Cafe Lotus: Ubud Bali

Ubud has many great places for a drink or snack, but one of the most pleasant in Cafe Lotus, located on Jl. Raya Ubud. Cafe Lotus sits in front of Pura Saraswati and looks out over the tranquil lotus pond. When I visited the other afternoon there were maybe 6 people there and I had my choice of where to sit. They have an inside area, or a long bale structure, running down the side of the pond. I chose the bale and loved combination of shade and cool breeze on a steamy afternoon.

Looking through the menu at Cafe Lotus I saw it was divided into the following categories: Chef’s Lunch Recommendations including Shrimp & Pork Rolls (24,000rp), Salads & Appetizers including Greek Salad (24,000rp), Soups including Crab & Fresh Hearts of Palm (23,000rp), Balinese & Indonesian Favorites including Cap Cay (25,000rp), Pasta & Risotto including Lasagna (35,000rp), Fish & Seafood including Red Prawn & Shrimp Curry (43,000rp), Fowl & Meats including Five-Spice Lamb Kebabs (47,000rp).

Having already eaten I ordered an arak madu (arak, water, honey, lemon) for 16,000rp. Sitting there enjoying the serenity and watching the large orange fish splash around in the pond I was again reminded of how lucky I am to be in Bali. Cafe Lotus has a sign requesting guests not to recline fully out of respect for the temple and the other guests. I obeyed and propped myself against the side with a cushion.

While sitting there I saw a very polite Japanese couple in their late 20’s arrive and order 2 lime sodas, so sweet. About that time I was made aware of a group of people who charged in. This Tarantino wannabe with the cowboy hat comes in with a posse of Indonesian cameramen. Without taking a breath he starts hollering “RIGHT WE’LL GO FOR THE GLIDE SHOT HERE, WHERE THAT ENDS WE’LL GO TO TRIPOD AND YOU GUYS WILL BE COVERING THE REST…..” I’m thinking ‘what’s going on here?’ I guess it was a commercial, but the way this guy was carrying on he should be the actor. I paid and left, content that I had enjoyed a brief period of calm.

Cafe Lotus
Jl. Raya Ubud
Ubud

(0361) 975660