For me, that moment came on my third day in Ubud, sitting across from a remarkable woman named Ni Wayan Murni, a plate of fried bananas between us, listening to her tell me the story of her life. By the time I left Bali, I understood that finding Murni’s Houses had been one of the great strokes of luck of my traveling life.
Read the full story: The Mother of Ubud: Finding Bali’s Soul at Murni’s Houses
This is an interview with Rick in March 2026.
From local hangouts to beach clubs and surf shacks, here’s where to eat on the island
Two decades ago, I spent a year in a remote West Balinese fishing village. I must admit that I struggled with the monotony of local dishes. Yet since then, things have changed massively, as much with the quality and diversity of Balinese/Indonesian dishes as with international cuisine. Wherever you stay on the island, you’ll find a vast selection of well-crafted dishes from all over the world.
You can eat healthily and heartily for less than a pound. Or you can splash out on top-notch culinary masterpieces that would challenge some of the world’s finest chefs – all for a fraction of the price you’d pay in London, New York or Paris.
All our recommendations below have been hand-selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best in Bali.
Murni’s Warung has been one of Bali’s emblematic restaurants for decades and remains a favourite lunch venue.
The only thing that could drag your eyes away from the spellbinding Mount Agung view from the terrace will be the beautifully presented Balinese dishes. The scent of spices coming from the kitchen vies with the tropical flowers and the herb garden. For a chance to sample some local variety, order the nasi campur (a local speciality with four accompaniments). Bali Asli might be located off the beaten track, but this spot is a culinary highlight of any trip to the island.
Area: Karangasem (East Bali)
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Kaum, at Potato Head, is often considered to be the benchmark against which all other Indonesian fine-dining restaurants on the island are judged. The menu reads like a whistlestop tour taking you right across the world’s biggest island nation. Try babi genyol (a pork dish from Bali), slow-cooked beef rendang (from Sumatra) or, from the extensive vegetarian section, mouth-watering and nutritious moringa leaf broth with young coconut. All ingredients are sourced locally.
Area: Seminyak
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Murni’s celebrated cooking has made her into somewhat of a local legend
Ibu Murni (who claims to have been Ubud’s first woman driver) is perhaps the town’s greatest living legend, and her warung, which recently celebrated its 50th birthday, is located on a semi-open riverside deck opposite the scenic Campuhan Ridge. Try Murni’s tutu ayam (chicken slow-cooked to perfection for at least eight hours) or the bakso ayam (chicken meatball soup). For a refreshing drink after a Campuhan Ridge stroll, go for the fresh apple, turmeric kombucha.
Area: Ubud
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Dewi and her husband, Rasta, run Bali’s finest warung (local eatery). Travelling foodies and even the island’s culinary superstars drive out to Medewi specifically to learn the secrets of Dewi’s home-cooking. Don’t miss the fish rendang and, for dessert, the luminously coloured (but entirely natural) dadar gulung Balinese pancakes with local palm sugar. The menu changes depending on what the fishermen bring in that morning – and what Rasta is able to source at the market that day.
Area: Medewi, West Bali
Price: £
Reservations: Recommended
Bali Now Magazine Jan-Feb 2025
In conjunction with their 30th anniversary, Bali’s original winery, Hatten Wines, celebrated the island’s food and beverage pioneers, creating the Bali Dining Legends Awards.
On Saturday, 7 December 2024, a fabulous gala dinner unfolded at the Meru Convention, a grand ballroom overlooking Sanur Beach. This was a milestone moment for Bali’s first winery, Hatten Wines, who invited partners and the food and beverage community to come together and celebrate an impressive three decades of growing and making Balinese wines.
Read the full article: Bali’s Dining Legends
The spirit of Bali, which intertwines traditional values and customary laws within a universal framework of harmony, will continue to draw visitors long seeking enlightenment in this troubled world.
Rob Goodfellow
15 November 2024
This year, Bali is once again among the top recipients of Tripadvisor’s prestigious Travelers’ Choice Awards for the world’s most popular destinations. The reason Bali has consistently rated so highly? “Culture” and “spirituality”.
Bali is not just an island, but a global phenomenon. It is, as Indian statesman Jawaharlal Nehru once famously described, “the morning of the world”.
Here, Nehru observed something important. This was the harmonious relationship that existed between people, nature and the divine.
And the fact remains, Bali still teaches an increasingly troubled world about the values of ancient spirituality that have withstood the test of time. These values continue to enrich lives everywhere.
Indeed, Bali represents the hope that human diversity can survive the 21st century. For reasons not completely understood by anthropologists and historians, Balinese culture remains colorful, complex, rich, relevant and vibrant, both because of tourism and in spite of it.
