Padang, Padang, Padang!

We can thank the Minangkabau people of Sumatra for Padang cuisine (Padang is the capital and largest city in West Sumatra).  As a testament to the cuisines exquisite combination of flavors and textures, Padang restaurants can be found throughout Indonesia.  Padang food is usually cooked once per day, and customers choose from those dishes, which are left out on display until no food is left.  You build your meal with little bit of rendang, vegetables, some spicy sambal (red or green), tofu, etc. drenched in a rich curry sauce.  Eat it with a scoop of rice and wash it down with some es teh tawar.

Westerners (esp. Americans) are usually afraid of Padang food. Afterall, we use all sorts of gadgets to test the doneness of meat, throw out food that's been out of the fridge for more than a millisecond, and in general, freak out over anything food-safety related.   Europeans who are used to tapas from bar counters, fully-bloomed cheese and whatever else are generally more open to Padang food.

But I have to tell you...you must try Padang food. Build your plate carefully, making sure to balance the textures, flavors, and spice. You'll leave happy and wonder why you only paid 15,000Rp for the entire meal.

The best Padang food in Ubud can be found at Masakan Padang Puteri Minang on the Ubud Main Road.  The restaurant is on the right hand side as you drive out of town--just look for the huge picture of Puteri Minang (Minang's Daughter) right before the post office road.   Puteri Minang has a wide selection of dishes and some of the best Padang food I've had on Bali.

Masakan Padang Puteri Minang
Jl. Raya Ubud
Open 7 days a week