Wine at a fine dining table is usually chosen from a list before the food arrives. The signature wine pairing at Apéritif Restaurant works the other way round. The menu is set, and each course arrives with a wine selected to sit beside it. Guests choose their menu, and the wines are selected to complement its courses.
The pairing is an optional addition to the meal. It is priced separately and available with both the five-course and seven-course menus. Each glass is chosen for the course it is served with.
How the Signature Wine Pairing Follows the Menu
Guided by the Lunar Cycle is a degustation menu structured on the lunar cycle, running from New Moon to Dark Moon. The menu reflects Apéritif’s philosophy of European Technique. Indonesian Soul., bringing together Indonesian ingredients and regional flavours through European cooking techniques.
Each course takes its name from a phase of the moon, and the courses follow a clear order. The evening opens at New Moon with a cocktail and canapés, among them spring chicken with skin cracker and sambal tomat, and a charcoal puff with smoked mackerel from Java and Sulawesi.
Growing Moon brings Chawanmushi, a steamed egg custard on a kombu dashi base, with blue crab from Madura. Half Moon sets foie gras against a rujak dressing of palm sugar, tamarind and chilli in the Lapis Bresaola. Full Moon turns earthier, with lion’s mane, Jerusalem artichoke and an escabeche of carrot, onion, olive oil and sherry vinegar.
After Full Moon brings a sharper combination of flavours, with cuttlefish, pindang Palembang and a house-made X.O. sauce using octopus and cuttlefish. The pindang Palembang preparation brings sour and spicy notes from tamarind, pineapple, chilli, lemongrass and galangal.
In the seven-course menu, Fading Moon follows with Iberico pluma, lawar and base genep, the complete Balinese spice paste. After the main course, Dark Moon moves to black rice with ginger, coconut espuma and mango, before Chocolate Kretek closes the menu with clove, coffee and kalamansi. The five-course menu omits the Iberico pluma and the black rice, so the pairing is shorter.
Acidity appears in several forms across the menu, from sherry vinegar to tamarind and kalamansi, while the savoury weight shifts from delicate steamed custard to pork with Balinese spices.
A full-bodied wine chosen for the Iberico pluma could overwhelm the delicate flavours of the Chawanmushi, while a lighter wine suited to the early courses might lack the structure needed for the richer dishes later in the meal. One bottle across the whole menu means accepting a compromise somewhere.
How the Wine Pairing Matches Each Main Course
The main course is where the flexibility of the pairing becomes particularly useful, and it is worth understanding before booking.
Guided by the Lunar Cycle offers a choice of main courses with distinct flavour profiles and levels of richness. Last Light is opu fish with palm kale grown in the Apéritif greenhouse, woku, garden herbs and nasi uduk, the coconut rice mixed at the table. Closing Moon is aged duck, the breast dry-aged, and the leg confit in its own fat, with lacto-fermented pak choy and a jus sharpened with tamarind. Venison Wellington, a signature of the restaurant, is served with foie gras, rendang and sweet potato. Kagoshima A5 wagyu with pear, sesame and gula juruh is also available as a main course.
When everyone at the table shares one bottle, the wine must complement each person’s main course, which can be difficult when the dishes vary so much. A choice that suits the Wellington and its rendang spicing will sit heavily beside the woku and garden herbs of the opu fish, while a wine light enough for the fish has little to offer the wagyu.
The signature pairing can address this difference by selecting wines to complement the individual main courses. A table of four can order four different main courses and receive four different wines, each chosen for the plate in front of that guest. Rather than negotiating over one bottle, each person follows the pairing intended for their own course.
What Is Included in the Wine Pairing
The pairing follows the plated courses of the menu. The cocktail and canapés that open the evening, the palate cleanser of guava marshmallows and lychee granita served after the main course, and the mignardises at the end are not counted as courses and do not carry a wine.
The wines are selected in advance to complement each course, although service can be adjusted during the evening. For instance, the team may adjust the timing when a table is taking longer between courses, or a guest may prefer to skip a particular glass.
The wine programme has been recognised with the Star Wine List of the Year 2026 South-East Asia award. The cellar itself sits within the dining room, in view of the table.
Booking the Signature Wine Pairing
The signature wine pairing is available with both the five-course and seven-course Guided by the Lunar Cycle menus. Dinner runs from 6 pm to 8:30 pm, while lunch runs from 12 pm to 2 pm and requires 24 hours’ notice. Walk-ins are accepted subject to table availability. Dress is smart or formal. Vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian menus are available with 24 hours’ notice.
Guests who would like the pairing should request it when reserving.
