Eating out in the paddies near the center of Bali

Nila Wati is committed to sustainable farming and local fare.

UBUD, Indonesia - Set squarely at the crossroads between good karma and aesthetic beauty, this town on the island of Bali offers surprises at every turn. Bali's cultural and artistic center, Ubud offers a bustling artisan shopping and cafe district, along with a handful of old-school spas that rely on natural products and hands-on body work. But who would have expected a thatched organic restaurant in the middle of a rice field a 15-minute stroll from downtown?

Yet there it is, Bodag Meliah, the vision of Nila Wati, a determined woman passionate about sustainable farming and fresh ingredients. Wati, who makes everything fresh, from tofu and yogurt to sambal and feta cheese, is paying local farmers a premium for organically grown rice. Self-taught and fiercely determined, Wati prepares Indonesian, vegetarian, and Middle Eastern dishes (her partner is Israeli) using organic produce from the garden. Comfortable lounge chairs and couches decorate the inside of the open-air restaurant, which offers diners serene views of Wati's garden and brilliant green expanses of rice fields. A typical lunch for two, of grilled chicken salad, vegetarian kebobs, and fried bananas, costs about $5.

Alice Waters, eat your heart out.

Warung Bodag Maliah Cafe, 011-62-0361-972-087 (0361-780-1839), Suback sok wayah, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.