LOMBOK: Best Ikan Bakar in Warung Menega

The best meal I had in Indonesia was in this sooty little hut by the beach in Lombok. No ambiance at all, just some tables and a smoky grill. In our opinion, It’s even better than all the restos we’ve tried in Jimbaran Bali, even it’s cousin Cafe Menega. The secret to Warung Menega are the yummy the sauces (which is yummier than what I’ve tasted in Jimbaran) and how perfectly cooked the seafood is – perfectly succulent, smoky, sweet and spicy at the same time. My favorite is to combine the garlic dip with the kecap manis (both on the right in the picture below)

Just like other Ikan Bakar (grilled seafood) restaurants we ordered our grilled seafood which was marinated in their special sauce and the meal comes with spicy lang-kong and unlimited rice for everyone.

Being from Mindanao, I am both a seafood fiend and seafood snob. I’d rather not eat anything at all than eat seafood that is not super fresh and I can eat lots and lots of it!

We ordered grilled fish (ikan), squid (cumi), clams (kerang) and prawns (udang). TD and I agree that the CLAMS were the best. The prawns and fish were finger-lickin’ good too. The squid was good, but if you are going in a smaller group and you can’t order so much then I would recommend you order the (in order of yumminess) clams, prawns and fish.

For drinks, there is always the popular lemon squash drink or beer Bintang. You can also bring a bottle of your poison of choice.

So if you find yourself in Lombok, this place is worth a visit. Put on your shorts and insect repellent and head over to Warung Menega. Again it doesn’t look like the cleanest place – it’s a warung after all – but the food will more than make up for it. Can you tell how happy we all were in our pictures below?

Check out a picture of the dirty tattered menu HERE.