Luxe eats review: Apéritif in Bali
The concept
Apéritif is designed to be the kind of place where you want to stay for awhile – the sort of place where you want to lean back, forget the world and be entirely in the present, or perhaps be in the 1920s.
The menu and the food here are entirely conceptual. Inspired by the chefs’ experiences, you can really see the artistry and story behind the dishes. It was almost like taking a peek into their lives!
The vibe
You should go to Aperitif just for the vibe alone. Where else in Ubud or Bali for that matter, will you find a 1920s, jazz-themed bar? Nowhere we’ve checked we’ll tell you. Their cocktail bar will transport you to another time with their vintage interiors, green walls, and luxurious decor.
Then when you move to the restaurant for dinner, the black and white motif will surely leave your jaw gaping. It certainly did ours. (So much for elegance and sophistication, right?) The interiors of the restaurant reminded us of the Great Gatsby movie (yes, the one with Di Caprio), so make sure to dress up!
For who
Now this, gents, is where you take your lady if you want to make her feel special. Whether it’s your anniversary, a birthday, your honeymoon, or even if you just want to dress up, this is the place to be.
We would also recommend this to girlfriends who just want to dress up and have a nice dinner—because why not, right?
The best thing to order
We don’t think you can order a la carte in this place, but you HAVE to have the canapés before dinner. They were tiny little nibbles packed with flavour. If they only sold them in bags, we’d be buying them by the box!
Choosing the best thing we ate was so difficult because everything was consistently delicious. Seriously. Good. No. Joke. Although if we had to choose just one it would have to be their take on PB&J.
The best time to go
They’re only open for dinner (until late of course), but that only makes the dining experience that more special.
Most Instagrammable Spot
Uh, everything! Did you not hear the 1920s? Great Gatsby? Everything is Instagrammable. Eve-ry-thing.
Even the food is IG-able. The presentation is fantastic, the dishes so colourful, and delicate (and fine, we’ll say it, expensive-looking). We must say, we give the presentation a 5/5.
What else you should know
We really can’t say a bad word about this place, especially not about the top-notch service. Our server was very knowledgeable about all the dishes, and she spoke well and clearly, giving us time to digest her words.
They also have an open plan kitchen, where you can see everything going on. Nowhere to hide for this group of professional chefs (not that they need to)! What we appreciated was that we got to meet and greet the chefs, particularly Chef Nic and Alexander. (We thought they just welcomed us because we were going to write an article, but no, all the servers brought all the other guests to meet the chefs too! P.S. – They do make such an imposing group when they all stand there in their whites. Cough, IG photo, cough!)
If you’re around in Ubud, we definitely recommend you spend an enchanting night in Aperitif!
Book your table now!
Address: Jl. Lanyahan, Banjar Nagi, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80552, Indonesia
Contact: +62 361 971777 / res@aperitif.com
Opening hours: 4 pm Bar (pre-dinner aperitif & cocktails), 6 to 9 pm for bookings
Website: https://www.aperitif.com
