Ubud

LOCATION
Ubud is located in the southern suburb of Kensington, 15 minutes drive drive from the CBD, ten minutes from the airport. Close to University of NSW, 5 minutes from Coogee Beach.

Profiled by de Groots Media
If you love Indonesian food but seek something with a little less laminex and a lot more class, a short journey from the main strip will take you to Ubud. A far cry from Kingsford’s cheap and cheerful student haunts, behind Ubud’s intricately carved double doors is an astoundingly beautiful dining room, awash with raw stone and dark timber, the exotic wall sculptures recalling sumptuous, jungle-swathed beach resorts. The low-lighting is moody and seductive but, particularly on weekends, the intimate ambience is quickly shot down by hordes of screaming kids and noisy birthday dinners – fortunately the food at Ubud is good enough to restore some semblance of island romance.

Admittedly, Ubud errs on the tamer side of Indonesian cooking, and the most popular dishes here tend to be nasi goreng, sate ayam and Chinese-style duck pancakes. However, everything is fresh and very tasty, and the dishes are exquisitely presented. We’d suggest starting with the martabak (a parcel of roti pastry filled with beef, shallots and egg) and prawn spring rolls, before tackling the whole barbecued fish with lashings of balado chilli and the nasi uduk special (coconut-steamed rice with dried beef, shredded omelette, fried onion and chilli peanut sauce). Ubud’s food might not offer more than it’s cheaper, hole-in-the-wall counterparts, but the restaurant just looks so good that it’s worth a visit just to check it out.

Fiona Davies