what i ate in bali

what i ate in bali | hot for food by Lauren Toyota | vegan food in bali

source: https://www.hotforfoodblog.com/travels/2019/08/07/what-i-ate-in-bali/

My trips across the globe are usually a couple weeks at most… so I think we can all agree that a month-long stay in Bali was unlike anything I’ve ever done! My reason for going was to co-facilitate a retreat called Live With Purpose in partnership with The Getaway Co. You can watch my vlog from the experience here, but in this post I’ll be giving all the deets about vegan food in Bali that I got to enjoy!

We’re also going back to Bali this April 2020 and if you want in on this magical adventure you get deets and sign up here.

Before I ate my face off, I knew I had to check out this meditation space! It’s called Pyramids of Chi. I attended a pretty intense ceremony of sorts that I figured would help me get in the vortex before I hosted Live With Purpose! I couldn’t bring a camera in the pyramid, but it was a wild ride. Super woo woo, but I live for that kind of thing. I would recommend giving it a go if you’re into the mystical and magical.

We stayed at Surya Kembar for the entire retreat, and I highly recommend it if you need a place to stay in Ubud. It’s jungle style villas with a little bit of luxury! We got 2 meals a day here, all made from my recipes and executed by Chef Wayan. It was really cool for some of the vegan food in Bali I ate to be my own recipes! He’s absolutely amazing, and his team did an incredible job cooking for us throughout the trip. Everyone was super impressed with the food, and it kept us full and fueled for our Bali adventures. I’ll be doing it again in May 2020, and I’m already counting down the days… so stay tuned for more details coming soon on my social channels and YouTube channel!

Now, let’s get into more vegan food in Bali! There isn’t a ton of local cuisine in my vlog, but that’s because I either didn’t have my camera or it was too dark to film when I was eating it. One of the best dishes I had was nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) which can be made vegan at most places. My fave version of the dish was at Surya Kembar Villas, so shout out to them!

This spot is owned by Surya Kembar, so we had full access to it throughout the entire retreat. Along with serving food, they have a gym, spa, pools, lounging areas, and play spaces with things like basketball courts and skate parks. They have a full vegan menu and it had a surprisingly wide selection! You could usually find us sipping coconut milk lattes at this spot first thing in the morning.

As you’ll see in the vlog, I also got to try the bibimbap, homemade potato wedges, vegan pesto pasta with mushrooms, vegan tempeh wrap, and MORE! It was all fresh, tasty, n’ kept my belly happy.

A perk of reading these blog posts is getting bonus info that isn’t featured in the video, like the pizza and nachos I had here! The cheese on the pizza was from an awesome local company called Jiva. I got to taste test a bunch more of their products back at the villa, but can safely say their swiss is my fave. It’s best when eaten warm and melted!

verdict: you won’t get bored of the vegan options (and people watching) here!

This spot was especially neat, because all of their profits go to The Fair Future Foundation! The menu here is vegetarian, with lots of options to make things vegan. I had spicy cashew tofu and veggies with rice, and it really hit the spot for dinner that night! I wasn’t the only person sniffing out vegetarian and vegan food in Bali, though – it’s VERY popular and has long wait times. If you’re not down to wait around for a while, make a reservation ahead of time.

verdict: I can see why there’s a long wait, cause their stuff is great! It’s also a good feeling to know your money goes to charity.

Obviously dessert was in order, so we stopped by here to grab some gelato. They have a bunch of vegan flavors, the cones are vegan, AND there’s multiple locations around Ubud. Score! I had the tiramisu flavor in the video, but went back multiple times throughout the trip. Coffee is officially my favorite flavor they offer.

verdict: vegan gelato is basically heaven in warm places like Bali.

You’ll find footage from this stop in my vlog of the retreat! We visited it on one of our excursion days. The farm is run by a woman named Marjan from Amsterdam, and she provides education and english lessons to young girls. They learn about organic and sustainable farming, cooking, and learn English so they can attend university. They made us traditional balinese food with ingredients from their land and other local farms, and I got to try the nasi champur. It was excellent!

