Through Happy Cow we found a vegan restaurant called Siboghana waroeng
It was about a thirty minute walk moving slowly to avoid getting hit by traffic. Otherwise I think we could have done it in ten. We had a tough time finding the place because it's tucked in the back of a property.
The atmosphere was very zen like. We felt it would be only natural to converse with more of a whisper.
We were in awe of how long we had to wait for the server to attend to us. She looked at us and passed by a couple of times not saying anything. We are generally quite patient but there was only one table with two people so it seemed strange to not at least say hello or something.
We were very close to leaving when she finally appeared with a note pad. I guess having worked in a very busy restaurant with a high turn over we became a little extra harsh in our judgment of customer service.
We had menus on the table so we were more than ready to order. When she asked us what we wanted to drink we realized that we hadn't thought about it so Marc panicked and ordered lemon water. I wanted something more exciting and I got mango juice. Marc was jealous that he didn't order juice as well.
Everything on the menu was between two and three dollars Canadian. We thought for sure it would be tiny amounts of food so we ordered two appetizers.
A vegan Balinese satay, and veggies topped with tempeh and a crispy mushroom and peanut sauce.
It would probaby have been enough food but we had two main dishes as well.
We shared a tempeh tofu and veggie dish in coconut milk which looked like a curry but didn't taste like it.
And we shared a plate of crispy mushrooms, tempeh and veggies with red rice.
The bill came to around twelve dollars Canadian. That is so inexpensive for food that is cooked fresh and takes time.
There is a sign telling you that you will wait at least 40 minutes for the food because it's specially cooked.
Now my honest critique which probably differs drastically from most others that go there. It's difficult to think about anything else other than the fact that you have paid next to nothing to get full.
The service was not good. She didn't greet us for a long time, and she seemed as though she didn't want us there. Yes I know they get a very low wage but most people here have been very nice in general and although tipping is not really a thing here, we always leave a twenty percent tip anyway because that's what we do at home . I think it would be a good idea for them to give the best service in case they run into other people like us.
The food was very greasy and although we knew some of it would be fried we didn't realize there was so much of it. That part is our ignorance but the fried stuff was dripping in oil. Yes I know you're thinking that it's unreasonable to expect fried food not to be greasy however If food is fried in very hot oil and shaken in a basket or strainer it shouldn't be dripping in oil. Also they advertise as being a very pure and organic slowly with care kind of place. So it shouldn't be like this.
The food was flavorless, bland and not spicey enough for our taste. There wasn't any salt and pepper on the table which would have helped. Each dish had a similar taste except the dish in coconut milk which was over powered with tumeric, in fact all I could taste was turmeric and coconut milk.
Okay by now you're thinking that we are just ungrateful complainers. I have no defense for that.
Now let's back track to our second day in Bali, to the first restaurant we went to, that was vegetarian with vegan options and see what we thought.
On our second day in Ubud we looked up a restaurant that seemed like it would be a short walk. We got lost and backtracked then realized we had to go back and then turn other way. We finally found this place called Pumpkin and Beetroot
It was quiet with only one girl eating alone. It had nice relaxed atmosphere with only a small amount of tables overlooking a typical Ubud street.
The menu seemed to have a fairly healthy oriented selection with a few guilty pleasures. We started with juice concoctions. I can't remember what mine was but Marc had something with beet juice in it.
For some reason we ordered tortilla chips that came with salsa and guacamole. It was something vegan so I guess that's why.
We ordered a salad to insert something healthy. It had greens and edamame, avocado and a balsamic chipotle dressing.
Some spring rolls with more fresh veggies inside. It came with a peanut dipping sauce.
We were excited to see tempeh and tofu on the menu so we got a not so healthy fried tempeh and tofu with peanut sauce.
So now comes my personal honest review
Like the recent place, the server was reluctant to approach us and when she did it was with a half hearted greeting. No smile. She seemed to not want us there. This made our first Bali restaurant experience not great. We felt like we were pissing her off by being there.
The salad was nice and the dressing was nice. It was what we expected.
The spring rolls were fresh and came with an unexciting peanut sauce. It was okay.
The tempeh and tofu was just fried with a similar unexciting peanut sauce. It was okay.
The prices were shockingly inexpensive and the first time we realized that eating out in Bali doesn't have to break your budget if you don't mind eating bland food for the sake of getting full.
We won't be back to these places again. Not because of the bland food but the vibe of the wait staff. I would recommend going to these places if you live near by and unlike us don't care about the service.
I hope we can finally get something tasty and spicy that makes us happy. We are actually easy to please and care more about feeling welcome than the taste of the food. I planned on cooking a lot more in our outdoor kitchen but the flys are relentless.
We will try a new spot later today.
So yummy! I went to a top notched one close to Ubud and located among the rice fields. Enjoy your time there!
Thank you I would love to know about it!
It is Sari Organik, you can only go there by walking or with a bicycle or motorbicycle :-)
Not 100% vegan but with vegan options.
Thanks for the info I will check it out!
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