Restaurants for vegetarians in town

Restaurants for vegetarians in town

Wahyuni Kamah, Contributor, Denpasar

Strolling down Denpasar's streets, most of the food vendors
are offering seafood, Balinese food, Muslim delicacies or
Javanese food mainly made with meat, either fish, chicken or
beef. It is also the same in fast food outlets or franchise
restaurants.

Vegetarians have very few options to spoil their appetite in
this tourist city. Some upper class restaurants do cater to the
needs of vegetarians, but their prices often exclude those who
are on lower budgets.

There are some medium budget vegetarian restaurants, each with
its own characteristics, dotted in and around Denpasar. Here is a
look at some of these restaurants.

* Govinda Prasadam.

Location: Jalan Tukad Yeh Aya No. 24, Denpasar, Tel. (0361)
256342. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

What's it got: It is the place to find pure vegetarian food.
Run by a group of Hare Krishna devotees, the menu is generally an
Indian style but one can also find Balinese food.

You can find, for instance, satay, vegetarian curry and
Balinese pepes (spicy steamed fish wrapped in banana leaf), which
are not made with meat at all, but with meat substitutes. The
variety is limited but it is worth a try.

Taste factor: None of the food contains shallots, garlic,
artificial taste enhancer, or shrimp paste. Taste comes from
excellent combinations of spices like kencur root, pepper and
chilies. The food is very tasty (its satay is excellent) and the
pudding is worth trying.

One can also find bread, cake, vegetarian shrimp paste,
vegetarian noodles and vegetarian "meat" in a small shop corner
inside the restaurant. The portions are small but sufficient
enough to fill most empty stomachs.

Price points: The price is reasonable, about Rp 30,000 for
two. The place is cozy, as customers eat with the paddy fields on
the left and right sides.

* Warung Sehat Pak Oles

Location: Jalan Letda Kajeng 21D, Renon, Denpasar. Tel. 081-
361-3445-133. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Looks: The interior in this air-conditioned room is naturally
set and made of wood. A bar in the corner has many health drinks
which include medicinal herbs jamu. The jamu drinks are named
according to its benefits, for instance, super power jamu for men
and super lady jamu for women.

What's it got: This is the place to find both vegetarian and
health food at reasonable prices. Rice, vegetables and fruit used
in the menu are grown organically.

The menu selection includes six kinds of soup, 13 main courses
and also some Italian and Chinese food.

Try the favorite sup sehat (healthy soup) whose vegetable
combination can lower your cholesterol. Though no artificial
taste enhancers are added, the food tastes super.

Eggs are included in the menu. Calling itself a health food
restaurant, the dishes and drinks in this restaurant were
previously experimented on by Pak (Mister) Oles personally and
are mostly curative. Try the red teh rempah -- a spicy, oriental
tea.

Price points: The price ranges from Rp 3,000 to Rp 10,000 per
portion. Occasionally, special packages are offered at Rp 17,500
++ per person which includes a plate of organic rice, any kind
of soup and an omelet.

The price of the jamu drinks vary from Rp 7,000 to Rp 15,000
per glass.

Verdict: This newly opened restaurant is the best to enjoy
healthy food. The prices all have a 10 percent service charge but
the service is good and efficient.

* Happy Vegetarian Healthy Food

Location: Jalan Raya Kuta 143, Kuta. Tel. 0816 136 2203
Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

What's it got: This vegetarian restaurant calls itself the
spiritual and healthy food restaurant. It is the best place to
find a wide selection of vegetarian food. Most food is prepared
in Chinese style such as the ayam asam manis (sweet and sour
chicken), seafood, satay, barbecued pork, barbecued duck, chicken
liver and even fried eels. The names -- chicken, eels and pork --
might scare vegetarians away but the food is entirely pure
vegetarian, made of gluten, mushrooms, soybeans and vegetables.

Taste factor: Its taste is much like most other Chinese foods.
Like in other vegetarian restaurants, no shallots, garlic or
artificial taste enhancer are used. Try its tasty kacang merah
(red bean) soup and crispy, yummy pangsit (minced "meat" in crisp
fried cases).

Price points: The price ranges from Rp 9,500 to Rp 17,000 per
portion. There are also special menu packages offered at
reasonable prices. The packages cost Rp 25,000, including soup, a
main course and soft drinks. The air-conditioned interior of the
restaurant is simple in appearance and the service is good.