Peanut sauce makes anything better

For my first dinner in Ubud, I am excited to try a warung popular with locals and budget-minded expats alike. Called Mangga Madu, it specializes in Indonesian and has a nice patio a bit east of town. On the walk on the way there, I came across this very neat statue at a roundabout.

Though it's dark, you might be able to make out a sea warrior, some goblin-like creatures, and additional ornamentation. I took it as an auspicious sign.

I started with drinks, plural. A large Bintang, perfectly refreshing with the heat and moisture in the air. And, to complement, a home-brewed hot ginger beer drink. The ginger beverage was excellent, like a cross between a Reed's Extra Ginger Brew and a hot toddy. Felt like a perfect amuse bouche to get me ready for dinner.

For the main course, I had nasi pecel madu, a rice and noodle concoction with vegetables, peanut sauce, and an assortment of side dishes. This one included tempeh (upper left, looks like a granola bar), prawn cracker, soybean cracker, and some tofu. It was good, but alas not magical. If anything it needed a bit more spice - surprisingly, the sambal that came with it didn't add much heat.