Nasi Padang: A good cheap alternative in Bali

Nasi padang is a version of Indonesian fodo that originates in Sumatra. All over the Kuta/ Legian / Seminyak area are padang places, selling a version of the same thing. Basically you get a plate of nasi putih (steamed, white rice) and select from plates of food in the window. A curtain protects the food from flies, and locals have learned, that burning a candle helps to keep them away.

Items include grilled chicken, tuna, pototo cakes, fried tempe, beef, and random animal parts. Today I stopped into Pondok Duo, on upper Jl. Seminyak. The people operating this place were Muslim as are all padang places. A visual clue will be the black and gold Arabic writing from the Koran on the wall.

Today I chose a chunk of tuna, kangkung, ( the course, leafy green vegetable ), a potato cake, curried jackfruit and a black tea (teh panas). Often with padang places there is no price list. You chose what you want, get served, then the staff calculate at the end. One of the intersting pricing aspects is that for the most part, vegetables are free. You pay for the rice, and any fish/ meat/ tempe items, but the other stuff isn’t usually counted. My brother in law gets rice, one item and several vegetable for next to nothing. Todays meal for me was 8,000rp. Start choosing meat and fish and your bill will rise fast.

Padang food is known to be spicy hot, particularly in Sumatra. I remember travelling the length of Sumatra in 1993 and in some places, every single dish was covered in red hot chili.

Here is Bali its toned down, but they do like to dip your meat / fish choices in a bowl of orange /brown sauce, before putting it on the plate. I always ask them to go light on the sauce, and give me no extra sambal (hot sauce). I have found the best way to enjoy nasi padang is to wait an extra hour, after I’m hungry. I never go there for taste, just a gut filler. When I’m starving I want to tear into it. Other times the flavours may not be exactly what I’m looking for.

Pondok Duo actually does serve Bintang even though its Muslim run, which was surprising.