Learn about Balinese Life and Culture Through Food, Cooking, and The Culinary Myths

While in Bali we would like to gain fascinating insight into Balinese life and culture through learning about its food, cooking, and culinary myths. So we went to Cafe Wayan, one of the oldest restaurants in Ubud to learn with the master. 

Located in the heart of Ubud, on Monkey Forest Street. Cafe Wayan has witnessed the transformation of Ubud through the ages. Yet, they stay true to Balinese traditions and spirit, particularly in their food. It’s not my first time visiting Cafe Wayan. I love the ambience and their friendly service, so when I met Pak Sumia, the manager of CafeWayan, and he told me they also have a cooking class program, I was interested in joining. 

For the cooking class, they have a special place in the backyard of the restaurant. They designed their backyard as a traditional Balinese compound, surrounded by the spice and vegetable gardens of Cafe Wayan. In one of the compounds, they put all the ingredients for our cooking class, including veggies, spices, and a bunch of other stuff that I can’t even remember the names of. The colours were super vibrant and got us even more interested!

We got a refreshment welcome drink and were led into an open space cooking area. Today we cook Balinese Grilled Fish Salad, Pepes Udang (Steamed Prawns in Banana Leaf), Home-style Fried Rice, and Fried Chicken Soya Sauce. The team were amazing, so friendly and helpful. The chef explained each step thoroughly, what each ingredient did for the dish and how to prep it. Overall, the recipes are really representative of Balinese cuisine specifically and Indonesian cuisine as a whole, and they made me process and cook our recipes using traditional Balinese utensils, such as the lesung (Balinese mortar) or a coconut charcoal barbecue.

Cafe Wayan Cooking Class is a really fun experience. The recipes are good, and the service from their team is amazing. They work seamlessly to make the class fun and easy to follow. The price for the class is IDR 450,000 / person including all ingredients, a full meal of what you cooked and unlimited water, coffee and tea.

Cafe Wayan Cooking Class
Great for Family, Solo travel, or Couple
$$
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