In this article we will discuss a common question; are there Michelin Star Restaurants in Bali?
Bali is popular worldwide for its beautiful beaches, rich culture, and high quality dining and is consecutively in Trip Advisor’s Top #5 Destinations globally. You may be wondering then, if Bali has any restaurants that have been awarded a Michelin Star. At the present time, Bali does not have any official Michelin rated restaurants.
With so many diverse food offerings across cuisines, including some really good fine-dining restaurants, you may wonder; why isn’t there a Bali Michelin restaurant? And, will it be impossible to experience Michelin-starred food on the island?
This blog reveals all.
What Is a Michelin Star Restaurant?
A Michelin Star restaurant is a prestigious fine-dining space that has been awarded a rating from 1 to 3 by the Michelin Guide. 3 stars represent the highest honour. Food critics award these ratings annually after visiting multiple times and evaluating the quality of cuisine, atmosphere, and consistency.
The menus at Michelin-starred restaurants are exceptional. They showcase distinct flavours and are expertly crafted to the highest standard. These meals reflect the unique style and vision of the head chef.
Michelin-starred restaurants are often known for their sophisticated and refined ambience, where the restaurant team pays meticulous attention to every detail of the dining experience.
It’s a matter of prestige for restaurants and their chefs to receive a Michelin star. But it’s not a permanent recognition, but rather needs to be earned each year. Restaurants and chefs can have their stars reduced or lose them altogether if they fail to consistently deliver exceptional quality and overall value.
Why Are There No Michelin Star Restaurants in Bali?
The answer is quite simple: Michelin has not yet extended its restaurant guide to include Bali, yet.
But why hasn’t Michelin come to Bali?
Michelin traditionally focused on restaurants in Europe until less than 20 years ago, publishing its first American guide covering 500 restaurants in 2005. The expansion continued thereafter to include some Asian countries such as Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, however they have not yet ventured into Bali or Indonesia.
Also, setting up and maintaining a team of inspectors in Bali may not be feasible for Michelin at this time. So, even though Bali is home to many excellent restaurants, they have not yet grabbed Michelin Guide’s attention.
How To Have a Michelin Star Experience in Bali?
At Apéritif Restaurant, we strive to provide our guests with an unforgettable experience that celebrates borderless flavours. We frequently collaborate with Michelin-star chefs worldwide to give our patrons the sophistication of haute cuisine.
Our collaborations with Michelin Star chefs bring a unique perspective and culinary flair to our menu. They let us continuously delight our diners and encourage us to experiment, innovate, and go beyond our usual degustation menus.
Reserve your table at Aperitif today
Apéritif Restaurant’s Collaborations With Michelin Star Chefs In Bali
Guests who have attended our collaborative dining events have remarked that they’ve never experienced such enriching culinary experiences in Bali before.
Typically, it’s difficult to put into words such experiences. But, we think it’s best to at least take you through a short journey of these collaborations. This way, the next time you’re in Bali or following our social media pages, you can seize the opportunity.
Apéritif Restaurant x Chef Guillaume Galliot
Guillaume Galliot is an esteemed French chef. His classical French technique shines in every dish, blending flavours with artistry. He is renowned for the three-Michelin-starred French restaurant Caprice at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong.
Apéritif’s Chef Executive Nic Vanderbeeken and Chef Guillaume Galliot teamed up to blend Apéritif’s Borderless Food concept with Caprice’s refined French cuisine. The outcome turned out to be an unparalleled dining experience.
For the uninitiated, Apéritif’s Borderless Food Concept aims to connect cuisines from around the world on a single menu. It is about finding similarities in flavour profiles and ingredients and bringing them together in different proportions and mixtures to shape eclectic menus. The essence herein is that even though foods come from different places, they often have similar qualities. This shared quality helps bring people together.
Chef Guillaume expertly showcased oceanic flavours and local terroir with French finesse. He gave a French twist to beloved dishes like laksa by adding Asian spices. For dessert, he layered puff pastry with fresh tropical fruits. These dishes complement Chef Nic’s flavourful creations wonderfully.
This collaboration allowed diners to savour the best of both worlds: Apéritif’s Borderless Food Concept and Caprice’s French cuisine. Every dish celebrated creativity, innovation, and the art of fine dining.
Apéritif Restaurant x Chef Arnaud Dunand
Arnaud Dunand is a distinguished French chef and a culinary symbol in Bangkok. He is known for his classic rendition of French cuisine where he uses only French ingredients. His restaurant Maison Dunand ranks in the list of Thailand’s favourite restaurants.
