Bali 2019 - Dinner at Hujan Locale, Ubud

Besides Chris Salans, there are several other expat chefs in Bali who are just as famous. One of them is Will Meyrick, who founded fine-dining restaurant Sarong and the more casual Mama San in Seminyak. Hujan Locale, his latest venture in the heart of Ubud, is a casual eatery serving warung -inspired Indonesian food, albeit taken up a few notches in terms of execution and presentation. The menu features traditional home-cooked dishes from across the Indonesian archipelago. Expect dishes like rendang, sop buntut (oxtail soup), satay etc. but made with more unusual ingredients.

The restaurant is housed inside a 2 storey vintage building. Ground floor is set up more like a longe. Upstairs is the main dining space, which has a high pitched ceiling. Overall it has a South-East Asian Colonial vibe.

A lot of diners raved about their complimentary snack – rempyek kacang – which is rice flour crackers with peanuts flavoured with lots of spices. They are served with a sambal hijau – green chili jam. It is great!

I ordered an appetizer and a main. The appetizer was Ayam Taliwang – chicken wings stuffed with minced prawns and served with cassava chips. The wings were covered in a spicy chili paste which packed a punch. It was juicy and very tasty.

The main was Siobak Singaraja – based on the Indonesian-Chinese version of crispy. The skin was very crispy, and the pork belly was melt-in-the-mouth. They even served with with some “krupuk babi” – pork scratchings. Definitely a winning dish for pork lovers.

The dishes at Hujan Locale are Indonesian classics executed with great skill and creativity. The flavours are punchy and presentations very well done. It is another must-visit in Ubud.

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