In their book, Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World, Jonathan Copeland and Ni Wayan Murni, a Balinese tourism entrepreneur par excellence, inform us of something worth remembering. While Bali is one of the world’s most recognized tourism brands, the community of Ubud is Bali’s cultural center and the royal family of Ubud is its living, beating heart.
As Murni says, the Ubud royal family continues to restore temples, organize and contribute to ceremonies, sponsor dance and gamelan groups and fund research into preserving and interpreting customary law, or adat. For this reason, more income from tourism is returning directly to the community.
This is the high-value, culturally based, low social and environmental impact model advanced so enthusiastically by the newly appointed head of the National Economic Council (DEN), Luhut Panjaitan. His policy is already strengthening Ubud’s global reputation as Bali’s center of tradition, religion and cultural conservation.
Indeed, after the ephemeral beach bars, night clubs and nail salons eventually go extinct, Bali’s spirit will continue to draw discerning tourists who not only respect the island’s rich culture, but also want to personally learn from it.
This social dynamic is about the values of cooperation and mutual benefit. As Murni says, “The Ubud royals couldn’t carry out the enormous ceremonies for which they are respected without the help of local villagers.” Given this respect, it’s not surprising that Ubud’s Prince Tjokorda Raka Kerthyasa, or Tjok Ibah as he is affectionally known, has again been selected as traditional village head, or Bendesa Adat, a voluntary position. (Where else in the world but Bali are royals submitted to elections?)
However, this honor is far from symbolic. Between Nov. 15 and 17, Tjok Ibah and his son Tjokorda Gede “Tjok De” Kerthyasa have invited leading authorities in Balinese culture to join a public program they are hosting, called “Unveiling Bali”.
Tjok Ibah describes the program as “An enriching weekend event that will delve into the enduring value of Balinese traditions through engaging talks, intimate discussions and a variety of workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions.”
While Nehru’s 1954 description of Bali is wonderfully poetic, Tjok Ibah’s 2024 description is equally so: “Bali is one of the last intact living mystery schools on the planet, where ritual, prayer and cosmology infuse every aspect of life.”
So just what is Tjok Ibah’s commitment to attendees? “In this journey of unveiling Bali, we will unlock and explain these aspects in a way that can be understood by both the Eastern and Western mind and soul.”
The program is already creating interest. Eddy Speirs, managing editor of Now! Bali magazine says, “‘Unveiling Bali’ is an essential reminder of the true wealth of this island, its art, culture and its unique philosophies of life. In a time of rapid change, such knowledge helps us to reassess the inherent value of Bali and how to approach its future.”
Indeed, according to Tjok Ibah, “Culture and faith are the soul of the local community here in Ubud. Nowhere in the world is this more integral to life.”
What he is talking about here is an understanding of Tri Hita Karana, the Balinese philosophy of life and living known as “the three causes of well-being”. Not surprisingly “Unveiling Bali” incorporates the values of harmony with the creator, harmony among people and harmony with nature.
In a parallel development, the appointment of Widiyanti Putri Wardhana as the new tourism minister has come at a time when the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (IHRA) are calling for policies that promote cultural tourism.
Hopefully, “Unveiling Bali” will also result in a fresh political commitment to promoting the spirit of Bali. This will build on the work of renowned former culture and tourism minister I Gede Ardika, who once proudly predicted that in the years ahead, Indonesia would be one of the few countries sitting at the high table of developed nations with its culture largely intact.
Significantly, this year has so far seen a 23 percent increase in visitor arrivals to Bali. By the end of this year, this is projected to reach an all-time, 12-month record number of both domestic and international visitors.
What are visitors mostly looking for? To experience for themselves the culture and spirit of the world’s very own island “mystery school”, Bali.
The writer is a researcher with the Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI) at Western Sydney University.
Lonely Planet: Bali, Lombok & Nusa Tenggara, July 2024
MEET THE BALINESE
You might think we’re nosy, but we’re not. We’re just friendly.
NI WAYAN MURNI introduces her people.
Read the full article: MEET THE BALINESE
I am deeply honoured by the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Janet de Neefe at the Ubud Food Festival, 2024.
And I am also very pleased and flattered by the news coverage.
The Nusantara Bulletin reported,
‘Bali’s living legend, Ni Wayan Murni, was honored with the 2024 Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. Her iconic warung, established in 1974, had become a renowned refuge for travelers and a testament to her unwavering commitment to Balinese heritage.
Murni’s vision not only left a lasting impact on Bali’s culinary and hospitality landscape but also deeply touched countless visitors with her warmth and passion for sharing the beauty of her homeland,” Janet DeNeefe remarked with heartfelt admiration.’
