by Jill Gocher

One of Indonesia's well loved institutions is the warung – a simple eatery found across the archipelago. Some are no more than a lean to shelter and a bench while others are more stylish. But however they are styled, they are well frequented, often a local hangout and can almost always be relied upon to provide delicious food with the flavour of the region. Warung Enak is no exception to that rule but there are differences. Created by Made Wijaya, after a traditional Javanese warung with blue and white overtones, this two story eatery in the heart of Ubud is full of surprises. The first surprise is the fabulous view of ricefields from the cool and breezy upstairs level.

Faux monkeys, modeled after Hanoman, the monkey king, wear sunglasses, lipstick and some of them, bikinis! Like Ronald MacDonald, they have become popular photo models, especially with the Japanese, who are wild about anything cute. Seating is widely spaced and it is a very pleasant place to while away an hour or two. The second surprise is the food! Anyone who thinks that Indonesian cuisine consists of sate and nasi goring will find themselves with an education!

The food comes from all over the archipelago and it is all delicious. We are spoiled for choice. What to choose? The Balinese grilled prawns with sambal Kemangi ( sweet basil), the goat satay, the chicken (ayam) Taliwang from Lombok cooked with a mix of chilli, candlenuts, lemon grass, kaffir lime and trasi, the Panada Manado - a kind of tuna fish pastie or a sweet and spicy fruit salad from Java, very similar to Thai Som Tham, served with rice crackers! For serious eaters the Rijstaffel comes with 17 dishes and rice so that you can really taste across the archipelago. Get the staff to explain and don't forget to try the snail sate! Incredible but it is delicious and as with all snail dishes, it is the sauce that really makes it!

Warung Enak has a tempting range of drinks both fruity and alcoholic cocktails. Best of all for those in the know is their range of arak – served either as cocktails or special infused spiced araks that the owners concoct themselves. The arak comes from Karangasem – home to the best spirit on the island, and it is made from Palm tree wine – a spiritual kind of spirit that sets the spirits soaring! Priests use it. Balians bless it. Temple dancers imbibe to keep them going on those all night spiritual soirees. Even the temple fighting cocks are given a small sip – to get them into top fighting form. A small glass will get you up and dancing if the music is right!

A lot of research has gone into the Warung Enak menu, testing and trying many dishes to get the right combination of tastes. An amazing fifty herbs and spices are used in the cooking – all fresh and all hand ground –a labour intensive job best done without a food processor. In fact Indonesian cuisines is quite sophisticated, as getting the right balance between the different distinctive tastes takes a lot of experience and a good palate! So to open the door to a broader experience of Bali and Indonesia, try it!