BABI GULING IBU OKA

Babi Guling Ibu Oka is the infamous suckling roast pig that has the world talking, is only you can try during your trip to Ubud. Daily 8 whole pigs are roasted but during the holiday season they can prepare up to 12 pig roasts. Lets just remind you that Ibu Oka opens only 7 hours a day and if you did the math, you would realize the colossal amount of mouths demanding to be fed!. The dish, served with a generous amount of rice at the bottom and garnished with crackling pork skin, tender and very aromatic pork meat, accompanied with assorted fried innards and chili-vegetable condiment may appear simple is not to be underestimated, for it requires a special expertise to prepare. The preferred way to enjoy this meal is with your bare hands.

Seating capacity is however limited, and diners would often have to eat their food standing up or squatting outdoors. This place is so famous that customers would even brave the drenching rain to find a corner to savour every morsel of the delicious pork. Nothing goes to waste at Ibu Oka’s, utilizing every part of the pig, the bloody sausage, with strong flavors and tender meat is equally a mouth-watering treat. It gets one thinking though, what makes Ibu Oka’s suckling pig roast more special amongst the thousands of restaurants serving Babi Guling around Bali? The only person who holds the answer to that question is Ibu Oka’s part owner, who revealed to us that the secret lies in the consistency and hard work that is put into maintaining the quality of the pig roast, that has been perfected by his family over generations.

When asked about Ibu Oka’s suckling pig recipe, there was no hesitation to disclose the ingredients and we were even offered a tour of the kitchen. We also enquired about all the hype that Ibu Oka has stirred worldwide and the answer was that it was likely due to a gentleman from the U.S.A who had promised to publish a column about Ibu Oka in the American newspaper, 4 to 5 years ago. Forget printed media, this humble gentleman surely didn’t realize the raving reviews that world renowned chefs like Anthony Bourdain, aired on the famous TV show No Reservations that almost contemplated the hard core New Yorker to leave his concrete jungle hometown and settle down in Bali for good, courtesy of Ibu Oka. Those who have had the opportunity to taste Ibu Oka’s suckling pig will realize that without a doubt, there is no other place like it in the world.