Antara (Indonesian News Agency) were kind to say,
‘A living legend from Bali, Ni Wayan Murni, was named the recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. Murni’s Warung, which was founded in 1974, has become a top destination for travelers, both from within and outside the country.’
Radio Republik Indonesia said,
‘Legenda hidup dari Bali, Ni Wayan Murni, dinobatkan sebagai penerima Lifetime Achievement Award 2024. Warung miliknya, yang didirikan pada tahun 1974, dengan cepat menjadi destinasi bagi para pelancong—baik dari dalam maupun luar negeri. Seiring berjalannya waktu, warisannya juga berkembang dengan pendirian perusahaan-perusahaan yang masing-masing mencerminkan komitmennya terhadap warisan budaya Bali.
Visi Murni tidak hanya memberikan dampak jangka panjang pada lanskap kuliner Bali, tetapi juga menyentuh banyak orang dengan kehangatan dan semangatnya untuk berbagi keindahan tanah airnya,” kata Pendiri & Direktur Ubud Food Festival Janet DeNeefe.’
Tribun Bali said,
‘Janet mengaku tertarik dengan kisah legenda hidup asal Bali, Ni Wayan Murni, peraih Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 yang mana warung yang berdiri sejak tahun 1974, menjadi destinasi para turis domestik dan mancanegara yang warisan cita rasa turun – temurun higga bisa dinikmati masa kini.
Visinya (Murni,-Red) tidak hanya memberikan dampak jangka panjang pada lanskap kuliner Bali, tetapi juga menyentuh banyak orang dengan kehangatan dan semangatnya untuk berbagi keindahan tanah airnya,” beber dia.’
IBU MURNI
AN INSPIRING BALINESE WOMAN, DEMONSTRATES THAT COURAGE AND WISDOM CAN GUIDE US THROUGH THE TOUGHEST OF TIMES
by Myriam Speich, Editor-in-Chief, Instant Karma, The Mindful Traveler, November – December 2023
As the first woman to drive a car in Ubud, in a male-dominated world, she was a true pioneer, forging new paths for the women in her community.
When you reach Bali, simply mention Murni’s, and your driver will know your destination. The only question they might pose is whether you’re seeking accommodation, dining, shopping, a spa experience, or perhaps a chance to meet Bali’s most esteemed and hospitable living icon.
Ibu Murni, established Murni’s Warung, an exquisitely beautiful restaurant situated in Ubud, and later the award-winning boutique hotel, Murni’s Houses & Spa – the location for our conversation.
A trailblazer in Ubud, she became the first to open a store specializing in tribal art and antiques. Her thirst for knowledge and adventure and a passion for these artifacts propelled her to embark on extensive journeys outside Bali.
As a result, she achieved the remarkable distinction of being the first Balinese person to showcase Indonesian arts at renowned tribal art and textiles exhibitions in San Francisco.
“Congratulations, Ibu Murni, you filled your life with adventures!”
Read the whole article: IBU MURNI
Rob Goodfellow Wollongong, New South Wales, The Jakarta Post, October 25, 2021
Throughout the global pandemic, business figure Ni Wayan Murni has been an inspiration to fellow Balinese people. Her landmark restaurant, Murni’s Warung, in the island’s highland village of Ubud-Campuhan, has been one of only a dozen or so restaurants to remain open for business and retain staff.
Before COVID-19, the vast majority of Balinese adults were directly employed in the tourism sector with 60 percent of the Balinese gross domestic product attributed to tourism alone. The collapse of overseas visitors, in particular the number one visitor cohort, Australians, has hit the Island of the gods very hard.
Over the course of the last two years, foreign tourist arrivals plunged from over 6 million to less than a million, with nearly 105,000 Balinese losing their jobs in August 2021 alone. (Six in 10 Indonesians work in the informal sectors, so this figure is likely to be much higher than reported.) As a result, the island’s economy contracted by a staggering 9.3 percent.
As an essential public health measure, the island was largely closed to overseas visitors, instead relying on domestic tourism to keep the economic wheels turning. (This strategy resulted in a “life-saving” turnaround of 2.8 percent for the second quarter of this year.)
Often referred to as “the Ibu of Ubud” and “the mother of modern-day tourism in Bali”, Ibu (Mrs) Murni was one of the very first Balinese to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has credited Bali’s high vaccination rate now 76 percent of the population for the first dose and 65 percent for the second dose—for the decision to reopen.)
