Healthy Vegan Heaven – Bali

Hello my Vibrant Vegan Foodie Lovers,

If you are on the look out to reach your optimum state of wellness and glow from the inside out by nourishing your body with fresh and nutrient-dense vegan food you have come across the right blog and need to get yourself to Bali pronto!

Despite traveling on a backpackers budget I personally made the decision to not compromise my own health and wellbeing by only eating 2 minute noodles, but rather happily splurged just that little bit more on testing out the great vegan options that I came across during my time in Ubud, Canguu and North Kuta Area of Bali.

Flashback…

Many years ago when I first traveled to Bali I was neither vegan or into the healthy living lifestyle. I was well into partying, drinking, laying by the pool sipping cocktails at 9am, and eating junk food.

During my first visit I only had the opportunity to explore Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak as a tourist. When I say as a ‘tourist’ I mean more staying within my comfort zone of hotels and only conversing with the people I travelled with. I was not as open to getting to know the city citizens, expats that lived in Bali, or other travelers that were on the road. I prefered to stay within my friendship group, not wanting to expand my knowledge of the local culture and to really open up my eyes to what was on offer.

Now…

However, during this solo backpacking trip I decided to start this wonderful journey off in Bali as I just felt a calling from it to explore it for the true beauty and experience that it had to offer me. To delve into it with no expectations of what was to come and just  go with the flow as too many times we are pre conditioned by our own experiences or what we have heard from others to form objectives and judgements before even having our own experiences.

In this blog itself I will be exploring such a large component of traveling that can be sometimes satisfying, sometimes overwhleming for the senses, and depending upon where you are just god damn scary because you may not know what you are going to be given.

I am talking about FOOD, yes glorious food! We as humans require food and liquids for our basic survival…but what is the fun in just eating and drinking without finding the enjoyment in the tantalising tastes, the various aromas, the different textures, the culinary art that goes into varioius dishes, the nutritional value of these wholesome foods, and the cultural/regional influence that inspire each dish.

I find that to experience food as a traveler this does not come from researching through tripadvisor, but to just go out exploring on your own and connectting with the city citizens who give you the best tips that you can’t go wrong. So this is exactly how I found all these amazing places below that are a healthy vegan’s heaven and well just great food in general for anyone and everyone.

UBUD

Ubud is the creme de la creme of leading a healthy vegan diet and lifestyle in Bali with an abundance of cafes and restaurants that are either dedicated to the vegan/vegetarian community or those that still offer an amazing vegan option. You will literally not know where to start on this foodie tour, but here are some of the great places that I have tried during my time here  in Ubud, and even in my two weeks in Ubud I was not even able to eat my way through my wishlist. Now get ready for your food ba, throw on some loose fitted gypsy pants and enjoy!

1. Atman Kafe is located at Jl. Hanoman, no 38, Ubud. I could not resist the beetroot and cacao raw vegan cake with a side of vegan chocolate and orange ice cream.
   

 

2. Bali Buda in Ubud this is located at Jl. Jembawan No. 1 Ubud. I demolished this Red Rice Flour wrap filled with falafel, eggplant, cucumber, and salad after my Vibyasa Flow Class at Radiantly Alive.

    

 

3. Kafe  is located at Jl. Hanoman, no. 44b, Pedang Tegal. The first visit I tested out the Tempe Cashew Nut Curry with Red Rice to ensure that I had my complete protein. On my second visit I decided to go for the Black Rice Pudding with coconut milk and bananas.

4. Dayu’s Warung is located at Jl. Sugriwa No. 28X, Padang Tegal, Mekar Sari. This restaurant is a great place to experience healthy wholesome food at local prices. I tried the Nasi Campur Sari and was delighted when I was presented with this colourful and filling plate.

 

 

 

5. The Seeds of Life Cafe can be located at Jl. Gootma no. 2. and is a dedicated raw vegan cafe. I had the Vege Wrap – Zuccchini wrapper filled with vegetables and sweet potato crisps. I couldn’t resist the Raw peppermint slice afterwards that was beckoning to me.

6. Alchemy Bali is located at Jalan Penestanan Klod and is another 100% Raw Vegan Cafe which also has an extensive salad bar. As tempting as the salad bar was I could not go past this Vegan Spinach Quiche with Cashew Nut Cheese just out of pure curiosity. I was not disappointed.

