Bebek Tepi Sawah, Ubud, Bali

We have friends who love Bali and seem to fly there at least once a year for some respite from Sydney.  They told us that when we’re in Bali we absolutely must book a driver to take us to Ubud for the day.

Entrance

Entrance

Very big grounds

Very big grounds


Wanting to make a full day of it, we booked at driver for 8am at a price of $60.00.  Alas, he didn’t turn up and when we were finally able to make contact with him he said he’d be turning up at 10.30.  Well that didn’t suit so we booked a driver through Peppers and while that driver turned up very quickly, the charge through the hotel was $120.00.

Lots of water features

Lots of water features

And that’s a Bali travelling tip – if you need a driver, it will cost you double if you book through your hotel.

One of the dining pavilions

One of the dining pavilions

Separate dining pavilions

Separate dining pavilions

We went to the Monkey Forest and to the Ubud Markets and by then we were ready to sit down somewhere for lunch.  Our driver asked if we liked duck and we said we did and off he went, saying he was taking us to Bebek Tepi Sawah.

A very relaxing setting

A very relaxing setting

He drove us out of the main shopping area of Ubud and soon we were in a rural area surrounded with rice paddies so I did wonder where we were headed.

The rice paddy next to the restaurant.

The rice paddy next to the restaurant.

The car slowed down as we went up a long dirt laneway with a rice paddy situated beside it.  At the top of the lane the car backed up against an enormous pile of rubbish and the driver announced we’d arrived so out we got.  I looked over to the rice paddy and could see a man ploughing the field in knee deep mud and bare feet.  I did feel a bit sorry for him not having any shoes and hoped the paddy wasn’t riddled with snakes.

Mind the rubbish

Mind the rubbish

We entered the restaurant and found it is situated amongst a rice paddy.  The dining area is a series of pavilions that are dotted around the rice paddy and linked by paths set amongst beautifully landscaped grounds with lots of traditional features.

The scenic rice paddy

The scenic rice paddy

Entering the restaurant from the dirt road and rubbish pile, is like entering a completely different world.  It’s very peaceful, it’s very private, there’s calming water features, traditional music plays and over the top of it you can hear the occasional crow from a rooster making you aware you’re in a rural setting.  You definitely feel like you’ve left the crowds, congestion and chaos and stumbled upon a remote oasis.

Not sure of the fate of this chicken

Not sure of the fate of this chicken

We were escorted to our table by a waitress wearing traditional dress and thongs.  From our table we had a lovely view of the gardens and rice paddy.  All tables are well spaced so you almost feel you’re dining alone.  It’s a very big restaurant and the wait-staff have to cover huge distances to deliver food and beverages to the tables; they must walk kilometres every day.

Traditional Indonesian seating

Traditional Indonesian seating

The restaurant is frequented by tourists and Indonesians from other places like Jakarta, flying in for holidays.

You can sit on cushions on the floor

You can sit on cushions on the floor

We started by ordering a drink and Drew chose a local beer and I thought I’d have a glass of wine.  All wines sold by the glass come from Hatten Wines that is an Indonesian winery and the first winery in Indonesia.  Rather than offering a a selection of whites and reds, there is just one type of each on the menu with no description.  I asked if the white was dry and she said, ‘yes’ and out it came in a very small glass but alas, it was very sweet and reminded me of moselle.  Never mind, I drank it.

Bintang local beer

Bintang local beer

For an entree Drew ordered the Vietnamese Spring Rolls with shrimp and chicken and a sweet, sour dipping sauce.  Drew said these were ‘perfect’.  Given.

Vietnamese Spring Roll - $5.00

Vietnamese Spring Roll – $5.00

I ordered the Vegetable Tempura that was an enormous serve.  However, the vegetables had been quite thickly sliced and the batter was rubbery rather than light and crisp.  I found the size of the dish overwhelming and left half of it so I would have room for my main course.

Vegetable Tempura - $4.70

Vegetable Tempura – $4.70

For a main Drew ordered the Bebek Mesuir which is boneless duck with Balinese vegetables and sambal.  It also came with a bowl of rice.  Drew found the duck to be very tender and loaded with flavour.  While the salad was ordinary, the Balinese vegetables were crunchy and well dressed and a good compliment to the duck.