Ibu Murni said, “I wanted to be a good example and show my staff and my community that the vaccination was safe. And, of course, we all want to welcome back visitors. In Balinese culture we have a strong sense of ‘we’ and not just ‘me.’ We understand responsibilities and obligations very well. And now we are being rewarded for working together and trusting the experts and the science as we move towards opening up our beautiful island again.”
To survive, Murni’s Warung resized its menu and played to its strengths, the way it began in 1974, serving mainly popular local dishes at local prices. Deliveries became more frequent than they used to be. In the process, her restaurant won Restaurant Guru’s Award for the Best Food Delivery in Ubud! (Her restaurant had earlier won the prestigious Gourmand Award in 2019—just before COVID-19 hit —and her Tamarind Spa at Murni’s Houses was the winner of the 2021/22 Contemporary Spa of the Year award—Indonesia Prestige Awards.)
Last week, the Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Sandiaga Uno, sent a clear message to the Australian government that Indonesia has taken the necessary steps to welcome back tourists to Bali. On Friday, the Australian prime minister responded.
At an Oct. 22 press conference with the QANTAS boss Alan Joyce (reported in the national newspaper, The Australian), Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the words Ibu Murni and her nearly four million fellow Balinese have been waiting to hear. “I’ll be seeing President Widodo this weekend (at the COP26 United Nation’s sponsored Glasgow Climate Summit), and after at the G20. This [re-opening of Bali to Australian tourists] has been a regular matter that’s come up in our discussions over the course of the pandemic about when we can have travel to Indonesia going again.”
Confirmed in an ABC (the national broadcaster) news bulletin, Joyce reinforced the prime minister’s comments that discussions were underway with the Indonesian government about welcoming fully vaccinated Australians back to Bali with reduced or no quarantine requirements.
On hearing the news, Ibu Murni’s immediate comment was, “This is wonderful. It has really lifted our spirits. Not only does our President understand how difficult life has been in Bali during the pandemic, but now our neighbor Australia understands too and both leaders will meet and work together. This has made us all so happy and optimistic for the future.”
When Australians do return, however, there is a discussion about what positive changes can be made to improve the visitor experience. As Ibu Murni says, “Bapak Luhut (Luhut Panjaitan, the coordinating maritime affairs and investment minister) says, that in the post-pandemic future, there should be a greater emphasis on low ecological impact/high value tourism. I know my friends who have suffered during the pandemic too—like my neighbors at Casa Luna, the extraordinary Blanco Museum across the river from my Warung, and Yanie and Nigel Mason’s multi-award-winning Elephant Safari Park and rescue facility in Taro would agree.”
The “Ibu of Ubud” has clearly been inspired by the prospect of the Indonesian president and the Australian prime minister meeting on the sidelines in Glasgow: to help Bali. She said, “Because Australians are loved and appreciated by the Balinese, and because generations of Australians have fallen in love with Bali, these ‘man-to-man’ discussions can only bring our two neighboring peoples closer together.”
But more than this, Bali is the world’s most recognized tourism brand. And when Bali is doing well—the world is doing well too.
The writer is the co-author of the book, So Many Delicious Years: Murni’s Warung, Ubud, Bali
Peran Perempuan dalam Pembangunan Kepariwisataan
by Putu Sucita Yanthy
Cakra Media Uatama, 2021
Ni Wayan Murni
Wayan Murni adalah salah satu pioner kuliner Bali di Ubud. Dedikasinya diwali tahun 1974 dan usahnya yang terkenal dengan nama Murni’s Warung telah dan tetap menjadi bagian dari perkembangan pariwisata Ubud dalam hampir lima dekade. Sebagai mother of Ubud, Murni telah menunjukkan bahwa peempuan memliki kesempatan untuk mejadi seorang perimpin dan sosok yang menginspirasi. Sekitar tahun 1960-an berjualan kain dari Ubud ke Sanur dengan berspeda. Ia biasa berjualan di Sanur sektiar kawasan Bali Beach tidak setiap hari ia datang ke Sanur, hanya ketika ia mendapat kabar bahwa ada wisatawan yang datang begitupun di Ubud. Warung Murni pada awalnya menyajikan sandwich, nasi goreng, dan minuman dingin, untuk memperoleh bahan-bahan tersebut Bu Murni harus ke Denpasar berutama untuk memeli es Ketika listrik masuk Ubud pada tahun 1978, Warung Murni akhirnya bisa menyediakan beer dingin dan memikiki kulkas.