An especially memorable moment was the youngest girls performing a dance for us. We were all in tears!

verdict: 100% one of the most memorable meals and experiences on this trip.

On one of the retreat excursion days, I got to try out My Bella by Sage. They offered us a set vegan menu that day so I tried the gnocchi and crispy AF onion rings! I washed ‘em both down with sips out of a coconut bigger than my head. They have a bunch of delectable cake options for dessert, too, which is NEVER a problem in my world.

Bella’s sister restaurant is called Sage, which I tried during the trip but didn’t vlog. I had a coconut cake slice there, and it was divine! I highly recommend both of these spots.

verdict: Bella and Sage both have well crafted vegan options. Two thumbs up!

We popped into Alchemy for a bit, where I grabbed a kombucha to go. It’s completely raw, and the first vegan restaurant that opened in Ubud. We didn’t end up eating here, but I definitely want to check it out the next time I’m back.

verdict: the kombucha here is officially Lauren approved!

The menu here had both raw and cooked items, which is great for any vegan in the crowd regardless of how you eat! I tried their vegan noodles which was similar to a miso broth rice noodle soup.

verdict: Moksa has a large entirely vegan menu, but admittedly I didn’t think much of it looked that appetizing. Perhaps it was just the way things were described in writing. But the soup I had was good, but I only ate that so I can’t officially give a rating for the rest of the restaurant. Location is great and quiet though, and it’s rated as one of the best in Ubud, so what do I know?!

Zest can be found near Moksa, and I ate here twice throughout my trip. The first time was when I got in, and the second was for our closing dinner party for the Live With Purpose retreat. None of it was featured in the vlog, but this is a beautifully designed restaurant. The atmosphere is serene and has a beautiful high up view in the forest!

verdict: you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world here with the incredible views. The food is equally as great!

The rest of the food for this blog recap will be from the rest of my time spent in Bali after the retreat! You know I’m always down for a plant-based fast food joint, so finding Plant Cartel was like stumbling upon a hidden treasure chest. My friends and I indulged in the peanut butter banana shake, mac n’ pleese, popcorn chick’n, onion rings, and pleese burger.

verdict: it doesn’t get much better than plant based fast food.

Can I get a hell yeah for fully vegan ice cream shops?! Mad Pops is the place to be. I had praline swirl in a vegan cone, and I admittedly preferred this stuff to the place in Ubud. Both are amazing finds for being halfway across the world, though!

verdict: chalk up another win for vegan gelato!

I had what we’ll call a “balanced meal” here at Shady Shack! I indulged in a vegan cheeseburger with fries, but also dove into their dips & bits, rice roll ups, and nori bowl. A stark IPA tied it all together for one helluva satisfying meal.

verdict: Shady Shack has a good variety of vegan options depending on what kinda food you’re craving!

I was so surprised to find out that the owners of I Am Vegan Babe are #hotforfoodies! They opened up their very own vegan comfort food restaurant which was basically like home to me. I started off with the cinnamon rudy coffee drink, then chowed down on the taquitos with vegan chicken. On another occasion where I ate with the I Am Vegan Babe family I tried stuff from the brekky menu like waffles, peaceful benedict, B1 power omelet, and a cinnamon roll for dessert.

verdict: their menu is extensive and really impressive! If you visit, tell the owners you’re a #hotforfoodie too.

Nothing’s better than dinner with a view, and that’s exactly what I got at Ku De Ta. It’s one of the more famous restaurants, but shouldn’t be your top pick for vegan food in Bali. There aren’t a ton of options. You know I’m always up for a challenge, though, and I managed to crank out a pretty decent dinner. I had edamame, vegan sushi rolls, and a pumpkin pizza with no cheese. There was also an incredible cucumber salad with a fresh dressing that I think had ume plum vinegar in it!

verdict: worth going for the atmosphere and sunsets if you’re in this area. Grab a cocktail and some snacks, or recreate my feast!

