In Reply to: cooking classes recommendations posted by gilmoregirlz on Thursday, 4. April 2013 at 10:46 Bali Time:
There are quite a few available with various styles and price ranges.
I've done the Casa Luna one in Ubud - which I wouldn't recommend. It was way too many people jammed in and no hands on at all - in fact, I couldn't even see the demonstration, there were so many people there.
Anika in Kuta was very good and I'd happily do it again. Probably similar class size as the one in Ubud but it was much better set up to see and participate - and they added extra dishes to the day's menu to compensate for the larger than usual number of people.
Bamboo Shoots in Sanur was much more casual and a small class size - only 7 on the day we went. As hands on as you want and no problem with seeing everything that happened.
All three included market tours. The Ubud tour it was very hard to hear what was happening with such a big group in a tight little place. The Anika one at Kuta morning market split us into two groups so it was much better - and obviously the one in Sanur was no problem at all with a small group in a much roomier and more modern market.
Of the three, I'd probably recommend the Bamboo Shoots one slightly higher than the Anika one. The only reason being, at Bamboo Shoots, you try each dish as you go and it's a much more casual atmosphere. The Anika one was quite busy and you tried a bit of everything together on a plate at the end of the class.
I haven't done any of the more expensive ones with big hotel chefs though, so can't comment on those.