Tembaga at Bambu Indah Ubud Puts Conscious Dining Centre Stage

Tembaga Restaurant at Bambu Indah Resort in Ubud serves innovative, health-forward and anti-inflammatory cuisine that combines local Balinese ingredients with creative global flavours.

Set amid the lush hills of Ubud, Bambu Indah is a boutique hotel founded by jewellery designers John and Cynthia Hardy. The couple built their property in 2005 with 11 antique Javanese houses overlooking the rice fields of Sayan, later expanding it with distinctive bamboo structures.

Today, Tembaga, the property’s unique restaurant carries that philosophy into the dining experience, bringing together local produce, conscious cooking and a focus on well-being. More than just a dining establishment, Tembaga embodies Bali’s core values, paying tribute to the island’s enduring commitment to distinctive cuisine and communal traditions.

One of the highlights is Tembaga’s own vegetable and fruit garden, along with an animal farm, both of which form part of the guest experience. Most of the ingredients come from the surrounding land.

Dedicated to ‘longevity ingredient’, Tembaga’s menu is structured around three ideas: Growing, Transforming and Sharing. ‘Growing’ takes inspiration from the Plant Paradox theory, placing vegetables and nutrient-rich ingredients at the centre of the meal. ‘Transforming’ explores mushrooms, fermentation and vinegars, while ‘Sharing’ reflects the communal nature of Indonesian dining through seasonal dishes designed for the table. The food concept also promotes gut health and longevity.

Here, the locally sourced vegetables are not merely side dishes but the stars of every dish, celebrated for their innate flavours and nutritional benefits. While vegetables and mushrooms take centre stage, the menu also features thoughtfully chosen proteins and specialties from the artisanal fire grill. Fire is central to Tembaga’s culinary identity, introducing smoke, char and umami while giving familiar ingredients greater depth.

Among the signatures is Timbungan Rendang, a combination of beef, mushrooms and rendang curry slowly cooked in bamboo tubes. It is served with nasi bakar, white rice wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over charcoal. Elsewhere, sambal is treated as both condiment and cultural ritual.  At the sambal station, seven types of Balinese sambals are prepared throughout the day by the restaurant’s ibu-ibu, bringing an element of theatre to a staple of Indonesian cooking.

The wellness theme extends to the bar, where in-house fermentations meet adaptogenic ingredients such as lion’s mane, chaga and reishi mushrooms. Cocktails are made without sugar, instead drawing on fermented fruit vinegars and other ingredients associated with the restaurant’s longevity philosophy. Desserts tread a similarly unconventional path. Extra virgin olive oil gelato balances richness with the oil’s fruity character, while a stevia-sweetened basil panna cotta is sharpened with balsamic vinegar.

Just as unique is the setting. Stepping into the Tembaga kitchen, guests enters a design-led space where ancient stone is integrated with bamboo, copper, and iron. The expansive restaurant space immerses the diner in whimsical bamboo architecture, while warm lighting and finely crafted furniture create an inviting atmosphere. The open megalithic stone kitchen is both a vibrant workplace and a vital part of the dining experience, putting modern culinary techniques on display. Monumental pieces of petrified wood lead from the entrance towards the bar, while a labyrinthine underground wine cellar adds another layer of discovery.

For Tembaga, mindful practices permeate every aspect of the restaurant’s operation – from local sourcing and reduced food waste to efforts to minimise its carbon footprint. The result is a restaurant that fits naturally within Bambu Indah’s wider ethos: rooted in Bali, attentive to nature and unafraid to reinterpret what conscious dining can look and taste like. Additionally guests are invited to try rice planting and vegetable picking. This offers a closer connection to the source of their food.

Bambu Indah also boasts two other excellent F&B venues:

ELEVATOR Sunset Bar

Perched on a ridge above the Ayung River valley, the open-air Sunset Bar affords sweeping views of rice paddies, jungle canopy and changing skies. Curving bamboo beams frame the landscape, while the elevated setting comes into its own at golden hour. Drinks lean fresh and tropical, from a citrus spritz to a passionfruit-and-ginger cocktail, alongside classics such as the Negroni, natural wines and alcohol-free options. Open from 8:00am—10:00pm for cocktails and light appetisers.

Riverside Warung

Riverside Warung serves innovative dishes with their roots in Indonesian cuisine. Here you can enjoy wholesome breakfast or casual lunch and dinner overlooking Ayung River and the natural spring-fed pools.  Open from 7:30am—10:00pm.

Day passes available for Bambu Indah’s chemical-free spring natural pools and lounging from 10:30am—5pm.

For more information and reservations, visit www.bambuindah.com