Laka Leke is the sister restaurant of the infamous Café Wayan (featured in Eat Pray Love), and the less commercial of the two – as both its name, meaning ‘Hideaway’, and its location would suggest.
It is located in a beautiful and very spacious garden, with tables spread out across a few pavilions and more intimate gazebos (tip: email to reserve one of these), and diners taking delight in the romantic setting and the views to the lily ponds and the rice fields behind. And it’s the only place in Ubud where you can enjoy a traditional Balinese dance while having your dinner!
The menu, which is more economical than Cafe Wayan’s, offers a rich choice of both Indonesian and Western specialties, which come cooked to perfection and beautifully presented. We went for the nasi campur and the lemon chicken
Laka Leke also offers cooking classes, as well as traditional culture workshops as a part of their mission to promote Balinese culture. At the latter, you can observe the creation of handicrafts and learn a number of crafts including carving, painting and weaving.
The dance performances take place on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. You can check the restaurant’s website for the schedule.
The performance for the night was the Frog Dance
The princess, of course, returned the frog’s feelings
And of course, the frog turned into a beautiful man – curiously played by a woman!