The Open Page

We’d been in Nusa Dua for only two nights, and so far, the food had been amazing, the sands had been amazing, but both had been provided by the Ayodya Resort. On the third night, we were the kind of holiday-hungry you get when you are not as bothered about satisfying your stomach so much as you want to satisfy a curiosity, and when you’re looking for local cuisine, desire follows the nose. Everything smelt delicious, and there was so much choice, but (being difficult) I insisted on walking for half an hour before returning to the second bar we had passed (just to make sure we didn’t miss anything).
We walked through the door of Junkung Kuning and realised that ‘bar’ was a term to be used loosely. The back of the building was almost fully open, with tables spilling out onto the decking that rolled down the beach. We asked if there was any room to sit under the stars, hoping for a table on the decking, but it shows that manners go a long way, as the waiter instead lead us down onto the beach itself and we took a table next to the sea! Had you stopped me that night, I would have assured you that you had found paradise. As is customary when in a new country and chasing your hunger through smell, we asked the waiter what he would recommend and out came the sea food!
I never thought we’d plough through all that food, but it goes to show I can underestimate myself. I have never had lobster so fresh, you could almost imagine that the chefs had dove down and plucked one from the seabed behind us when we had placed out order. It was prepared with a homemade sambal and the sweet, spicy marinade managed to erupt with flavour without the fiery kick that puts so many people off chili based foods. The lobster was accompanied with nasi goreng: a rice dish similar to that of a Chinese fried rice. Being half Chinese and growing up with my dad’s fried rice I was sceptical before trying it, however I would like to be the first to admit I was wrong. The nasi goring was laced with crab meat and shrimps that packed so much flavour.
All in all, the Junkung Kuning was charming. It’s true that the establishment is a little rustic, with delightful bamboo weaving and charismatic staff; and if you’re looking for fine dining (and table cloths) it probably isn’t for you. But if you’re a bit of a foodie (like us) and what you ache for when in Bali is outstanding seafood, unbelievably fresh and spiced to perfection, then this little pearl is not to be overlooked.