Informasi mengenai Wayan Murni sangat mudah ditemukan karena dalam website resmi Warung Murni tersedia berbagai info dari berbagai sumber tentang Murni. Pada saat penelitian ini berlangsung Bu Murni sedang menjalankan perawatan di Thailand menurut informasi yang didapat dari manajer dan staff di Warung Murni. Untuk tetap menampilkan biografi Wayan Murni maka informasi diperoleh dari para staff dan manajer Murni’s Warung.
Wayan Murni lahir di Penestanan, sebelum emiliki Murni’s Warung. Bu Murni hidup dalam kemiskinan. Bu Murni tidur dikandang babi, ayam, mencari kayu bakar, memanjat pohon kelapa, durian dan mangga. Bu Murni juga bekerja disawh seperti buruh panen padi, mangumpulkan keong sawah, sampai mangangkat pasir dan batu dari sungai Wos, dalam kutipan artikel Murni – A Tourism Pioner oleh Al Hickey pada majalah Bali Advertiser 2011 menceritakan seperti berikut.
During the poverty striken early years of Indonesia’s post was independence in the 1950s, Murni slept with the pigs and the chickens, cut firewood, and climbed trees for coconuts, durians and mangos. She trapped rice paddy eels, river shrimps and catfish and collected snails along the tiny dirt track that was later to becme Jalan Bisma. To help feed the family she helped her father sell a fruit flavoured ice drink (es hlm) from the back of his bicycle. There was also heavy labor, even for small girls, carrying sand and rocks on her head from the river to sell on the road to big trucks rumbling by. (Bali Advertiser, 2011).
Bu Murni sebelum menirikan warung Murni adalah seorang penjual kain di Sanur, tahun 1960-an Bu Murni memiliki tiga warung sekaligus yang menjual tekstile dan barang-barang antik. Bu Murni merintis usahanya tidak dimulai dari usaha kuliner yang sangat populer dikalangan wisatawan mananegara ini tetapi berawal dari menjual kain-kain sarung Bali dan benda-benda antik yang dikumpulkannya.
Kadek Santosa, manajer Murni’s Warung juga menyampaikan hal yang sama pada mulanya Bu Murni tidak secara khusus membuka warng makan seperti sekarang. Menurut caritanya, Bu Murni dulu mengontrak tanah di dekat jembatan, ia berjualan macam-macam di warungnya. Hingga akhirnya Bu Murni bertemu Patrick Moore Scanland yang kemudian menjadi suami kedua Bu Murni. Bu Murni menbeli tanah yang dikontraknya dan membuka Murni’s Warung hingga sekarang ini. Warung menjadi sangat rami dan dikunjungi oleh orang-orang yang datang dari berbagai penjuru dunia,bahkan Janet de Neefe juga menulis Warung Murni adalah tempat di Ubud sering didatangi saat melakukan penelitian tentang makanan Bali.
The Jakarta Post tahun 2001 menyebut Ibu Murni sebagai ‘The Mother of Ubud’ dalam Artkel ini diungkap bahwa semua orang yang datang ke Ubud pasti kenal dengan Bu Murni dan tentu saja makanan yang disjikan di warung yang bagi wisatawan adalah obat bagi wisatawan yang mengalami home sick. Dalam artikel ini Rob Goodfellow menulis:
By the mid-1970s Murni had returned to Ubud where she created the first real restaurant in the area – Murni’s Warung. Ever since it has been one of the places to go in Bali. Today Murni’s Warung employs over 60 staff and continues to serve patrons from all over the world. It has been called the most romantic restaurant in Ubud.
Warung Murni adalah tempat berkumpulnya para wisawatan pada waktu inu, tidak hanya digemari oleh orang lokal warungnya juga dikunjungi oleh para seniman, penulis, pelukis yang diantaranya adalah Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Barbara Hutton, the Woolworths’ heiress, Colin McPhee, the ethno-musicologist, Jane Belo, anthrpologist, Vicki Baum novelist, Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson anthropolgists. Pada buku yang berjudul Forty Delicious Years 1974-2014 tercatat 40 tokoh yang bebicara tentang Murni’s Warung dua di antaranya adalah Professor Michael Hitchcock dan Janet de Neefe yang mengungkapkan kesannya terhadap Ibu Murni dan Murni’s Warung.
Murni’s Warung
Warung Murni dibuka sejak tahun 1974 terletak tepat di timur Jembatan Campuhan dan dibanguntepat di atas Sungai Wos. Lokasi ini dulunya adalah tempat Warung Murni, pemilik Murni’s Warung semasa muda bekerja mengangkut pasir dan batu disungai untuk dibawa kedratan. Murni’s Warung dibangun oleh Wayan Murni yang kemudian diperluas dengan bantuan suaminya Pat, tamilan warung pada awalnya sangat sedrhana. Alat-alat seadanya behkan yang ada hanya meja tempat Wayan Murni meletakkan barang dagangannya.
