To See To Feel To Eat: Bali Day 2, Pak Malen, Seminyak Square, Ku De Ta

Woke up bright and early because my awesome biological clock refused to allow me to sleep in. Our villa package included room service breakfast in the villa so we flipped through the menu happily, ordered our food and drinks and proceeded to wash up. The butler came by around 20 minutes later with our food, set the table for us, and left. The breakfast was pretty decent. It was not extraordinary but it was definitely way better than the usual breakfast buffet spread that you have at hotels. I mean, at least I had a choice in what I wanted to eat and I could eat in the comfort of our own villa, watching tv, blasting rock music at 9am in the morning, and watching sunlight glint off the pool.

We got dressed, strolled over to the reception area and asked for a ride to Pak Malen in the Seminyak area. Pak Malen is one of the popular warungs in Seminyak serving the iconic babi guling (suckling pig). The driver dropped us off across the street and we found ourselves in front of a little roadside shop with a huge sign board that says Pak Malen. The interior was dark, stuffy and really hot, and I was sweating even before I sat down. I did not know what to expect and asked for a menu, which they apparently did not have because they only served one dish - babi guling. I was really amused and pointed at whatever everyone else was eating and asked for two.

And this was what came. I was pretty devastated at the small slice of suckling pig because I was expecting a bigger piece. Yes, I know, I am too greedy for my own good. But the suckling pig was good, really good in fact. So thick, crispy and crunchy! Well-deserving of the raves it receives. The other little side dishes were average. I was pretty clueless as to what I was eating, but food is food, so I continued shoveling them into my mouth happily.

We strolled along the streets, peered into shops filled with clothes by local designers, got bored and finished "shopping" in less than two hours. Seminyak Square was equally boring and I concluded that we were not inclined to shop. At all. Which thankfully is a common trait shared by both of us so we quickly agreed to move on to Ku De Ta since our common hobby is to sit around at beach clubs with a drink and chill. We actually managed to find our way there based on our little map and the boyfriend's astute sense of direction. I confess that I am virtually useless when it comes to reading maps.

Ku De Ta was visibly less crowded as compared to Potato Head and we found a seat near the beach so we could have a clear unobstructed view of the sea. I really enjoyed Ku De Ta's choice of music because they were playing awesome 1980s songs the whole afternoon instead of the techno tracks favored by Potato Head. Sitting there in the strong sea breeze, humming along to familiar songs, drinks in hand and reading The Great Gatsby. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

When it was almost evening, we decided to stroll along the beach back to our villa. It was a nice long walk even though we had to waddle across a little stream that flowed into the sea. That was a funny moment because the boyfriend was wearing SHOES and there was no other way to get across so he had to sink his shoes into the ankle-deep waters and walk across, after which his shoes became wet, muddy and gross. I stood there laughing at him for a good five minutes while he tried to shake water off his shoes.

Our villa package also included a dinner in the villa so I ordered the pan-fried sea bass while the boyfriend had the lamb chop. The food was decent but nothing much to write home about. My sea bass was slightly overcooked which led to it being kind of tough but the food was otherwise passable.