Bebek Mesuir - $6.90

Bebek Mesuir – $6.90

I ordered the Tepi Sawah Crispy Duck that is traditional deep-fried duck with Balinese vegetables and three choices of sambal.  Again, this was a very generous serve however I found the duck to be incredibly dry.  I asked the waitress if the duck is meant to be served this dry and she said, ‘yes’ but I’m not sure if she understood what I was saying – a bit like the dry white wine that tasted like moselle.

Tepi Sawah Crispy Duck

Tepi Sawah Crispy Duck: – $10.50

While I found the food to be fairly average, it was quite inexpensive and the position and the setting and the feeling of sitting amongst a rice paddy while roosters crowed and traditional music played, more than made up for the food being a little disappointing.

Choice of 3 sambal

Choice of 3 sambal

Dining at Bebek Tepi Sawah was an experience and we were very grateful to our driver for showing us this remote and traditional restaurant, set in a rice paddy.

Dining area overlooking the rice paddy

Dining area overlooking the rice paddy

Verdict:  Worth the trip.

Ducks

Ducks

An enclosure of ducks

An enclosure of ducks

Bebek Tepi Sawah:  Jl. Raya Goa Gajah, Br Teges Peliatan Ubud 80571 BALI
Ph.: +62-361-97038815.07.27.7

 

 

Comments

  1. i love Ubud.

  2. In spite of the all-too-ordinary food, the view is stellar!! Sounds like it really was worth the trip. 🙂

  3. Such beautiful scenery! I feel like that alone definitely makes up for mediocre food.

  4. Such a contrast of luxury vs. poverty.

  5. What a tucked away restaurant and some impressive looking dishes given the lead up! I’m sorry it didn’t taste as good but as you say, the experience sounds worthwhile.

  6. What a great experience and a beautiful place to visit!

  7. I think you should start ordering whatever Drew orders 🙂

  8. I love Ubud…. I stayed therefor a few days and woke up to the rice party view each morning 🙂 Liz xxx

  9. Wow, what a little glimpse of paradise. Sorry the food was lacking, but the setting was certainly lovely.

  10. We really enjoyed Ubud and only went for a day as you did. It’s a shame the food was a little disappointing but the setting in the restaurant looks lovely!

  11. Ha i am with Nancy you need go get Drew to pick your food !. LOL. Great experience Charlie

  12. i guess those ducks in the pen were your lunch? 🙂 sounds like an interesting mealtime. i do love duck but not dried out. what a shame. at least Drew’s choices sound acceptable. did you get the feeling of local poverty against the rich tourists? or is that hidden away?

  13. What a beautiful place! I’d settle for ordinary food especially if it was inexpensive and was situated in a beautiful place! And boy, your duck sure did look dry!

  14. Glad you could enjoy the views Charlie and a shame with your run of less than ordinary foods! One never should book a driver through hotels like this as well, you can see for yourself, the prices are double. At least you got where you were going and enjoyed the day!

  15. What an interesting place to have a meal 🙂

  16. I can’t believe you had time to do so much while in Bali. What a great experience.
    Have an awesome day.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  17. Have heard great things about Ubud. Shame about your original driver not turning but glad you managed to scramble together a replacement quickly.

  18. So loved travelling through Ubud with y’all! xx

  19. I haven’t been to Bali for years, but last time I did (on a girls trip with my best friend) we stayed the whole week in Ubud. It was a little cooler because of the elevation and we had a wonderful time – with lots of great food.

  20. The restaurant looks like it was in an amazing setting. The rice paddies are really beautiful and tranquil. GG

  21. I think you’re so right, Charlie, that it’s all about the experience, not really the food. Just saying that you were eating “in a rice paddy” is quite exciting. The actual food would be fairly secondary to me anyway! I do think I would enjoy trying the wine you described. I never thought of a Balinese wine. Interesting!

  22. Even if only average, each of the duck dishes really appealed to me. Lovely scenery, of course. I once rented a car and drove myself all over Bali. Don’t think I would do that again, though in my youth it was pretty magical.

Leave a Reply to Victoria of Flavors of the Sun Cancel reply

*