Warung Mek Juwel: Culinary Journey Amid Ubud’s Rice Fields

Warung Mek Juwel wasn’t how I had imagined it ━ not even with the patchy pictures I had seen online.

Firstly, the Grab driver dropped us at the wrong spot, at the vegan restaurant Moksa. The area looked like a farmer’s backyard, with rice fields and resting huts. But since we were already there, we walked along the unpaved road to find anything resembling an eating place. A few meters later, we climbed a stone staircase, passing a gate to what looked like someone’s house. I could see the people’s heads from below looking up. It was an eatery. It was Warung Mek Juwel.

Warung Mek Juwel was recommended separately by two Balinese, so I put it on my list while in Bali. I was also very tempted by the chilli paste I saw on Kompas online ━ Sambal Embe.

Inside, I looked around for the waiter or anyone, but since none came, I went to the cashier, who told us to sit anywhere we wanted, followed by “Two plates?” after looking at us. I replied yes before adding tea and iced lemon tea as drink choices before leaving to find an empty table to sit at.

Apparently, Warung Mek Juwel had no menu.

Only the day before, Fafa hypothesised that a place in Bali with a limited menu in their ‘Warung’ guarantees good food. By the same logic, this place should only be better since they only offered one thing and no menu ━ Nasi Campur Ayam.

Nasi Campur Ayam Warung Mek Juwel

Literally translated as “mixed rice with chicken,” it’s Balinese-style mixed rice with chicken as the protein of choice, served in various spice-rich Balinese cooking styles—ranging from skewered, shredded, smoked to crispy skin. All are meant to be mixed and eaten together.

The place looked like a house courtyard turned into an eatery, and the eating area was random and rustic. There was a group sitting below a large sized Balinese traditional umbrella. Others sat cross-legged ━ ‘lesehan‘ style under the gazebo. Some on folded chairs squeezed between random tables.

We sat on a Chinese-styled stone table under a huge mango tree, trying to avoid head concussion from the free falling ripe mangos.

There was no set system, Warung Mek Juwel was a vibe.

Thankfully, the vibe could easily be defeated by the plate of food, which came only after I returned to remind them we were still waiting. One spoon in, I immediately understood why the locals recommended it.

What made the one at Warung Mek Juwel stand out was the variety of food on the plate, topped off by the most flavorful chilli concoction, the Sambal Embe. The chilli paste is unique to Bali and made with shrimp and fried onions, elevating the flavours significantly.

I have always loved the concept of Nasi Campur, and this was one the best I had eaten in Bali ━ comparable with Nasi Pedas Ibu Andika and was way better than Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku we had the day before.

We ordered another plate so I could have the rice and Fafa the chicken. We also asked for a plate of Sambal Embe because no Indonesian food is complete without sambal. Sambal, to us Indo, is like cheese to Italian, or is it pasta?

The Nasi Campur Ayam was IDR30K ━ 3 AUD a plate, and for three rice and two drinks, we paid 105K ━ IDR 10 AUD before tip (I encourage tipping and tipping generously while in Indo), and they only take cash (seriously, is the place really someone’s backyard???)

I walked out of the place in a daze—the only way to feel after a meal worth a blog post.

Marung Mek Juwel Address: F6VW+767, Jl. Melati, Sayan, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia.

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