Seminyak Balinese Cooking Class & Market Visit with Free Pick Up

Quality cooking class

Very organised, the chef was informative and fun. A quality morning. Really don't need to do the market tour tho. Highly recommend.

via Tripadvisor

Excellent experience!

My husband and I found the experience incredible-from visiting the markets to cooking together in groups and enjoying a meal at the end. We learned so much from Chef Karong. Highly recommend you do it!

via Viator

Great cooking experience...

Great cooking experience with Chef Made. We enjoyed the cooking activity very much. Highly recommended.

via Viator

Dora The Explorer… Where’s Boots? Where is Swiper

⭐ 1/5 Unfortunately, I can only give this experience 1 star. The cooking itself was alright, and the people I met were fantastic, but the communication and organisation surrounding the experience were extremely poor. The confusion started with the transportation. The booking information states that pickup is included, with no drop-off included. However, it doesn’t clearly explain what that pickup actually involves. Pickup from where, and more importantly, pickup to what place? I reasonably assumed that the pickup would take me to the cooking class. Instead, I was taken to a market first, which had not been clearly communicated to me beforehand. Before the activity, I had specifically informed the company that my partner would be travelling directly to the activity and meeting me there. Despite this, when I was picked up, my driver asked me, “Oh, is your wife not coming?” At that point I immediately started questioning whether the arrangements I’d already communicated had actually been understood. I had no idea whether my partner was going to end up in the correct place or what exactly was happening. The transportation and communication were so confusing that I genuinely found myself thinking, “My God, what am I going into?” That feeling wasn’t exactly helped by being told that the kitchen had no air conditioning, that there were rocky/uneven floors, and that if you became unwell you should inform the guide. That’s assuming the guide knows which place you’re supposed to be going to in the first place, of course. As it turned out, the mysterious destination was the market — not the restaurant. There is absolutely nothing wrong with including a market visit as part of a cooking experience. In fact, it can be a great addition. My issue is that customers should actually be told that’s where they’re being taken. Simply saying “pickup included” leaves people guessing about where the pickup is taking them and what happens next. Fortunately, my partner eventually arrived safely and we were reunited for the class. But by that point, instead of looking forward to cooking, I’d spent part of the experience wondering where I was being taken and whether my partner would even end up in the same place. I was also later told that several other participants had been at Warung Nia before the class trying to work out where everyone was, so the confusion certainly didn’t appear to be limited to us. My experience at Warung Nia itself didn’t particularly improve my impression of the organisation either. I found the handling of some situations immature and unprofessional. For example, someone in our group ordered an apple juice specifically asking for it to be made with fresh apples. What came back appeared to be regular apple juice with a slice of fresh apple placed on top. When it was returned and replaced, the second drink tasted as though something had simply been mixed into it rather than fresh apple juice being made. It’s a relatively small incident by itself, but combined with everything else, it added to the feeling that things weren’t being handled particularly professionally. As for the actual cooking, it was alright. Most of what we prepared was fairly classic noodles, rice and vegetable-based dishes. It was enjoyable enough to make and eat, but personally I was expecting something a little more distinctive from a Balinese cooking experience. Without a doubt, though, the highlight was the other people I met. Everyone in our group was incredibly friendly — mostly Aussies, so thankfully I had some strong allies in the dark art of humour to accompany me through places no one had dared venture before 😂. If anything, the people in the group balanced out my frustrations and made the experience much more enjoyable. Ultimately, the people I met were probably more memorable than the food itself. The cooking class has potential, and once we were actually together and cooking we were able to have some fun. But the communication and organisation beforehand significantly affected my overall experience. A clear itinerary explaining that the pickup takes you to a market first, where the cooking class actually takes place, and how guests travelling separately are supposed to meet would have prevented most of this confusion. An activity shouldn’t begin with customers having to solve the mystery of where they’re actually going. Fortunately, I had the Aussies. 😂 By the end of the experience, I firmly suggested that perhaps next time they should just give everyone a map. At this point, sending Dora the Explorer along with us probably wouldn’t hurt either. At least she knows where she’s going. 😂 Joking aside, that’s really the fundamental problem with this experience. Customers shouldn’t have to piece together where their pickup is taking them, where their partner is supposed to meet them, or which location they’re actually heading to. A simple, clearly communicated itinerary would have prevented virtually all of this confusion.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. However, we would like to kindly clarify a few points regarding the experience, as we believe there may have been a misunderstanding. For the morning cooking class, the morning market tour is clearly stated as part of the itinerary on our website. The market visit is the first activity before the cooking class, so this information is provided in advance when booking. Regarding the meeting with your wife, we had previously confirmed the pick-up arrangement for both of you at Montigo Hotel. However, one day before the experience, we were informed that our driver should pick up only one person, while your wife would come separately to the meeting point. Based on this updated information, we followed the arrangement that was provided to us. Your wife therefore came directly to the meeting point, where our driver then assisted her and took her to the market. At the same time, our driver picked you up from the hotel as requested and took you directly to the same market. This was why you and your wife did not meet at the hotel pick-up point. We always do our best to follow the latest arrangements communicated by our guests and to make the experience as smooth as possible. We are sorry if the change in the pick-up arrangement caused confusion or affected your experience. We appreciate your feedback and hope this clarification helps provide a better understanding of what happened. We will also continue to communicate the itinerary and pick-up arrangements as clearly as possible to avoid any similar misunderstanding in the future. Thank you again for choosing our experience.

via Tripadvisor

10/10!! Cooking with Chefwarung Nia & Made & team 🙏

We loved our cooking class with Chef Made , who showed us around the local markets first, then off to prepare some delicious meals. The price was very affordable. We each prepared a beautiful spread and had lunch at the end of the class. Very well organised. Enjoyed every minute!! Thankyou Chefwarung Nia team 🙏🥰

via Tripadvisor