the more popular small dishes include tempeh, stir-fried eggplant or green beans, curried meats and fried eggs.

One of the stars of this dish has to be the shrimp krupuk - which is essentially a shrimp or prawn cracker that is popular not only in Indonesia, but various other parts of South-East Asia.

The good thing about Nasi Campur is that you do not have to pick dishes; the best of all worlds will be beautifully plated for your consumption, so you really need not limit yourselves to just two or three items. It is definitely a hearty portion there, and so many flavours to explore!

One thing you will notice in Bali is that they have a special and exclusive Nasi Campur Bali that is essentially a plate of white rice with small dishes made using very classic Balinese spices and flavours.

Some popular dishes that the Nasi Campur Bali has are grilled fish, curry beef and vegetable curry. They are more flavourful and interesting than your usual Nasi Campur!

The next time you visit Bali, be sure to grab a plate of delicious Nasi Campur for a true taste of authentic Balinese flavours.

Here is our Bali Food Guide of 34 of the best restaurants, eateries, cafes & bars that you have to visit on the Island of Gods.