At Pelaton, I had a golden latte, the nacho libre, nona’s spaghetti carbonara, powerhouse bowl, and mi amigo quesadilla. I was especially a fan of the creamy carbonara… it almost knocked my recipe out of the park – but not quite.

verdict: this place was carbs galore, and I’m definitely not mad about it.

Next up was Gili T, an island that we took a plane and boat to get to! We first stopped in at Pituq Waroeng. The meal shown in the vlog included coconut satay lilit, cauliflower tailwang and kangkung stir fry. I was super impressed by the cauliflower because it was breaded and fried KFC style! It’s funny that vegan food in Bali can be surprisingly similar to things I’d find back home in North America!

verdict: we ate here one more time, but truthfully, it wasn’t great and my friend ended up getting bali belly (google it!) that night. Of course, we can’t know for sure if it was from this restaurant but I thought it warranted editing out that meal from the video!

This lounge was part of the Pearl Hotel, which looks like the nicest hotel on Gili T in my opinion! We ate here a lot and stuck to the same orders. Green juice, rice paper rolls, french fries, som tam green papaya salad, and pad thai. All super fresh and delish! As a note, a couple of servers insisted the pad thai was vegan already, but just in case I’d always request it to be made vegan. I found with the 3 or 4 times we ordered it, it always came out looking a bit different.

verdict: this place was a a life saver on Gili T. I highly recommend it!

(Gili T)

This isn’t a fully vegan restaurant, but still has options on the menu. Throughout a few trips here I tried the ramen, vegan blueberry pancakes, scrambled tofu, dry toast with jam, and tofu peanut stir fry (which wasn’t the best).

verdict: the food here isn’t amazing, but if you’re vegan and visiting Gili T it’s worth checking out. Just don’t expect to be blown away!

This was a cute lil’ spot where I got an iced coffee with coconut milk, and the rainbow breakfast bowl with tofu instead of egg. The power was out when we visited, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying myself! I grabbed some passion fruit sorbet at a random stand on Gili Air as well.

verdict: a great spot for breakfast, and I imagine the rest of their menu is great too!

Last up for vegan food in Bali, here’s a rundown of the food from the hotel I stayed at in Keramas! They had a plant based menu that we tried a lot of things from. My favorite thing was the eggplant fries, which were coated in crispy panko and came with marinara to dip ‘em in. I was also a fan of the handmade curry samosas with a banana chutney, and the pumpkin pizza with cashew cheese! Sadly, the burgers were underwhelming, but they were vegan and edible nonetheless.

I found out later that there are different plant based menus available at the 2 restaurants for breakfast! I totally would have gotten on board if I knew about it sooner. There’s tofu scramble available at the beach front restaurant that I unfortunately didn’t know about (sad face).

verdict: I’m always on board with a plant based menu, obvi!

Wow, I haven’t had a recap this long since my trips to New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver! Have you ever been to Bali? Do you plan on going in the future? Let me know in the comments below if you’ve tried any of these places, or have other recommendations for when I return. Stay tuned for future announcements about a second Live With Purpose retreat in 2020!

Clear Cafe (Ubud)

The post what i ate in bali appeared first on hot for food by Lauren Toyota.

nasi goreng

Get ready to fall in love with this Indonesian fried rice dish called nasi goreng. It's sweet, tangy, and a little spicy!

nasi goreng

Get ready to fall in love with this Indonesian fried rice dish called nasi goreng. It's sweet, tangy, and a little spicy!

My trips across the globe are usually a couple weeks at most... so I think we can all agree that a month-long stay in Bali was unlike anything I've ever done! My reason for going was to co-facilitate a retreat called Live With Purpose in partnership with The Getaway Co .

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If you're trying to limit the amount of gluten and sugar (and all that good stuff) out of your vegan life... read no further. But every vegan's got to indulge once and a while and if you're going to do it you might as well not skimp.

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nasi goreng

nasi goreng

what i ate in bali

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