Warung Murni memang diakui sebagai pelopo pariwisata Ubud menurut Anak Agung Brahmantya Kepala Dinas Pariwisata Gianyar.
Murni’s Warung adalah salah satu warung yang menginspirasi perkembangan warung makan dan restoran di Ubud, ada Warung Teges, dulu berlokasi di depan Puri Ubud, tapi yang banyak didatangi wistawan kala itu ya Murni’s Warung yang punya standar internasional.
Anak Agung Brahmantnya mengungkapkan kehadiran Murni’s Warung telah meninspirasi perkembangan kuliner di kawasan Ubud. Sebagai warung dengan standar internasional warung Murni telah berhasil mengharirkan kuliner-kuliner Bali yang disajikan lebih menarik dan kue-kue ala Barat. Janet de Neefe menuliskan dalam bukunya menu-menu Warung Murni mengingatkan masakan rumahnya bila pada waktu tertentu ia sangat ingin makan makanan dengan menu western dan hanya Murni yang dapat membuatkannya.
Kuliner yang disajikan beragam seperti kuliner khas Bali, yaitu ayam betutu Murni dan nasi campr Murni serta berberapa kuliner khas seperti Tomyam dan kreasi Ibu Murni sendiri yang enyajikan pilihan kuliner nusantara. Panorama Sungai Campuhan dapat langsung dinikmati karena warung ini yang semula hanya dibangun satu lantai untuk warung dan gallery kini bangunan tersebut terbagi menjadi tiga lantai lagi, yaitu Dining Bar dan Lounge serta satu bangunan Dining terpisah yang langsung menghadap ke sungai. Warung yang dibuka dari pukul 09.00 sampai 11.00 malam tampak sangat antik karena dihiasi oleh ornamne-ornmane yang membangkitkan kesan klasik. Berberapa patung antik juga menghiasi bengunan warung ini. Salah satunya patung Ganesha dengan tinggi mencapai 2 meter yang dipanjang di lounge menambah kesan klasik dan religius.
Warung dengan kapasitas 100-150 orang dilengkapi dengan fasilitas wifi, begitu juga beberapa lokasi untuk berfoto sehingga sering juga dijadikan sebagai tempat untuk pengambilan foto prewedding oleh berberapa pasangan yang meikah di Bali. Munurut Kadek Santosa, manajer Warung Murni, pengunjung yang datang sebagian besar adalah wisatawan yang merupakan sahabat atau kolega Ibu Murni sendiri yang berasal dari berbagai negera seperti Australia, Thailand, Ingris, dan China, pada buku yang ditulis untuk memperingati 40 tahun Warung Murni, 40 orang sahabat diantaranya Professor Michael Hitchcock dand Jero Asri Keryhyasa. Begitu juga pengungjung lokal terlihat tidak sedikit datang serta menikmati sajian kuliner dan tentunya gallery benda-benda antik koleksi Ibu Murni.
Ketika memasuki lantai satu Warung Murni, hal pertama yang dapat dinikmati adalah pemandangan Sungai Campuhan. Kue-kue khas Warung Murni juga tertata tentu sangat menggugah selera untuk dipesan sebagai hidangan penutup. Warung didekorasi dengan benda-benda seni koleksi Ibu Murni, patung-patung dan ukiran pada dinding. Lantai dua adalah lounge yang selasai direnovasi pada tahun 2002. Sebah patung Ganesha yang ukurannya settinggi orang dewasa dihiasa dengan kalung bunga seperti manyambut setiap pengunjung yang datang ke warung. Lantai 3 sering digunakan sebagai tempatuntuk mengadakan acara resepsi pernikahan, pesta ulang tahun dengan kapasitas 50-60 orang. Pada lantai 4, warung dibangun di atas sungai sehinggi suara gemericik air dan pemandangan yang eksotis dari hhijaunya tebing-tebing sungai dapat dinikmati dengan bebas oleh pengunjung yang datang. Sejak berdiri empat dekade. Murni’s Warung sudah berjasa dalam mendukung pariwista Ubud, sambil memperkenalkan jenis-jenis kuliner lokal yang bersanding dengan masakan Barat dan Asia.
Book Review
Ni Wayan Murni
Kabar Magazine
Travel, Experience, Taste, June-July 2006
Treasures of Bali, A Guide to Museums in Bali
written and edited by Richard Mann
Gateway Books International, 2006
I witnessed this book’s strange birth. The quintessentially English publisher Richard Mann stayed at my Villa a couple of years ago, researching and writing ‘Bali off the Beaten Track’. He came up to me at breakfast one morning and said, ‘Murni, I’ve woken up with the idea of writing the first ever guide book to all the museums of Bali. It’s never been done before.’
