6 months ago, Stephen and I started thinking about our travel plans for 2020. We seriously contemplated re-visiting Japan, almost bought tickets for Vancouver and wondered if Alivia was too young for Disney World. Our indecisiveness saved us from having to cancel travel plans once the seriousness of COVID19 became evident. Like many others, my in-laws had to cancel their UK trip and my parents have delayed their annual Cuba vacation to the fall.

While our dreams of a family vacation this year have been put on hold, the best part about travelling for your appetite is being able to relive memories through food. My fondest memory of Disney World is discovering their famous smoked turkey legs with my mom and little brother. That trip, we shared one huge turkey leg between the three of us. Meanwhile, on my trip with Stephen, we each devoured our own possessively. Then in Tokyo Disneyland with hours of lines, the Turkey Leg line was one we were willing to brave for Alivia to get her first taste.

This recipe for Smoked Turkey Legs brings a small bit of magic to our own backyard and you don’t even need a smoker. We use our normal bbq with a smoker box for delicious results. Even without a smoker box, making an aluminum foil pouch filled with wood chips (then poke some holes in the pouch with a fork) also works! The key is keeping the smoke going and cooking at a temperature of 275°F. Cooked for two hours, the turkey leg is sweet, smokey and super tender.

For other delicious recipes featuring turkey, visit www.ThinkTurkey.ca

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Turkey Farmers of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

Yum

Smoked Turkey Legs

Prep Time: 24 hours

Cook Time: 2 hours

Yield: 2-3

Ingredients

• 2 turkey legs
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp curing salt
• 4 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 cup of filtered water
• 1 cup of hickory smoking wood chips
• 1 cup of cherry smoking wood chips

Instructions

1. 24 hours before smoking, marinate turkey legs in a sealed bag with kosher salt, curing salt, dark brown sugar and filtered water. Make sure the sugar is dissolved and remove as much air as possible, making sure the turkey legs are fully submerged. Optional: rotate the bag after 12 hours for full contact/coverage.
2. Fill a smoker box with wood chips and set over direct heat on BBQ. Preheat BBQ until 275°F and smoky.
3. Place turkey on the upper grill, indirect heat, and smoke until internal temperature hits 165°F, about 2 hours. Maintain the BBQ temperature at 275°F and refill wood chips in the smoker box as needed.

Notes

Tips: For easier clean up and to keep the turkey moist, place a baking tray under the turkey legs filled with water. This will also catch the drippings.

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When I hear about a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations and always has a lineup, my curiosity gets piqued. I will go pretty far for good food, but I don’t like waiting, especially not in the winter. Kookminhakgyo is a somewhat new Korean BBQ spot in North York that’s quickly gained popularity and with it, long wait times for a table. The restaurant is also small and only holds 15-20 people at a time. Friends have told me stories about waiting on Friday nights and giving up from hunger. To maximize our chance of being seated quickly, The Hubby and I stopped by with a friend on a Thursday at 6pm (90 minutes after their doors opened). We still ended up waiting about 30 minutes, but the pork belly was worth it.

Atmosphere: Dining at Kookminhakgyo was unique. Tables were round and steel with a grill built in the centre. Barrel like stools surrounded each table, which were hollow with a removable cushion top, providing guests with a place to store their belongings. The space was tight with guests close to each other and servers weaving in between tables. Guests ranged from middle-aged office workers to girlfriends Instagramming their meal. The air was filled with BBQ, smoke, music and chatter, making me feel like I was at a busy Asian night market

Service: Stopping by at 6pm, Kookminhakgyo was already full. Near the entrance, a piece of paper was hung on the wall. This was the waitlist where guests wrote down their name and number to queue for a table. We added our name to the list and went back to the warmth of the car to wait for our call back. Only a few parking spots were available in front of the restaurant and they filled quickly. With the limited number of tables, and each party being sat at a grill regardless of their party size (2 or 6 people), the list moved slowly. Once we were called back and seated, service was actually great. It was a bit hard to communicate with our server over the music (a great 90’s playlist). Service was efficient and thoughtful. Our server asked about refilling side-dishes and changing grills without us doing any prompting.

Food: While fun decor and great service were a plus, the most important part of dinner was still the BBQ and Kookminhakgyo delivered. For the three of us, we ordered Pork Belly, Pork Belly with Skin and Pork Jowl. The beautiful, fatty meat arrived on two metal platters along with a host of side dishes. The side dishes were strong and spicy. I loved the pickled jalapeno slices. In addition to various kimchis, we were also served a bowl of spicy soy bean soup and a bowl of fluffy, steamed egg. The egg was seasoned, airy and so good. Being served in a stone pot, the bottom of the egg fried up and was delicious.

