BALI’S BURGEONING FINE-FOOD BABY
With “Bali belly” barely a concern nowadays, the popular tourist hub is redefining itself by fast becoming the next big destination for gastronomes. Mei Anne Foo dines in to savour the embryonic moment
Eat. Pray. Love. These three words were allegedly the catalyst for Bali’s growing gastronomy scene.
While it was the “Love” in Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestselling memoir that raised the Indonesian island’s profile internationally – hippies and honeymooners alike continue to flock to the place for its legendary surf scenes, stunning spa resorts, lush landscapes and friendly, laid-back locals – the verb to curb hunger used in the book’s title is quickly and remarkably becoming the best thing to do in Bali too.
General Manager at Viceroy Bali, Anthony Syrowatka, whose parents founded the luxury hotel in 2005, expresses: “I’m sure it’s not just because of the book-turned-movie starring Julia Roberts, but that definitely sparked interest in the region. And more discerning travellers started to come here after that, thus inspiring a number of good restaurants to open over the years.”
Bali, once dotted with simple warungs (Indonesian roadside restaurants), now teems with upscale eateries – there’s Apéritif, set in a freshly coated colonial-informed building within the verdant vicinity of Viceroy Bali, and Banyan Tree Ungasan, Bali’s Ju-ma-na, which is perched on a cliff and perfect for candlelight dinners imbued with ocean breezes under twinkling stars. Meanwhile, powerful players such as Locavore and Mozaic offer lunches that pack a flavour punch, showcasing indigenous ingredients – mind you, this is yet to mention what’s actually on the menu. EAT THE GOOD OF THE LAND It may sound superfluous, but many Bali-based chefs are dishing out world-class fare that balances native traditions with today’s modern, stylish flair. There’s a glamorised version of the karedok, West Java’s raw vegetable salad doused in peanut sauce, served at Apéritif, as well as to-die-for bowls of rice porridge, made using high-grade Galuh grains from central Bali’s infamous Tegalalang tiered terraces, whipped up daily by the brilliant guys at Locavore. There are also plenty of perfectly braised meats paired with kluwek, a large nut from the local kepayang tree, prepared by self-professed “dinosaur” chef Chris Salans of Mozaic.
Chef Salans comes highly endorsed by his peers as the grandfather of fine dining in Bali. The American-born, French-bred chef opened Mozaic in Ubud in 2001, during a time where “there was nothing” and clean eating had a whole different meaning.
He explains: “When I first arrived on the scene, guidebooks were still saying: ‘Be careful when it comes to dining in Bali – you’re going to get sick. Don’t drink the water, don’t consume ice, be careful when eating raw fruits and vegetables.’ Nowadays, nobody says that.”
Mozaic’s bold introduction of its famous set-course degustation menu also broke the Balinese customer-centric mould. “In those days,” he adds, “the concept of a chef saying, ‘This is what you’re going to eat,’ was unheard of. If a guest comes in and asks for a sandwich, they get it. I call this the hotel-food mentality. In Bali, for many years, a restaurant was merely a service to a hotel guest.”
Almost 20 years on, chef Salans’ stand-alone venue (which nobody wanted to invest in initially) and cook-first approach appear to have paid off and even paved the way for greenhorn gourmet giants to rise. Locavore, whose reputation precedes itself, is currently the only restaurant in the whole archipelagic state that has ever made the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The innovative restaurant is lauded for using hyper-local produce, signalling a new age in fine dining where terms such as “transparency” and “sustainability” are already on the lips of chefs and food authorities worldwide. EPICUREAN REINVENTION Locavore stuck with this home-grown movement and ran with it. Printed in bold on the culinary team’s caps and T-shirts is a message – clearly visible as the team is seen meticulously plating each dish in the open kitchen – that reads: “Go local or go home”. But don’t they technically mean the same thing? Dutchman Eelke Plasmeijer, who co-founded Locavore with Indonesian partner Ray Adriansyah, answers my burning question: “It does indeed! It was an internal joke when we opened our doors five years ago and honestly, you’re the first who has picked up on it.”
The team’s cheekiness extends to its cocktail-matched seasonal set menus, which usually start with a handful of mind-bending amuse-bouche, followed by carefully executed mains and finished with sweets served on a wooden congklak board. Janet Deneefe, founder and director of the Ubud Food Festival, notes that the novel dining experience and attention to detail at Locavore have helped change the perception of eating in Bali.
On whether Locavore’s culinary innovations are diluting local food traditions, Deneefe, who is a prolific restaurateur herself, says: “I don’t think innovation can harm local food traditions. These usually stand the test of time and sometimes, innovation can filter down to traditional food and make it even more exciting. Creative people always experiment and reinvent old ways, which is a great thing. And it’s fun.”
Not wanting to feel left out of Ubud’s spanking epicurean excitement, but also not one to put itself into a use-local-produce-only box, is the new kid on the fine-dining block: Apéritif. It is imperative that its executive chef, Belgian Nic Vanderbeeken, gets to do things his way, even and especially with the continued patronage of the Australian family-owned Viceroy Bali. Chef Vanderbeeken’s pastry sidekick and New York’s Culinary Institute of America graduate Alexander Mckinstry shares the same vision: “We’re not trying to be an Indonesian restaurant; there’s a lot of that out here already. We’re trying to be ourselves.”
The same goes for chef Oscar Wijaya, who just last year took over
the reins at Ju-ma-na. He shares: “Luckily, the owner of Banyan Tree Ungasan, Bali gives us the chance to use our own creativity, as long as we are on the right track.”
While the haute cuisine scene in Bali covers just about all the bases now, private funding is still key to its survival. “The biggest challenge,” says Locavore’s Plasmeijer, “is the local government working against us in all kinds of ways; the lack of support is just sad.” In the meantime, food lovers can only eat more and pray more that fine dining has a happy ever after in Bali.