Shortly afterwards Richard met Nyoman Gunarsa, probably Bali’s most famous living artist, who is also chairman of the Bali Museums Association. That evening Richard caught up with me in my restaurant and reported his evident excitement, ‘Murni, do you remember my museums guide book idea? You won’t believe it, but Nyoman Gunarsa supports it and wants me to publish it.’ It was a curious coincidence that that both men, from opposite sides of the world, had the same wish at the same time.
That was a year ago. It has been a lot of work, but the book has now appeared and is glorious. There are twenty-one museums in Bali, some are private, like the most popular one, Neka Art Museum in Ubud, which is encyclopaedic in its range of paintings, and others are government run, like the little known Museum Gedong Kirtya in Singaraja, which houses a collection of 6,753 traditional lontar palm leaf manuscripts. The museums are all over the island, although most are concentrated in the Ubud area, which is not surprising as Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali. The major museums have twelve pages each and the smaller ones have one page each.
I am not aware of any guide book that even mentions the wide range of museums that exist here. It is a great contribution. There is a helpful list of details for each one: address, telephone, fax, e-mail, web site, opening hours, facilities and how to get there. Every museum has a floor plan and there are useful maps at the end of the book showing how to find all the places featured. The cover is a beautiful painting from the Kerta Gosa Museum.
Richard has visited all of them several times and has composed a narrative describing their collections. Numerous stunning photographs illustrate examples from the collections. In some cases there are interviews with the museums’ owners, which outline their various philosophies, perspectives and aims.
Of course, most, if not all, of the museums do not sell their art works. With your appetites whetted by seeing all this beauty and wanting to own a piece of Balinese culture yourself, it is great that the book also contains details and descriptions of Bali’s leading galleries, which sell antiques, paintings, textiles, sculptures, masks and other treasures. I am very proud that this book features my own shop in Ubud among them.
Treasures of Bali
Semangat wanita pendiri Warung Murni, memang tidak diragukan lagi. Lihat saja, hasil kerja kerasnya, Warung Murni yang telah berdiri sejak 1974 hingga saat ini mampu bersaing dengan bisnis kuliner lainnya. Ia mengungkapkan, tak mau kalah semangat dengan generasi milineal, namun ia tidak juga menampik para generasi muda memberikan semangat penyegaran dalam dirinya.
Read the whole article: Majalah Bali
If all the big names in the Balinese culinary world started with small warung that expanded organically, Murni’s Warung in Ubud is definitely the first that began as a batik shop. With her American husband Pat, Ni Wayan Murni moved shop to a more strategic location on the side of a main road below the hermitage of the painter Antonio Blanco.
It started with Pat liking Murni’s black glutinous rice porridge, and Murni learning how to make Western-style breakfasts from Pat. Eventually, four tables and 16 chairs were added to the batik shop that had been catering to customers of Antonio Blanco who wanted breakfast and coffee. Murni’s consistent quality means the warung is now a culinary icon in Ubud.
100 Best Foods of Bali
by Bondon Winaro, Lidia Tanod and Harry Nazarudin, Penerbit Jalansutra, 2015
A grassroots initiative to harness the power of technology to better lives has transformed a sleepy hamlet in Indonesia into a cyber village, catching the attention of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.Travel360_Air Asia_Wanderlust.Indonesia.Oct2018
Wanderlust Indonesia Cyber Heart Travel360
Interview with Ubud’s Leading LadyPublished 27 November 2017
Murni in the garden of Murni’s Houses.
Interview with Ubud’s Leading Lady: Murni is a unique and fast moving Balinese lady who knows how to get things done. She has a contagious smile and a genuine passion for life. FRV had a chat recently while staying at Murni’s Houses in her home town of Ubud.
FRV: They call you the ‘Ibu of Ubud’ … What does ‘Ibu of Ubud’ mean?
Murni: It actually means ‘Mother of Ubud’. There are in fact many Ibus of Ubud and I’m just one of them.
If you had all the money and time in the world, what would you be doing right now?
I’d probably be doing the same things that I’m doing now.
What is that?
I try to create beautiful spaces filled with beautiful objects. After moving from Sanur in 1974 where I had four shops on the beach, I set up Ubud’s first real restaurant just beside the bridge in Campuhan. That was 43 years ago and I’m still running it! I’ve filled it with Asian tribal art pieces I’ve collected over the years, especially in the Lounge Bar, where people often have a drink before dinner or liqueurs afterwards.
