Few minutes into an easy trek on a meandering narrow trail amid a paddy, we saw a familiar compound. Hubby and I laughed at our ignorance. It was the guesthouse where we had been staying in for days, yet we didn’t know that the path toward our destination that afternoon was literally just outside our backdoor.

We had to walk from our guesthouse’s main entrance along a paved alley, out to the main street and back into the rice fields of Subak Sok-Wayah (where the guesthouse is actually nestled in) so as to be guided by the directional signs. And well, simply because we didn’t know there’s a shortcut from our rear gate to Warung Bodag Maliah.

Good Maps didn’t tell us that.

I learned about Warung Bodag Maliah (run by organization Sari Organik) from online reviews. It’s a fifteen-minute walk from the main road. And though that doesn’t seem much, not a lot of people make the effort to come here. Especially when there’s a threat of rain, which was the case that day.

We sped through beautiful greenery and arrived at an almost empty restaurant. We were able to choose a table right by the edge where we had an unobstructed view of farmers working the field. Menu came straight away and I ordered baba ghanoush just as fast. The hubby, who took more time choosing his, asked for the sari wrap. For drinks, we ordered chai tea for me and banana lassi for the hubby and our daughter Luna.

Food was prompt and prepared fresh. The wait prolly varies, depending on the number of diners. My baba ghanoush was beautifully creamy, well seasoned and with a smoky after taste. Wasn’t a fan of the pita bread though, maybe cause I was expecting something different. Like a very thin kind of pita. And oh, the side salad was a delight.

Hubby’s sari wrap (chapati with vegetables, feta cheese and tomato sauce), was pretty good as well. The sauce didn’t overpower the other ingredients. Portion was hefty. As for the drinks, the banana lassi was more banana than yogurt, and wasn’t too sweet. The chai tea was piping hot when it arrived, and as chai as one could get.

What’s special about the resto’s food is its ingredients, which come from their organic garden — adjacent to the restaurant. And yah know how organic food is, it’s almost always more expensive than the non-organic. But in Warung Bodag Maliah, it is relatively cheap, considering the quality of what they serve. Plus the location is tops! The resto was an instant fave for us.

Also in Subak Sok-Wayah, while en route to Warung Bodag Maliah, we came across (impossible to miss) Cafe Pomegranate which we tried the next day. We came for an early dinner (didn’t want to walk back to the guesthouse in the dark) and there was only one other table occupied. Unlike Warung Bodag Maliah’s interior, Cafe Pomegranate’s appears more ritzy but still with a tropical theme.

We positioned ourselves on the plush lounge chairs. Wait staff attended to us quickly and with a smile. Dishes were a little pricier, and choices were limited. It didn’t take long for us to pick our meals. I ordered the wahn-tan noodle Singaporean style and hubby ordered the Indian curry with coconut cream.

The noodle dish was good but not outstanding. A bit bland for ‘Singaporean-style noodles’, but then maybe the seasoning’s adjusted with the western travelers’ taste buds in mind. It provided a refreshing break though from the usual Indonesian noodle dishes.

Hubby’s Indian curry fared better. We requested for a mildly spicy version so our daughter could eat it as well, in case she didn’t like the noodles. Fortunately, she ate both. She’s adventurous like that.

Couples started pouring in when we finished. Cafe Pomegranate at night serves as a romantic venue for dates. We left at twilight for we didn’t bring a torch. Didn’t want to feel our way through the darkness.

We’ll highly recommend Warung Bodag Maliah and Cafe Pomegranate to anyone, vegetarians and non-vegetarians. They may be tricky to find, but they will surely prove you their worth. We loved them both but if we were to choose only one to go back to, it’ll definitely be Warung Bodag Maliah.