The fatty pork jowl was cut in thin strips, but thick enough to maintain a great chewiness when cooked. Dipped in the salt and oil with a few sprigs of green onion made the perfect bite. Of course, my favourite meat was the pork belly. We tried both the cut with and without skin. With skin meant more layers of fatty goodness and some added texture, which I really enjoyed. Wrapping up each chunk of pork belly in lettuce with a bit of red sauce and grilled garlic was heaven. I liked how the pork belly was cross hatched meaning they cooked flat and even on the grill. The quality and thickness of the pork belly was excellent. For both cuts, the flavour was fresh, meaty, and the fat rendered wonderfully on the grill.

Overall dinner was really good. I may have found a new favourite Korean BBQ spot, along with plenty of others.

Every year, beginning with The Hub’s birthday in October, is what I fondly call “birthday season”, all the way up to the end of the year. Between October 1st and Dec 31st we celebrate 10 birthdays. This means we’re eating out quite a bit and it’s the perfect occasion to try out new hot spots or share our favourite restaurants in the city with our friends and family. Branca is one restaurant that The Hubs visited without me and has been raving about ever since. They are located fairly west in the city and a birthday dinner was an excellent reason for us to make the trek out, dragging one of our best friends along.

Atmosphere: Branca was a nondescript restaurant located in the Dundas West neighbourhood with a menu inspired by Argentinian cuisine. The 36 seat dining room was super cozy and intimate with dim lighting and plush benches. One wall was exposed brick, while the other three were decorated with a dark wallpaper of lush tropical foliage. It was a great spot for catching up and celebrating with a delicious bottle of wine and seriously mouth watering food.

Service: I truly enjoyed the service at Branca during our dinner. Our server was friendly and checked in on us without hovering, we felt well taken care of through every course. He also recommended an excellent wine for us based on our price range and the food we had ordered, so bonus points there. Each dish arrived with a brief introduction. Both the tomahawk steak and fire roasted short rib were served pre-sliced.

Food: Reading through the menu, we knew right away we were getting the 30 day dry aged bone-in ribeye. With 48 oz of steak as our main, the rest of our order was a matter of balancing between dishes we really wanted to try and not ordering too much food (my eyes are always larger than my stomach). For appetizers, we narrowed the choices down to just the Pulpo, grilled Spanish octopus with potato, lemon and pickled mustard seeds. The single leg was incredibly tender, easy to chew, and flavourful. Compared to similar restaurants, the price of the plate for the portion size was comparable. Stand alone, relative to other items on the menu, this was pricey at $22.

For sides, we chose Brussel Sprouts and Crispy Potato Strings. While the brussels sprouts were good, the potato strings were spectacular. There were essentially perfectly crispy, extra long fries seasoned with fresh herbs (and maybe butter?). We easily polished off the entire plate.

Our two mains were the Fire Roasted Beef Short Rib and the Tomahawk. Three condiments were served alongside, a housemade chimichurri, pasilla chili and tomato salsa. Mixing a bit of all three made a perfect sauce for the beef and could be tweaked as I ate. We needed a few refills on the chimichurri, which has become my go-to sauce for steak recently. The acidity was a perfect contrast to the fatty, rich, ribeye. This was one of the best steaks I’ve had in the city. I loved that everything from the charred bone to rendered gristle was served. Our table enjoyed every last bite and The Hubs cleaned up the bone. The main part of the ribeye was a pink medium rare, juicy and mouth watering. There was an excellent char on the outside that locked all of the flavour in. The short rib was buttery soft and had a great smoke flavour.

Overall, dinner at Branca was a great evening. Service was lovely and the menu would delight any true carnivore. The fries were also a must order, if you’re not convinced by me, how amazing they smell on the way to tables around you will.

When it comes to Korean BBQ, my preference has shifted to appreciate quality over quantity. Back during my university days I loved AYCE spots, especially ones with a late night discounted menu. These days with a little more disposable income, I’m look for beautifully marbled beef and fresh seafood. Arisu’s tabletop cooking fits the bill with premium Angus Beef, a bevy of authentic Korean entrees and an expansive selection of sake and soju.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Organized by DKLo of DKLoEvents, the menu tasting at Arisu was an event. The restaurant’s hospitality shined through with the sheer volume of food pouring out of the kitchen. There was more food than anyone could possibly finish and everyone went home with lunch for the next day. At one point, the plan was for each table to order from a list of entrees to taste, if they were still hungry. The restaurant instead served up every entree on the list, to allow us to try it all.

