Denpasar, In the City

Satria and Wardani Food Stalls
Provide Distinctive Balinese Food

Denpasar has two food stalls or warungs that are well known for their nasi campur or mixed rice with Balinese exceptional spices blend. They are Warung Satria and Warung Wardani. Both can be said as the trailblazers of food stalls providing Balinese food that in the (1970s) was difficult to find in Denpasar. Warung Wardani is located on Jalan Yudistira, while Warung Satria on Jalan Kedondong.

Apart from mixed rice, Warung Satria is most favoured because it has special chicken delicacies like steamed chicken, twisted satay, Balinese fresh shallots and fried shallot sambal and string bean salad. This menu is specially made of Balinese chicken with shallot spices. Similarly, there is combination of seafood twisted satay and fresh shallot sambal. In addition, some other yummy foods that come to be the favourite of this warung are like chicken ketupat (rice wrapped in coconut’s leaf bag), porridge, jukut ares (soup of banana shoot), string bean dressing with hot spices, coconut vegetable, jackfruit, chicken skewered satay, grilled chicken, shredded chicken, chicken with fresh sambal, lawar, boiled egg and sambal of fried chicken liver.
Barring the local community, foreign tourists often visit Warung Satria. They normally come with a tour guide because its location is difficult to find. However, expatriates who have stayed for a long time, or even domiciled in Bali usually come by themselves. They who are from Australia, Japan and Europe like the food even though it is slightly hot.
Metropolitan artists of Jakarta also many a time make a visit to this warung. “Jakarta’s artists like Chrisye, Indro, Ira Mayasopha, Yenny Rachman once ate here. Even, the former Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gde Ardika was not left behind and made his time to eat here,” says Ni Ketut Kerthi, owner of Warung Satria.
According to Kerthi, she initiated the business as a food vendor that hawked around Denpasar. “Then in 1968, I hawked around Jalan Gajah Mada and Badung Market,” she said.
Then, in 1970, she opened a permanent warung on Jalan Veteran, by taking advantage of someone’s garage. However, there was a curb for warungs so she moved to Jalan Kedondong.
The land of 150 sq meters on Jalan Kedondong was originally contracted but it ultimately became her property. “Due to God’s grace, I then opened other branches in Kuta (Jalan Koripan No.2) and Jalan Supratman,” she said proudly. (BTN/015)

Teuku Umar and Renon, Foods Centers

Boring eats in Hotels? Perhaps you may try coming to Denpasar City, about 20 minutes from Ngurah Rai International Airport, 10 km from Kuta, and 30 km from Nusa Dua. Nowadays Denpasar has a lot of restaurants, food stalls, etc. All the data below was the result of Bali Travel News observation.

Tengku Umar Street is the most places with food stall and restaurant; there you can find Balinese and the other Indonesian foods not excepting the International ones. In this area, domestic visitor from Java, Sumatera and the other provinces can find various foods from their region during do vacation in Bali. There are some food stalls and restaurants that offer Indonesian traditional menu for examples Javanese food, Sunda, Menado (Rica-Rica restaurant), Balinese food (Candra and Kak Man restaurant), Lombok (Taliwang restaurant), Jakarta, etc.
There are also bakery stalls like Kanari, Orange, Merdeka and Dunkin Donate. Puri Mas provides traditional Balinese cakes. Denpasar also a good place for lunch because there are some foods stalls for example Warung Madiun with its delicious “Nasi Pecel or Sate Kambing”. “It a pity the parking area is not too large, so I have to find another place for parking my car”, Said Warto, he is an employee in one of Department in Denpasar.
On the other hand at Renon Offices Area now become a center of food stalls that offer various kinds of foods. Commonly there you can find Balinese food and complete with large parking area.
From the west side of Renon at Jl. Letda Tantular, there is Warung Ayu Minanti that offer “bakso” and on the next of it you will find piglet barbecue restaurant, and go strait to the east at Jl. Cok Agung Tresna, there are Warung Bendega serve special sea food and “Plecing”, Warung Lembongan provide special sea food, fried chicken, and fish sop. At this complex, visitors also can find Depot Ayam Goreng Prambanan, Depot Ayam Goreng Kalasan. And Warung Bondres, special for Balinese food, Rumah Makan Cianjur, Warung Nang Lecir and Pitik Bali Restaurant also serve special see foods.
At Jl. Merdeka you will find food stall, which serves chicken and goat sate, named Ayam Betutu Gilimanuk, Warung Wardana with its special mix rice, Wong Solo and Roellie’s serve chicken steak, toasted poultry meat, and salad.
In the southern of Puputan Renon Square, (Jl. Puputan) you can find Café On-On, Pak Lik restaurant with its special chicken porridge and also Rumah Makan Jawa Timur. In the western side there is Pondok Melati food stall; special, grilled fish, fish meat, crab meat, roasted fish, uncooked sambel (sambel matah) and fried fish available here. On the same area there is also J&G Vegetarian Hot Pot.
But according to data from Tourism Department of Denpasar, March 2005 the number of restaurants and bars in Denpasar accounted 291 and 67 bars. It’s categorized into three such as restaurants, bars, and warung / food stalls. But when asked how many the amounts of each category, this authority doesn’t has the clear one, because they haven’t done seeking the data already.
Every food stall and restaurants in Denpasar have received licenses. The license has given when they start to build until operating it. Before they start to build they have receive license of Tourism Principal about Rp 300 thousand and it will valid for one year, continue by verification UKL certificate (the effort to clean up the environment) and UPL (environment monitoring effort), IMB license, rule of commercial activity and the important thing they have receive restaurant license to operating their business.
According to I GA Parwati, SH, the head of organizer restaurant and bar division, the license for restaurant will be depend on the number of seat on each restaurant. If there are 10 – 25 chairs, they have paid fee Rp 15 thousand per seat, for 26 – 50 seats, about Rp 20 thousand and up to 50 seats, about Rp 25 thousand, and these licenses valid for three years. She explained. (BTN/015)