 

 

7. Sage Bali is located at Jl. Nyuh Bulan No. 1, Banjar Nyuh Kuning (just out of the city centre) which has an amazing setting and offers a fully vegetarian and vegan menu. On my first visit I chose the Vibrant Bowl with brown rice, black beans, carrots, beetroots, tempeh, and a garlic tahini dressing. On my second visit there I chose a green smoothie and a gluten free, vegan carrot cake which was absolutetely to die for!

8. Clear Cafe is located at Jalan Campuhan which has a stunning outlook to the temple. I have never had a vegan milkshake so decided to indulge in this vegan chocolate cashew nut milk shake with coconut ice cream. YUM is one word I have to use to decribe this!

 

 

9. Art Cafe is located at Jl. Monkey Forest and has a sweet spot on the second floor looking out onto the garden that makes you feel like you are away from the hustle of Ubud. Here I tested went for a more local dish taking in the aroma and flavours of this Indonesian Curry with tofu and vegetables served with a side of red rice.

 

CANGUU (North Kuta Area)

Canguu is an amazing location at the North of Kuta. The atmosphere from Ubud to Canguu is of a great contrast  from what I felt and could see. Ubud itself had the main centre area which was in a great walking distant and had this energetic healing buzz (could be the oodle of yoga studios, vegan restaurants, and balinese healers around).

Canguu on the other hand is more widespread in location requiring the use of a scooter to easily get around. Or if you are based near Echo Beach you could also happily walk along the beach or the streets passing all the surfers, cafes and restaurants  indulging in a more chilled out beach life. This is a great place to slow down and relax during the day just soaking up the sun, fresh air, new cafes and restaurants with a fresh coconut in your hand while enjoying the fabulous meals at your disposal. Below are some of the amazing places that I just had to try while my time in Canguu and North Kuta…Ah what I do for the sake of research!

1. Xich Lo Bali is located at Kerobokan Kelod, North Kuta, Badang Regency. This restaurant is located just on the side of the road with the outlook right onto the calming rice fields.
The atmosphere adds to the freshness of the ingredients and tastes at Xich Lo Bali. I could not go past the vermicelli noodles with lemongrass tofu, bean sprouts and vietnamese spring rolls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Kunti 3 is located at Jl. Raya Denpasar Gilimanuk just off the main street. This is a small restaurant but with a very authentic Japense feel to it. I love Japanese food and can never go past Miso Eggplant and Avocado Sushi rolls as my go to vegetarian dishes.

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1. 3. Samadi Bali is located at Jl. Padang Linjong, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Budang. This cafe is part of the Yoga shala that offers a wide range of various different styles.I fell in love with this cafe as it has such a great atmosphere as it is an open space surrounded by trees and even a relaxing wooden marquee which I sat underneath as I indulged in this Homemade Bircher Muesli with cashew nut milk and topped with fresh fruit.
   

 

 

4.  Alkaline Restaurant  is part of Serenity Eco Guest House. This wonderful space is located at Jl. Nelayan, Kuta Utara, Kabuaten Badung and is everything that you could want with affordable accomodation, yoga studio, and of course the amazing Alkaline Restaurant.

I ended up staying at thi restaurant for 8 hours as I was working on my blog and also chilled out with my friend listening to the soothing music and lazing on the cushioned floors feeling completely relaxed. During this one visit I managed to work through a Tempe and Tofu Salad and afterwards the Mango Guacamole with homemade bread. Outstanding menu with a great range of traditional Indonesian cuisines, raw and vegan options, and even vegan desserts and ice creams. Certainly worth a second, third and fourth visit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Betelnut Cafe is located at Jl. Btu Bolong no. 60 Canguu has become my favourite breakfast destination whilst my stay here offering a diverse menu from my Naga Bomb smoothie bowl with blended dragon fruit, banana and coconut topped with granola and oodles of superfoods :). The scrambled tofu and muhrooms wrap as so satisfying and nourishibng (no need for eggs when you get your protein from these plant sources).

Not only is Betelnut a fantastic place for breakfast and lunch it is in an ideal locationonly 5 minutes walk to Echo Beach, has a great vibe to hang out all day with friends, reading or blogging like myself with stable wi fi and power plugs (something that I am always looking for when working on the road).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you all enjoy these amazing options and many more that you will find within this Healthy Vegan Heaven which I call Bali. Please feel free to leave a comment or write to me at tiffanyalexandrama@gmail.com if you have any questions or even other suggestions that I was not able to explore.

With lots of love,

Tiffany