For appetizers, we tried the Veggie and Seafood Salad, Seafood Pancake, Sweet and Spicy Korean Chicken and Twi Gim (Korean tempura). Between the four, my favourite was the seafood pancake, which was packed with shrimp, squid and big pieces of green onion. With so many fillings, the batter of the pancake itself did struggle to stay hold its form. I also enjoyed the salad and liked the addition of thinly sliced avocado and cucumber to the wakame.

We tried two BBQ set menus. The first was the Korean Classic, which came with short rib galbi in a light seasoning and marinated, bulgogi, boneless seasoned short rib, pork belly and a basket of fresh lettuce and shiso leaves. Each person also had a small tray with 3 different seasonings and sauces to try. From this platter, my favourite cuts were the pork belly and lightly seasoned short rib that was beautifully marbled and very flavourful.

The second BBQ set we had was the Aberdeen Black Angus with locally raised, grass fed, aged beef. 5 different cuts were included, tenderloin, rib eye, boneless rib, flat iron and petit tender. Every piece was buttery soft and had a clean beefy flavour. I barely touched any of my dipping sauces with this BBQ set.

After filling up on BBQ, we sampled 5 entrees from Arisu’s lunch and dinner menus, My favourite was the Ox Bone Rice Noodle with its savoury, rich broth that clung to each noodle. This was the dish I claimed to take home leftovers of. This was followed closely by the Sushi Lunch Box set’s cold soba noodles.

• Aburi Oshi Sushi and grilled Black Cod marinated in miso – Served together on a large square platter, the dish was pretty and delicious.
• Spicy Sashimi Bibimbap – $14.99 Classic bibimbap ingredients with the addition of crab, chunks of tuna sashimi, ikura and tobiko.
• Ox Bone Rice Noodle – $12.99 Rice noodles and steamed beef in a thick bone marrow broth.
• Korean Lunch Box Set – $15.99 Tofu stew and Tteok Galbi, minced and seasoned beef rib patties on a sizzling plate.
• Sushi Lunch Box Set – $19.99 Soba noodles, tempura, salad and Galbi Roll

To wash down the meal, I sipped three kinds of sake and soju that night. One was ginseng infused, another raspberry and the last oak aged.

While researching for my next trip to Japan, I learned about yakiniku, or Japanese BBQ. My research led me to endless photos of beautifully marbled beef grilled to perfection. I’ve been eagerly jotting down restaurants to try in Tokyo. In the meantime, several spots specializing in yakiniku have opened in Toronto, one of them being Gyubee in Markham. I was invited to check out their AYCE menu and learn more about Japanese BBQ.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Gyubee opened earlier this year and offers an AYCE menu for both lunch and dinner. Although Gyubee is a Japanese restaurant, do not confuse them with typical Japanese AYCE spots. There is no sushi, but a selection of raw proteins to be grilled at the table and a variety of ready to eat side dishes, similar to Korean BBQs. One of the differences between Korean BBQ and yakiniku is that the cuts of meat weren’t marinated. Even though the menu is AYCE, the focus was on high quality, flavourful ingredients that would stand well on their own without the need of any sauces. The grill griddle was also thinner and the meats cooked quickly over the hot coals. Being left alone to cook our order was a touch stressful as I worried about burning the fatty slices of beef and pork. We were lucky that the owner demonstrated how to cook each menu item, and how to tell when they were ready, before leaving us to our own devices. For me, I let The Hubby handle the cooking tongs.

From the dinner menu, I really enjoyed the Boneless Beef Short Rib, Beef Tongue, Pork Belly and Squid. The slices of short rib were stunning, incredibly tender and juicy. There is a menu item for Marinated Sliced Short Ribs, an ode to Canadian customers more familiar with Korean BBQ, but our entire table preferred the taste of the non-marinated version. I found the Beef Tongue very tender, without a hint of graininess. All of the pork cuts were organic and hormone free. We were provided with garlic and salt to eat with the pork, but I didn’t even feel they were necessary, the cuts were so meaty and flavourful.

