Tucked away in the unspoiled rainforest of Ubud and within the serene grounds of The Four Season Resort Bali at Sayan you will find Sokasi – Bali’s best and most sublime cooking school.
For me, Sokasi Cooking School was more than just an experience or an opportunity to find out what secret herbs are spices make my favourite Balinese dishes pop… it was the absolute highlight of my holiday!
Sokasi means shallow rice basket which fittingly compliments the open-aired bamboo kitchen which overlooks the Ayung River. The setting for the Sokasi cooking school is unbelievably stunning, the river is running on one side and a homegrown rice paddy with a fresh herb and vegetable garden on the other.
On arrival at The Four Seasons Bali at Sayan, we were driven down into the heart of the resort to the cooking bale where we were greeted by our Chef. Firstly, we toured the fresh herb and vegetable garden to get a true understanding of what fresh organic vegetables and herbs we would be using.
After finishing our coconut drink we popped on our aprons and was guided by the amazingly talented Chef Gusti every step of the way. Both Chef Gusti and his assistant Respati were extremely knowledgeable and explained all aspects of the cooking process, ingredients and techniques so we were able to feel like we were true Balinese cooks!
What I loved about the cooking school was finding out that by making two base ingredients you can make several Balinese classics – who would have ever known. Chef Gusti and Respati were very encouraging and would happily answer any questions we had. However, I have a feeling that I may not be getting a job in the Four Seasons kitchen any time soon ha-ha!
After prepping, grinding, chopping, mixing, stirring, BBQing our lunch was ready. Chef Gusti and Respati plated all of our creations and set up a spectacular feast overlooking the Ayung River – amazing!
We learnt to cook:
♡ Beef Sate with peanut sauce – my favourite!
♡ Mie Goreng – my absolute favourite!
♡ Nasi Goreng
♡ Pepes Ikan
♡ Ayam Panggang Pelahlah
We requested a private cooking class so we could learn the secrets of cooking our favourite Balinese dishes – Mie Goreng, Nasi Goreng and Beef Sate. This did attract an additional charge but it was worth every single cent. At the end of our class Chef Gusti presented us with a booklet which included all of the recipes of the dishes we cooked – I didn’t expect this and was beaming with excitement knowing I could re-create all this deliciousness at home!
The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan was voted as the world’s best hotel in 2018 (Travel + Leisure annual awards) and after experiencing the incredible service and the impressive resort landscape I can certainly say this is a property you will fall in love with.
Good to Know
♡ Cooking class size – 6 people approximately
♡ Cooking class and lunch starts at 11 am and runs for approximately 3 hours
♡ You can complete a one-hour market tour as part of the class which starts at 8 am
♡ All dietary requirements can be accommodated just contact the concierge for more info
♡ Pre-booking is essential, just email Concierge.Balisayan@fourseasons.com
♡ Spend some extra time exploring the resort or even better book a villa and stay the night
Location: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan – Ubud
Price Range: $$ – $$$
Would I take this class again? Yes, I certainly would!
Ready to experience Sokasi? Book at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
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Thoughts, opinions and photos shared here about Bali’s best cooking school are entirely my own.
