Bumbu Bali Restaurant & Cooking School — Restaurant in Kuta Selatan

• This review is for the cooking school * I was picked up at the allocated time and taken to the cooking school by Hienz The itinerary advised we would be taken on a market visit, have breakfast and then cook and eat our produce of the day. The market visit didn't happen and advice on not eating fish in Bali was given (it's not locally sourced - the reef is empty!). We had breakfast and Heinz talked over the correlation of food and science and noted Heston Blumenthal on several occasions, like he had worked with him and he was his mentor - they have never worked together. We were asked what was traditional Balinese food I noted a rendang curry as it was served in Heinz's restaurant I'd eaten it the previous week, and was told it's not a traditional dish and originates from Indonesia. A fellow class mate noted goreng and was advised yes, but again this is an Indonesian dish. Eventually we went upstairs to cook, we were all given a recipe book, name badge and apron. The format is classroom style with individuals being asked to come up to "cook", make a paste, stir a pot etc but all the food prep is done prior to the class (little bowls and pots of chopped chillies, onions, meats etc). Occasionally we would all participate in mixing a paste and meat to form a satay (meat on a stick) or make a sambal both Malay and Indonesian dishes. One query (there where many) in the class from Heinz was where did curry come from, a couple of us said India and we were told this was incorrect and it was the UK based on the use of a tin of tomato soup. I am not sure how or where this info has been garnered but a quick Google check will tell you "Kari" is the Tamil for sauce (Tamil's originate in southern India) and tinned tomato soup wasn't linked to curry until the 1970's. A couple of takeaways from the class, it's not the seeds that make a chilli hot but the flesh inside (the white pith) and the reason the peanut (satay) sauce tastes different is the way they cook the peanuts from cold to hot oil. The other is do NOT taste raw chicken or pork (actually any meat) or use the gloved hand you have used to mix raw meat to taste anything you have been offered and do not "double dip" your spoon or fork back into the shared bowl after it has been in your mouth - that is definitely unacceptable - one of the class members did do this! Finally I have done several cooking classes in several countries and although we cooked the most dishes, it is not top of my list, and it is a little disappointing after being told we would be cooking authentic Balinese dishes a number of them were not. I chose this cooking class based on the restaurant and food when others had been on my radar based on Trip Advisor initially. However the food and staff in the restaurant at Tanjung Benoa are great, they remembered us on our further 2 visits and albeit they served the red wine (Shiraz) chilled it was actually a nice option on a hot evening and with...

I’d give Heinz and his brilliant team six stars if it was an option. What a culinary adventure to experience beautiful Balinese food in a very evocative Balinese setting. It’s all so scrumptious it’s hard not to over order. And don’t forget to finish with a good Balinese coffee. My advice for a truly memorable meal - get out of your comfort zone and let the staff guide you. But also beware there are many Bumbu Bali restaurants in Bali. This restaurant and the cooking school are in Nusa Dua (Benoc is where you’ll find the restaurant). Bumbu refers to the base spice pastes that are the basis of many dishes. So it is a popular name for a restaurant.

Heinz also offers a wonderful cooking class which we had attended a few days earlier (a break was necessary to give us time to emerge from that fantastic experience and make room for more from his excellent repertoire). Can’t emphasise enough how insightful the class was. Not just for understanding Balinese culture and food but also just general cooking knowledge which Heinz has in abundance and is happy to share. Be prepared for a very early morning to catch the fish, meat and vegetable markets - an education in themselves. And take the chance to sample some very good ‘street food’ and coffee. Then to the restaurant ( Heinz’ ‘other’ place - the Arte Cafe ) for a run through of the day and delightful breakfast. Then it’s several hours of cooking and learning before you sit down to eat the...

I am so glad to have found this place. The food is absolutely AMAZING! Every bite gives an explosion of taste and spices. My friend (an omnivore) and I (a vegetarian) ended up going 3 times, 1 for lunch and 2 for dinner.

It was not always easy to find a purely vegetarian meal while in Bali, but Bumbu had a good enough selection and it was very tasty. Service is impeccable, always with a smile and an explanation of each dish. Also, since we came in the rainy season, mosquitoes were a big issue everywhere we went, so was glad to see they had mosquito repellant lit up under each table, and the smell was not disturbing at all.

I tried the Vegetarian Nasi Goreng (fried rice) which came with tempeh sate and a salad; the Pesan Wong (grilled mushrooms in banana leaf); and the Gedang Mekuah (green papaya soup w/vegetables). My favorite was the Nasi Goreng which was not greasy and full of taste, followed by the Gedang Mekuah. This soup is on the very spicy side, but nevertheless delicious... and I am one who can normally take spicy quite well. My least favorite was the Pesan Wong since I felt the flavours a bit flat but it was quite salty.

For desert we tried the 5-spice and lemongrass ice creams (unfortunately we didn't have much room after the large meal portions). The lemongrass ice cream was very mild in taste, but I would definitely recommend the...