The menu also had a good selection of vegetables, that included all types of mushrooms, asparagus and zucchini. Sweet Potato was served in a small baking tin with brown sugar, to be cooked all together on the grill. After a few minutes, the sugar caramelized, coating the sweet potatoes with wonderful sticky, sweet sauce. Similarly, Enoki Mushrooms were served in a tin with butter, which melted and infused the enoki as they cooked. This was amazing. Many tins of enoki mushrooms was ordered at our table.

In addition to the high quality raw items, Gyubee offered a few ready to eat items like Salmon Carpaccio, bibimbap, miso soup and cold noodles. After indulging in all the savoury grilled meats, I really enjoyed the refreshing cold noodles, which was rice noodles served in a light acidic broth. The raw, shredded, cabbage salad was another side dish that perfectly accompanied the meat heavy meal. Our meal ended with dessert, creme brulee and a Melona bar (flavours vary daily)!

The restaurant was spacious, modern and elegant with dark wood decor. Booths were roomy and private with tall dividers. Overall, eating at Gyubee was a delicious introduction to yakiniku and I was blown away by their quality of ingredients from the marbled short rib to the juicy pork shoulder to the tender squid.

When I get a craving for Korean BBQ, it comes in two varieties that can lead me in two distinct and opposite directions. With one, I’ll be heading to the closest AYCE place to eat my fill of salty BBQ’ed ribs and beef for a low price. While the other craving will only be satisfied by delectable pork belly and sends me north to my favourite Korean BBQ restaurant, Piggy’s. Piggy’s specialize in a la carte Korean BBQ that includes high quality beef, and beautiful thick cut pieces of pork belly. They’ve recently opened a second mini branch downtown and invited me to stop by for a meal.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Little Piggy’s was located in Koreatown on Bloor near Spadina. Even though they had just opened the day before, there was a steady stream of curious customers walking in. The Hubby and I were seated at a table for four and the first thing we noticed was the lack of a built-in grill, but something was there. After a quick investigation (and seeing it turned on), we figured out the table had a built-in induction stove element. Pretty nifty.

To drink, I tried one of their Grapefruit Ade’s and The Hubby ordered the Blue Lemonade. Both drinks arrived in adorable smiley face glasses. I liked the strong citrus taste of mine and the mild sweetness paired well with the BBQ. Our main was the Mix BBQ Combo that came with pork belly, garlic pork and Korean style beef. As the meat sizzled in front of us, we snacked on bacchan and salad with a creamy poppyseed dressing. My favourite Korean side dish has always been mashed potatoes, which was one of the dishes that day.

When it came to the BBQ, I found that the induction stove didn’t heat up the grill pan as hot as their other location or as quickly. Our server helped us set each BBQ course on the grill and checked on their progress regularly. Once ready, our server cut the meat into bite size pieces for us. Out of the three different proteins, my favourite was of course the pork belly. The order of BBQ came with a hot stone bowl of soy bean soup and a basket of fresh, crisp lettuce leaves for wraps. We also each had a sectioned plate that came with fresh garlic, two dipping sauces and sliced onions to add to our wraps. I like throwing the fresh garlic on the edge of the grill to toast them a bit before eating. Similar to their uptown location, I enjoyed the quality of the cuts included and the light marinade on the beef. I find at most AYCE restaurants, the sauce overpowers the natural taste of the beef or pork.

Apart from BBQ, I also tried out Little Piggy’s spicy rice cakes and UFO fried rice. Both the texture of the rice cakes and the taste of the spicy red sauce were bang on. I also liked how the menu allowed customers to customize the rice cakes with an assortment of add-ons like seafood and ramen. A base dish started at $7.95 and toppings were an additional $2.95 each. The UFO fried rice was playful and again highly customizable. A mound of fried rice, with your pick of protein, was served surrounded by fluffy steamed egg on a round sizzling plate.

On top of their in-store menu, Little Piggy’s offered Cupbob, customizable bowls of bibimbap to go. For $6.99, each cup is filled with rice, a chosen protein, customizable toppings and drizzled with sauce. My Cupbob had japchae and bulgogi, topped with nori and a spicy mayo sauce. This would’ve made for a very filling and satisfying meal all on it’s own.

After a very satisfying, and filling, meal, dessert was needed. Piggy’s served creamy, delicious soft serve, topped with a square of honeycomb that was the perfect way to cap off the night.

