Babi Guling Ibu Oka
is the infamous suckling roast pig that has the world talking, is only
you can try during your trip to Ubud. Daily 8 whole pigs are roasted but
during the holiday season they can prepare up to 12 pig roasts. Lets
just remind you that Ibu Oka opens only 7 hours a day and if you did the
math, you would realize the colossal amount of mouths demanding to be
fed!. The dish, served with a generous amount of rice at the bottom and
garnished with crackling pork skin, tender and very aromatic pork meat,
accompanied with assorted fried innards and chili-vegetable condiment
may appear simple is not to be underestimated, for it requires a special
expertise to prepare. The preferred way to enjoy this meal is with your
bare hands.
Seating capacity
is however limited, and diners would often have to eat their food
standing up or squatting outdoors. This place is so famous that
customers would even brave the drenching rain to find a corner to savour
every morsel of the delicious pork. Nothing goes to waste at Ibu Oka’s,
utilizing every part of the pig, the bloody sausage, with strong
flavors and tender meat is equally a mouth-watering treat. It gets one
thinking though, what makes Ibu Oka’s suckling pig roast more special
amongst the thousands of restaurants serving Babi Guling around Bali?
The only person who holds the answer to that question is Ibu Oka’s part
owner, who revealed to us that the secret lies in the consistency and
hard work that is put into maintaining the quality of the pig roast,
that has been perfected by his family over generations.
When asked about
Ibu Oka’s suckling pig recipe, there was no hesitation to disclose the
ingredients and we were even offered a tour of the kitchen. We also
enquired about all the hype that Ibu Oka has stirred worldwide and the
answer was that it was likely due to a gentleman from the U.S.A who had
promised to publish a column about Ibu Oka in the American newspaper, 4
to 5 years ago. Forget printed media, this humble gentleman surely
didn’t realize the raving reviews that world renowned chefs like Anthony
Bourdain, aired on the famous TV show No Reservations that almost
contemplated the hard core New Yorker to leave his concrete jungle
hometown and settle down in Bali for good, courtesy of Ibu Oka. Those
who have had the opportunity to taste Ibu Oka’s suckling pig will
realize that without a doubt, there is no other place like it in the
world.
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