COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Sometimes you’ve go to be wary of establishments trying too hard to elevate already-amazing Indonesian traditional street food into overpriced touristy dishes.
And while we sure did swoon over the swanky brasserie-like decor at Ubud’s Arang Sate Bar, going in we were quite skeptical as we browsed the menu.
As expected given the place’s name, the food menu is dominated by stuff on skewers. But non-skewered items also have a place on Arang’s menu, like black pepper pork dumplings and smoky steamed edamame with bonito flakes. Okay Arang, we’re intrigued.
As the ultimate test, we just had to order some traditional sate menu items. We went with Balinese Sate Pentol: minced chicken with a whopping 16 spices served on aromatic lemongrass; Maduranese Sate Bebek: duck satay served with roasted shredded coconut; and another Balinese dish, Sate Kakul Tabanan: spiced escargot sate served with watercress.
All three dishes arrived with a combination of peanut and cashew nut sauce, fresh urap veggies, and a serving of fragrant nasi kuning. Chef Agung Nugroho blew our minds with every single dish!
Indeed, he has previously worked for noted New York restaurants like Nobu and The Spice Market, and he draws from his lengthy experience working with marinades, skewers, grills, and sambals in producing such amazing flavors. His Japanese butterfish Miso Dashi is a crowd pleaser as well!
For drinks, their extensive bar menu draws inspiration from jamu—Indonesian concoctions that utilize fruits, herbs, roots, and spices with age-old healing properties. Our favorite mocktails at Arang are the refreshingly tropical spiced sour tamarind fizz (which is the equivalent of the Indonesian fruit salad rujak in a glass), and coco gingin bergamot tea, some frosted Earl Grey tea with coconut sorbet, fresh ginger, vanilla coconut flakes, and vanilla rhubarb syrup. Perfect to chill on balmy Ubud evenings!
Coconuts Hot Spots are notable new restaurants or undiscovered gems around Bali that we think are worth a visit.
FIND IT
Arang Sate Bar
Jl. Raya Ubud no.8
(on the corner of Raya Ubud & Monkey Forrest Rd)
Ubud, Bali
Photos at the top: Instagram @arangsatebar