Of all the cities I visited in South East Asia, Siem Reap in Cambodia was my favourite. We spent our days exploring ruined temples of the Khmer empire, some hidden in jungles and others restored to their former glory. At night, we wandered around Pub Street, munching on street food, souvenir shopping at Old Market and getting foot massages.

Siem Reap was a small and compact town. Our hotel was located halfway between “downtown” and the Angkor Archaeological Park. To get around, our primary mode of transportation was hiring Tuk-Tuks. Most of the drivers were friendly and understood some English. We always ended up where we wanted to go and only ran into one pushy driver who inflated his price. There shouldn’t be any surcharges based on time of day.

Pub Street, was a lively area filled with spas, restaurants and bars, and clearly meant for tourists. I liked visiting before sunset to snack on street food and wander around before settling at a restaurant for dinner. Two street food stalls I really enjoyed was one selling fried glutinous rice patties filled with chives and another making fried pearl noodles.

For dinner, I was drawn to the table top BBQ at Easy Speaking Restaurant, right along Pub Street next to bars and clubs. We sat at a table outside to people watch and met a very friendly street (hopefully clean) cat. To be honest, the restaurant was kind of a tourist trap, but that’s the atmosphere we were looking for that night. English menus were available, beers were cheap, ($0.50 – $1.00/glass) and the nightclub next door provided a lively background. Service and food though ranged from meh to not good. We had to be aggressive in getting a server’s attention. An older couple next to us sat for a solid 30 minutes before anyone even came by to take their order.

We tried the set bbq that included vegetables and 5 meats. At this point in our trip, I was trying to get as many vegetables into my diet as possible. The meats included chicken, frog, crocodile, snake and kangaroo. I’d tried all the animals except Kangaroo before, which was lean and mild in flavour. Our server set up the grill and we were left to cook the rest ourselves, similar to Korean BBQs.

Dinner was interesting, fun and included cats (by the end of our meal, our table had attracted 3 cats who napped under our table, patiently waiting for scraps). Not amazing in terms of taste but perfect for a touristy night out in Siem Reap.

On our way home, The Hubby and I were also fascinated by the colony of bats that lived in tall trees, basically in the middle of town. Our tour guide explained the bats have always lived there and were a part of the scenery. He seemed quite perplexed by how long we spent taking photos of them and staring.

Samuel Adams beer company has partnered with 6 talented Toronto chefs to create dishes and artisan products inspired by their iconic Boston Lager. One of these chefs is Chef Craig Harding of Campagnolo, well loved by Toronto restaurant go-ers (and myself!) for his delicious pasta dishes and mouth watering appetizers. I sat down with 3 other bloggers for an intimate meal at Campagnolo to discover how The Boston Lager inspired Chef Harding in the kitchen.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary by Samuel Adams Beer. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine. Photography by Jeffrey Chan courtesy of Samuel Adams

When I think about beer and food, one of the first things that come to mind is BBQ. So I was excited to learn that our main entree was a Smoked Brisket, brined for two days, brushed with sauce, cooked sous vide overnight in Samuel Adams beer, and then smoked for 4 hours. My mouth watered as Chef Harding described the dish and the aroma of brisket wafted up towards me. Each slice had the perfect pink smoke ring and a beautifully rendered fat cap. Fat is flavour. I also loved the deep, earthy flavours from the beer that soaked into the brisket.

What I liked about the Boston Lager, was that while each sip was refreshing and crisp, it was also a touch sweet, complex and complimented the savoury, smokey BBQ. With humble beginnings in Jim Koch’s kitchen, Boston Lager debuted in 1985 and today, each bottle is still made with the original recipe. This was the beer that started America’s obsession with craft beer, one I’m happily on board with.

Underneath all that brisket was another beer inspired dish, house made sauerkraut with chicken stock, mustard and Boston Lager. With this dish, you could taste a hint of the beer in the tanginess. After each bite, I automatically reached for a sip of Boston Lager, whose sweetness paired well with the acidity

In addition to the brisket, I also got to try my beer with three delicious appetizers, steak tartare, octopus carpaccio and fresh burrata cheese with roasted grapes. When paired with the the carpaccio, another tangy dish, the sweet, caramel flavours of the Boston Lager really jumped out. Meanwhile, paired with the steak tartare, a richer, savoury dish, I tasted more hops and earthiness. Paired with the burrata, a mild soft cheese, and grapes, the Boston Lager’s light, bitter undertones balanced the sweetness. Basically after every bite, I was reaching for my beer and was quickly ready for a refill. The Boston Lager proved to be versatile and truly #TheGoToBeer.

