Inspired by Indonesian culture, this restaurant is housed within a 150-year-old teakwood joglo (traditional Javanese dwelling), carefully reconstructed in Petitenget. It was founded by a Sydney woman who found her prince, literally—she married into Balinese royalty. Her elegant-yet-cluttered tea lounge/restaurant also does duty as a bookstore and a retail outlet for trinkets and Indonesian antiques and art, which are displayed ad hoc around an eclectic jumble of vintage armchairs, leather chesterfields, and recycled-wood dining tables.

Biku's à la carte menu covers a broad array of Western and Asian-tropical comfort food; notables include juicy deluxe beef burgers, all-day breakfasts, salads, homemade savory pies, and specialties like spicy Thai fishcakes. Biku, however, is just as noteworthy for its genteel tea culture, with a superior Asian ritual, specialty teas that include a refined limited edition collection, and old-style homemade cakes like a signature carrot cake. Traditional afternoon teas, Asian high teas, and breakfast high teas (8:30am to 12:30pm) are musts: Sweet and savory home-baked goodies are daintily presented on three-tier cake stands, with individually crafted teapots matched to high-grade loose-leaf teas. Add a 20-minute tarot card reading (four times weekly, 1 to 5pm) for a combination of tea and sympathy.


At whatever time of day, Biku always seems to be packed and popular, and the cluttered interior amplifies the atmosphere of lovely organized chaos. It's quite dimly lit, so some people might prefer to be out in the open on the garden terrace getting some Balinese sun and fresh air. Low-key live music can be found on weekend evenings.