Raffles Bali’s exclusive four-hands dinner celebrating local produce, sustainability, and Southeast Asian flavours. By: Eris Choo
Some culinary experiences are unforgettable, not just for the flavours but for the stories they tell. Rumari at Raffles Bali recently (20 and 21 February 2025) set the stage for an extraordinary evening of gastronomic storytelling with the return of its highly anticipated Rumari and Friends series.
First launched in 2023, the series celebrates global culinary connections by inviting internationally renowned chefs from around the world to collaborate on multi-course dining experiences. Aside from embracing friendship and cultural exchange, each collaboration also showcases the creativity and expertise of guest chefs, while honouring unique regional flavours and techniques.
For its first collaboration of the year, Chef Gaetan Biesuz of Rumari joined forces with Chef Chudaree “Tam” Debhakam of Bangkok’s two-Michelin-starred Baan Tepa, bringing together distinct culinary approaches in a fusion of Thai and Indonesian flavours, woven with global influences.
A dialogue of flavours
Perched atop the lush hills of Jimbaran Bay, Rumari is known for its elegant setting, warm ambience, and commitment to showcasing the rich flavours of the Indonesian archipelago. As the first and only Krug Ambassade in Indonesia, Rumari has consistently been recognised for its excellence, including accolades such as the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence from 2022 to 2024. The restaurant is helmed by Chef Gaetan, whose progressive Southeast Asian cuisine presented in refined, organic ways has made him a household name.
Meanwhile, Chef Tam, the first female Thai chef to earn two Michelin stars, has gained a reputation for her sustainable and seasonal approach to Thai cuisine at Baan Tepa, which is housed in a beautifully restored family estate in Bangkok. Recently named Asia’s Best Female Chef 2025, she is known for her dedication to responsible sourcing and her advocacy for food waste reduction.
This approach to sustainability and the use of fresh produce where possible is the thread that both chefs have in common, despite specialising in different cuisines. Despite having never worked together before, over two nights, they created a refreshing and dynamic menu celebrating local ingredients and time-honoured traditions, while presenting fresh interpretations of Southeast Asian cuisine.
“We designed the menu through video calls and only had 48 hours together in the kitchen before the first service. Every dish had to come together in a short time, but that’s what made it exciting,” said Chef Gaetan. Chef Tam echoed his sentiment with a laugh: “You’ll never taste this menu again. Could be a good thing or a bad thing! But that’s the beauty of collaborations like this.”
The evening unfolded with an exquisite selection of amuse bouche—pickled white turmeric tartlets, Balinese pork sausage doughnuts, and crayfish tacos. Besides the petit fours, these were the only items on the menu that were prepared individually by the chefs, making the dinner a truly four-hands experience.
The first course of Thai-Indo Nam Tok comprised of a Tokusen Wagyu beef carpaccio served with pomelo and green mango salad, sticky rice, fresh herbs, and homemade rice crackers. The dish delivered a fiery kick, tempered by the sweetness of pomelo, and was paired with a 2022 Joseph Drouhin Phoully Vinzalles Chardonnay.
Next came Dong Dang Bebek, which showcased betutu-style duck with Dong Dang rice noodles, foie gras, and lawar—a mix of young jackfruit and long beans. The interplay of textures was remarkable, with the chewy rice noodles complementing the succulent shredded duck. The addition of melt-in-the-mouth foie gras cubes lent a burst of oiliness and umami that bound all the elements on the dish together.
For the bread course, a trio of brioche, sourdough, and lavash came with an array of accompaniments: green chili sambal with fresh herbs like cemcem leaves, which is used in traditional Balinese medicine and cooking; sambal with shallots, chili, and ginger flower mixed with coconut oil; Nam Prik grilled durian relish with fish floss; and Roasted chili relish, ricotta miso, and pork crackling.
The Clear Fish Soup was a refined take on comfort flavours. Baked bonito fish, shaped like a blooming rose, unfolded its ‘petals’ into a broth of laksa tom yum / tom zap broth, delicately balancing chicken and smoked fish stock with aromatics and green oil. The seafood theme continued with Lobster Sambal Ulek, which featured fresh-flown Boston lobster glazed with sambal ulek, served alongside steamed and baked rice, satay gaeng, and lobster cappuccino.
To cleanse the palate, a Ginger Torch Flower Sorbet with wild honey and osmanthus jelly offered a delicate interlude before a sweet ending of Rice, Arak, Caramel, Caviar – a black sticky rice cake with burnt banana leaf-infused ice cream, arak jelly, caramel, and Baeri caviar for a burst of brininess.
Each Rumari and Friends event is unique, and this opening edition was no exception. The synergy between Chef Gaetan and Chef Tam delivered an experience that was at once spontaneous, immersive, and creative – the perfect opening to what is sure to be an eventful year for the series.
Guests to Rumari in the coming months can look forward to more exciting events with Rumari X Maison Dunand happening on March 22 and 23, 2025. This French-inspired collaboration will see Chef Gaetan collaborating with Chef Arnaud Dunand Sauthier of Bangkok’s one Michelin-starred Maison Dunand.
Meanwhile, Rumari X Mariposa is an exclusive two-way culinary exchange happening in the months of April and May, between Chefs Gaetan and Andre Lee of Mariposa in Seoul. Chef Gaetan will bring the flavours of Bali to Seoul from April 18 and 19, while Chef Andrew will bring his modern European approach to Rumari from May 16 to 17.
For reservations and inquiries, email dining.bali@raffles.com or call +62 361 2015 800.