No wonder, Apéritif Restaurant reached out to him to serve our diners his refined approach to French cuisine through a tantalising 7-course degustation menu.
The opulent degustation menu featured extraordinary flavours like Brittany Mackerel, Pertuis Asparagus, and Kaluga Caviar. This decadent dining experience included the European custom of pre-dinner drinks and canapés and was accompanied by Apéritif’s impeccable service.
Apéritif Restaurant x Chef Julien Royer
Chef Julien Royer is a 3-star chef based in Singapore. He co-owns the prestigious Odette, a 3-Michelin-starred French restaurant based in Singapore. The restaurant features in Asia’s coveted list of restaurants.
Chef Royer’s distinctive style infuses modern, Asian-inspired French cuisine with ingredients from across Asia.
In 2023, he received the Estrella Damm Chefs’ Choice Award, a peer-voted accolade in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Naturally, with so much accreditation and fame to his credit, the mere mention of Apéritif’s collaboration with Royer generated tremendous excitement. Food enthusiasts and connoisseurs from far and wide attended this dinner event to experience the culinary expertise of both Chef Julien Royer and Chef Nic Vanderbeeken to create an exceptional dining experience.
The eight-course degustation menu used high-quality, fresh produce and featured rare ingredients, caviar, and champagne. It featured dishes like:
- ‘Balinese Garden; A Walk Into The Last Paradise’: For this meal, the chefs used locally sourced herbs and vegetables.
- The Sumatran Crab with its Jicama and Citrus Gel.
The menu redefined Indonesian culinary craftsmanship with innovative twists and pairings, offering the guests a taste of luxury rarely found elsewhere.
The touch of exclusivity was in both chefs serving the dishes and engaging with guests about the menu’s intricacies. Furthermore, guests left with parting gifts — a selection of homemade honey from Odette and a chocolate cigar and Negroni set from Apéritif Restaurant.
Apéritif Restaurant x Chef Thijs Meliefste
Chef Thijs Meliefste owns Meliefste, a cosy one-star Michelin restaurant in The Netherlands. His cuisine is a homage to the Zeeland region. It is an intricate combination of regional flavours and elaborate techniques.
For the event at Apéritif, Chef Thijs created an authentic Zeeland tasting menu. The high point was the genuine ingredients and the authentic flavour, which is a rarity.
The event attracted food enthusiasts in high numbers. All of them beamed with excitement to experience Chef Thijs’s exceptional cuisine. Our restaurant’s decor and attentive staff enhanced the evening’s atmosphere.
Apéritif x Benoit Dewitte
Benoit Dewitte has been a 1 star Michelin since 2012. He owns the picturesque Restaurant Benoit Dewitte in East Flanders. His restaurant stands out for a Michelin star and a rare score of 16 out of 20 in the Gault&Millau guide.
Chef Benoit’s uniqueness is using pure flavours and fragrances in his meals. His menus are refreshingly different and brilliant and presentations are downright simple.
He is always eager to collaborate with chefs worldwide. He considers these experiences as excellent platforms to spread and gain new learnings and experiences and discover authentic cuisines. He has travelled widely to Singapore, Denmark, Austria and France for culinary collaborations.
Apéritif couldn’t miss this collaboration especially when Chef Benoit and Chef Nic Vanderbeeken have a common history — Both are lifelong friends and fellow Belgians.
Chef Nic and Chef Benoit together prepared an elegant 8-course degustation with rarely-found ingredients. And, the highlight of this meal was a glass of Taittinger Champagne served to guests at the time of arrival.
Experience Michelin Starred Guest Chefs in Bali
Apéritif Restaurant is upping the ante in Bali’s burgeoning fine-dining scene. Reasons include an inventive menu, refined tableside service, an extravagant setting, an international team and a greenhouse that cultures over 30 vegetables on our lush grounds.
Additionally, the increasing number of guest chefs joining our cooking collaborations in Ubud has enhanced our reputation as a fine dining destination par excellence.
Apéritif is known for its elegant dining space featuring sophisticated decor, linen tablecloths, bespoke tableware and cutlery. Our patrons know our penchant for sourcing quality ingredients from around the world to complement our eclectic menu.
Our Chef Executive Nic Vanderbeeken sums up our restaurant’s distinctiveness well: “We are more open-minded about our cuisine as we take ideas from all over the world and present them in a setting that makes people forget that they are still in Ubud.”
So, when are you visiting Apéritif Restaurant to savour our Michelin star guest chef creations? Book your table today.