Have you always been a collector?
It’s very difficult to be just a collector as the pieces are increasingly rare and expensive, so inevitably you end up being a dealer as well. You try and get better and better examples and sell the others. It’s been very helpful having a tribal art and textiles shop as part of the restaurant.
Why did you build your boutique hotel ‘Murni’s Houses’?
That was in the early 1980s because there was so little guest accommodation available. There was hardly any giving a good degree of comfort and convenience. I was very lucky to get the land, which is only five minutes walk from the centre of Ubud, but set back above the road, so it’s a bit like being in the countryside but still in the middle of Ubud. I like it so much I live there myself. The guests are from all over the world and invariably really interesting and we often have breakfast together. It’s a great way to start the day. Murni’s Warung and the Shop are only a few minutes walk so it suits me fine.
And the spa?
Tamarind Spa happened by chance on the suggestion from a friend. I had a spare building and turned it into spa rooms and employed the very best therapists I could find. I tested them all myself. My plan was to have a massage every day, and now I can’t get in because it’s so busy!
Is that the Tamarind Spa that won the UK Luxury Travel Guide Awards 2017 Contemporary Spa of the Year INDONESIA?
That was an incredible surprise, and of course, we’re all delighted, especially the therapists. They’ve done very well.
I hear you’ve written or co-written books on Balinese culture. Any tips on … Writing books?
Yes, something incomprehensible is what I recommend. The thing about comprehensible books is they are too difficult! Leave that to other people.
You have a website, a Facebook site, a Twitter account, a blog and you’re on Instagram … tell me about your experience with social networking and what advice you would give.
Concentrate on the widgets.
You seem to have a lot on your plate already and we haven’t even talked about Balinese culture. Do you have any current projects?
Well, yes. I seem to have got into long-stay accommodation. There are more and more people staying longer and longer in the Ubud area. I think many of them are digital nomads as they always ask about the internet. I’ve finished two Villas for long-term rentals in Katik Lantang, South Penestanan, where I was born, just 10 minutes away, and right now I’m finishing a large building at Murni’s Houses which will have rooms with and without kitchens, a gallery and a pool – and maybe, if I can squeeze it in, a shop!
As we haven’t talked about Balinese culture, and I know that you are steeped in it, would you like to write a regular column for the magazine on Balinese life and culture?
I’d be delighted and for you I’ll make it comprehensible.
Thank you. Well, Murni. You’ve had an incredible life so far. I’d like to ask you one final question. How would you like to be remembered?
I’m too short at five foot four. I’d like to be remembered as five foot eleven!
Murni is a well-known and much loved personality on the Bali scene and a pioneer of Balinese tourism. During her extraordinary life Murni has lived in Sanur and Ubud and has travelled widely. Everything you could want to know is on her web site.
Interview with Ubud’s Leading Lady
Murni is an international treasure
Mary Letterii, San Francisco
6 December 2000
“What a wonderful surprise to meet such a dear old friend on the web! Ni Wayan Murni is an international treasure! Murni’s kindness, warmth, gracious hospitality and genuine caring for her community, family, guests and friends around the world have endeared her to all of us who have had the great pleasure of knowing her.”
Murni is an international treasure
San Francisco Tribal and Textile Arts Show February 2009 saw Murni attend and exhibit part of her collection of Asian Textiles. It is undoubtedly the most highly respected textile show in San Francisco and a great honour to be able to participate.
“The best show in the city for the collector, connoisseur and the curator of ethnographic material”
Murni had a very successful exhibition in 2009.
Exceptional Asian Art and Artifacts of the Peoples of the Pacific and Mainland Asian Region.
Murni had a very successful exhibition in 2009.
Murni was invited to exhibit some more pieces from her collection at the Los Angeles Asian and Tribal Art Show, November 2008. This followed on from the success of the San Franciscan Show in 2007.
The Los Angeles Asian and Tribal Art Show was widely attended by many dealers and collectors and was a great success. It established Murni’s reputation in the United States and abroad.
Murni exhibited at The Los Angeles Asian and Tribal Show
14 – 16 November 2008
MorYork Gallery, Los Angeles, October 2008Murni was invited to display her museum quality new and antique textiles and other tribal pieces at the MorYork Gallery, Los Angeles, on Sunday, October 19, 2008.
This rare opportunity was arranged to coincide with the symposium Talking Cloth: New Studies on Indonesian Textiles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Saturday, October 18, 2008, held in conjunction with the exhibition Five Centuries of Indonesian Textiles: Selections from the Mary Hunt Kahlenberg Collection on view from September 18, 2008 through September 13, 2009.
