melting wok warung - ubud, bali

Rating:  7 / 10

Housed in a charming building on "tourist lane", with every corner taken up by yogamericans in their late 40's hoping for a Julia Roberts experience, I naturally gravitated to a table away from the hushed whispers about acai seeds and stool consistency. 

The lady carried an obscenely large menu to my table and I hurried to pick an item just to avoid the spectacle. "Curry Coconut Noodles" and off she went, resting the sign for a few brief minutes as the message was relayed to the chef who peered out from combustibly hot kitchen sighing with life's routine imprinted on his soul. ​

On these days the fan was of no use. Literally none. The air being moved around was too wet to ever cool, and just created a swirl of humid mist that slapped you with the knowledge that it was winter in other hemispheres. 

I attacked the bowl with military tactics. Coaxing a false sense of security by prodding the front with my chopsticks as my spoon mercilessly caught the back unawares and dove in for a sip of broth. Sweet. Well, that's coconut milk for you, but flavoursome nonetheless. After a good mix of all the ingredients and some arduous lifting and chewing, the bowl was left, half empty. Too rich for my tastes but very fresh and good for what it was. I would recommend it for people who don't have the same reflexes as I do when confronted with thick coconut soup bases (even in Green Curry I prefer the one with more milk / less cream), and say it was a good meal suited for those of sweeter desires.

Perhaps Julia Roberts would have swooned over this bowl. Perhaps.

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.