BALI #2: Locavore

The second of the three fine dining restaurants I visited in Bali, Locavore was very much a spur-of-the-moment booking, as I managed to secure a seat at the last sitting of the evening the day before! If I hadn't managed to secure the booking, I would have missed out on one of the best dining experiences I've ever had!

Locavore, situated in Ubud centre, is the brainchild of chefs Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah, where the focus is on locality, with everything from the produce to the glassware to the furnishings being of Indonesian make. 

When I visited, Locavore was set to close shortly for a refurbishment, whereafter it would be known as Locavore NXT, and move onto its next phase as a restaurant. So, to celebrate the end of an era, Locavore was offering a menu of it's most famed dishes, in an absolute event of a meal consisting of 18 courses. 

I was setting at the countertop across from the kitchen, and so I got to see the chefs at work. The experience was very well-paced, where I never felt as though I was waiting too long for my next course.

The first course was a snack that had been sitting on my table from the moment I walked in. Resembling a canang - a little tray of flowers and perhaps rice that are used as spiritual offerings in Bali, that are quite literally everywhere - the edible flowers were sprayed with hibiscus vinegar and a torch ginger emulsion. A fun, surprising start to the meal!

As if the first course wasn't indicator enough as to the playfulness of the food at Locavore, the second course was a quick reinforcement: called 'Monkey Business', this course consisted of lemongrass, which you would dip the end of in honey and then feed through the bamboo to get at the fried ant eggs, crispy aromatics and puffed rice at the bottom, much as monkeys would dip sticks into termite nests. Fun and delicious!

Then came a frangipani flower fritter with a marigold emulsion and salt and vinegar. The two flowers that one sees everywhere in Bali, this was a light third snack.

Next came the black rici blini with smoked egg emulsion and crispy puffed black rice. Made using Indonesian ingredients to emulate a blink with caviar, this dainty blini was refined in aesthetics and it's carrying umami taste.

After this, the oyster mushroom with lacto-fermented oyster mushroom powder, bacon jam and bacon vinaigrette. Both dips went well with the oyster mushroom, particularly the bacon jam that made for a heady, meaty treat.

After this came one of my favourite courses of the evening, the betel leaf wrap, consisting of coconut, cashew, tamarind, chili, and pyramid salt. Eaten in one quick bit, the betel leaf wrap, for its simplicity, supplied a massive hit of flavour.

The next course reminded me somewhat of Ikoyi in it's simplicity and aesthetic appeal: charred mango marinated in passion fruit juice, pyramid salt, and grated long pepper. A delicious mango to pave the way into the more substantial courses.

Then came one of my favourite dishes not just of the meal, but ever. Reminiscent of The Clove Club's Habanero granite, the Hot & Cold Tomato consisted of a warm tomato consommé, celery salt, and a tomato sambal sorbet. Spicy and chilled, warm and smooth, this is such a clever dish that I was smiling throughout. Tasty and creative in equal measure.

Then, at a rather oddly placed juncture in the meal, came the bread and dips. This was decent bread made from spent grain, and the dips conjured from leftovers. Perhaps not a necessary component of the meal, but an effective way to make the most of the produce at hand.

After this, roasted watermelon (overnight), brined cherry tomatoes, tomato dashi and savory watermelon caramel. The roasted watermelon contributed a certain meatiness to the dish, with the tomatoes bringing that pop of acadity among the sweetness of the caramel.

After this, 'Flower Power 2.0', consisting of young white corn, mud crab, marigold flowers, and a nixtamalized corn miso velouté. Creamy and slightly sweet, this dish was pretty and light, with a good amount of flavour to lead into the heavier dishes.

Now we were coming to the mains territory. First we had raw lamb, with kari kambing shio koji, crispy aromatics, sawah leaves and warm lamb fat vinaigrette. The vinaigrette actually cooks the raw lamb slightly in front of guests, making for a dynamic experience as one sits fork to plate. An elegant, pleasing dish to both eye and the palette.

Next, lightly grilled lobster marinated in chilli shio koji, sambal tempoyak, passion fruit pickled bangkuang, and charred fermented chilli sauce. The durian went very well with the lobster, never overpowing it, and the sambal tempoyak provided a slight spiciness. Another accomplished dish.

Then came 'Catch of the Day 2.0', consisting of pan-fried fish, charred shallot blossom, lime pickled spring onions, wild shallot emulsion and cured egg yolk. The fish - which I believe was halibut - was fantastic, the skin seated to be nice and crispy, with the emulsion adding a nice earthiness to provide more flavour.

After this, whole cabbage roasted in bacon fat, bacon dashi, cashew sour cream, bacon shallot crumble, and lacto fermented shallot powder. This was a great dish, the richness of the bacon and the sour cream working to create a dish steeped in umami. The crumble also added a nice textural element.

Then came some of the best steak I've ever eaten, in the form of tokusen flap steak marinated in rendang shio koji, with daikon roasted in smoked beef fat and black shallots to accompany. The steak was ever so tender, parting easily from my knife, and the accompaniments each added something different to every mouth-feel. An extremely pleasing dish.

Then came the first dessert, consisting of frozen rice porridge, seasonal mango preparations and crispy rice. A knockout of a mango dessert, this is a classic rice porridge transformed into ice cream. Loved it.

The final dessert consisted of kluwak, chocolate, nuts, banana, rice and pandan. Though not quite as good as the mango dessert, it was still a fun dessert full of flavour.

To cap off the meal, a Madeleine was offered, though I would have been quite happy to end on the high of the kluwak and chocolate.

My sitting lasted for around 2 hours at Locavore, and I loved the creativeness that went into creating this dishes, most of which played on tradition, and all of which used local producer, thus highlighting the rich bio-diversity of Indonesia. Simply put, one of the best restaurants I've been to. If you find yourself on Bali, visit Locavore NXT for a true fine dining experience.

Value for money? 1,800,000 IDR, which is equal to £90. This is cheaper than a lot of Michelin started restaurants in London. As such, it is exceptional value for money.

Would I return? Absolutely!