Chef Harding’s special Samuel Adams inspired Smoked Brisket and Sauerkraut will be available at Campagnolo only for the month of April.

While in Bali, Tanah Lot was high on my list of must-sees. A temple perched on a rock cliff over the ocean. During low tide, the temple is easily accessible from the white sandy beach. As the tide rises, the temple is surrounded by salt water and crashing waves. Most websites recommended visiting Tanah Lot during sunset for a spectacular view but warned of equally spectacular crowds. The Hubby and I decided to prioritize our own comfort and chose instead to visit during the morning, a quieter time at the temple. There were still plenty of tourists roaming around, but we managed to snap photos without background extras.

After admiring the view of Tanah Lot, picking up some souvenirs and ice cream, we headed to lunch. With one exceptional rib meal under our belt, we asked our driver for another bbq recommendation in the area. He knew of a place a short drive away and The hubby and I dozed off as soon as the engine started. We woke up as we pulled up in front of Hog Wild in Bali.

Hog Wild in Bali was a fairly modern restaurant with lots of fans and a bright sun room. Menus were in English and we had no issues communicating with our servers. In fact, I felt the restaurant was more of a tourist stop than where locals would eat. Their slogan proclaimed “Been naughty! Now Wild!” hinted at a potential rivalry between BBQ establishments on the island. Personally, Hog Wild in Bali felt like they were pushing hard to get their “wild” message across to visitors. We sat down at a wooden picnic table and settled on ordering half a rack each of beef and pork ribs.

Healthy jabs at the competition and kitschy persona aside, I was there for the ribs and unfortunately, Hog Wild didn’t win me over. Between the beef and pork ribs, the pork ones were way better. I found the beef ribs tough and chewy. The pork ribs were tastier, but a little light on sauce and compared to our previous bbq experience, not as juicy or tender. Based on ribs alone, our meal was ok but not amazing. Hog Wild was tourist friendly, clean and oozed a fun vibe.

Full from the meaty meal we headed to our next stop, Ku De Ta, a popular beach club in Seminyak, to lounge on pillows, sip cocktails people watch and and enjoy the sunset.

The first stop on my South East Asia honeymoon was 5 days in beautiful Bali. One of the best perks of The Hubby travelling for work all the time is the hotel points he racks up. Using these points we stayed at the St. Regis resort in Nusa Dua and had the budget to hire a private driver to take us around the island, which I highly recommend. Having a driver allowed us to explore all areas of Bali with ease. We could just name a popular restaurant or attraction and our driver typically knew the best route, where to find the entrance and/or buy tickets. Another perk was air conditioning inside the SUV and built in naps while on the road.

We spent our first day near Ubud, exploring rice fields, sampling luwak coffee and hanging out with the free roaming monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest. Aggressive, people friendly monkeys. We were advised to not bring in any food and keep all bags zipped up. The monkeys would happily jump on you at the whiff of anything edible, they could also open zippers to get to hidden treats. One monkey latched onto The Hubby right as we walked in and ripped a small bottle of antibacterial handwash right off his back back zipper. Later on, another monkey jumped on me, unzipped my backpack and proceeded to rummage around inside before getting bored. Aside from the involuntary monkey interaction, visitors could also buy bananas from villagers tending the park to feed them. Holding the bananas up in the air, monkeys climbed onto your shoulder and snacked away. This was fun but also a tad terrifying when the banana attracted multiple climbers.

Before all that excitement, we stopped by Naughty Nuri’s Warung for lunch. Famous for their BBQ pork ribs and being tourist friendly, our meal did not disappoint. The grill was set up roadside, tempting passersby with smokey goodness. We sat at a wooden picnic table under an awning near the grill so we could watch the ribs being cooked. Being the middle of the afternoon, only a few tables were taken and the atmosphere was laid back. Naughty Nuri has multiple locations in Bali and the one in Ubud was designed to be like a traditional warung, a small, roadside stall.

An English menu was available but with limited descriptions. We ended up ordering fried noodles, mie goreng, and of course ribs. While simple in ingredients, the flavour of the noodles were balanced with lots of vegetables and sauce. The ribs were phenomenal. Smokey, charred and fall off the bone, we licked every rib clean. Our meal was super satisfying. Naughty Nuri’s is also well known for their martinis but we passed on the heavy day drinking opportunity. Instead we stuck to splitting a large bottle of Bintang beer to cool us in the hot afternoon.