Food of the islands - where's the consistent flavor?

So, I thought I might sacrifice a certain amount of culinary delight in my trip to the Gilis. I mean, these are non-motorized islands we're talking about. I will say, though, that I am surprised the food was so bland, with not much attempt at coherent flavor and very little spice. Definitely tourist-ed food, and not the better for it. The best of the best were some ok meals that had some ups and some downs. Here's the quick rundown:

Starting out not strong at all was lunch on Friday. at Alam Gili, I had the Bakmi Goreng. It was so uninspired. It was simple noodles (much like, if not one and the same, the instant noodles that come in those cheap ramen packets) with a modicum of overcooked vegetables. That's it. No saucing, no sambal, no flavor.

Slightly better was a tapas dinner at Karma Kayak. After my debacle trying to stay there, I had to at least try the food. And it was ok. Good tapas for an Indonesian island, not that good when compared to tapas in San Sebastien (ok, that standard might be high). First was an olive tapenade that was a good change of pace from Indonesian cooking. And, god, I love olives. Then I had a trio of dishes: green beans in sauce, meatballs in sauce, and fried sardines with aioli. The sardines were the winners, nicely fried and with a good citrus kicker. The meatballs were decent, though the sauce lacked punch. The only virtue of the green beans were the nice fried onions on top - the beans themselves were steamed to death and soaked in soggy tomatoes.

I didn't get a picture of an ok and really cheap lunch at Bu'de, an Indonesian warung in the interior of the island. A mixed plate with rice, some saucy chicken, and a handful of other veggies. Not bad!

I also didn't get a picture of my next dinner, which is a shame because it was one of the best. Seafood pizza at Coral Beach 2 Bungalows. They had an actual wood fired oven and they actually knew how to use it. Excellent! The crust was delightful and the sauce pretty tasty too. It only went slightly awry in toppings, where the fish they added had a funky flavor that didn't fit (though the squid weren't bad!)

Next up was lunch at Balenta on Gili Meno (where I was for a day trip). Here I ordered Sasak food (local food of the predominantly Muslim Lombok inhabitants). I got the pelecing kangkung, a green bean dish with coconut and tomatoes. Unfortunately, totally mediocre, providing sustenance and little else.

Finally, I gave Alam Gili a chance to redeem itself, which it did, partially at least. Sunday night turned out to be a rainy night, so I just stayed in and around my room. Dinner on my verandah was a starter of garlic brown bread and sauteed squid with salad and rice. The garlic brown bread was nice, just a bit skimpy given the price (25,000 rupiah for four small slices of bread). The squid was also good though not perfect - the texture was nice and the salad had a delectable dressing. Overall, a B- / C+ effort. But better, at least.

Almost forgot! There was one breakfast at Alam Gili that was actually splendid. Top of the list was the muesli with fruit salad. Everything was fresh and tasty, with the perfect amount of honey. Also good was the drink. And the nasi goreng (rice with egg and vegetables). Oh, and don't forget the view!!!