This May, everyone’s favourite culinary event is back for its 3rd year for three delicious days, and this time there’ll be a whole host of foodie events to tuck into in the month leading up to the festival! Here’s what you won’t want to miss…
On May 12th – 14th, more than 100 chefs, culinary icons, restaurateurs, environmental advocates and social innovators will be descending on Bali for the third Ubud Food Festival, and this year is set to be bigger and better than ever before! In previous years, the Ubud Food Fest has stayed within the yummy confines of its Ubud home, but this year, the Fringe Events are bringing the best of the festival to the South.
With a scrumptious lineup of events at Bali’s best restaurants during the run-up to the festival – from long-table lunches at Kaum to a four chef, five-course collaboration at Bikini in Seminyak – the Ubud Food Festival Fringe Events will be whetting everyone’s appetite well before the munching marathon even begins. Here’s what we’re excited about that you’ll want to sink your teeth into!
Best of Bali at Bikini: 1st May, 7.30pm – 9pm
Honeys, this is the dinner of all dinners! In an extra-special collaboration between five of Bali’s very best chefs, Seminyak’s hottest new restaurant, Bikini [brought to us from the guys behind Sisterfields, Boss Man and Expat. Roasters] will be hosting a five-course ‘feed me’ dinner, where the superstar chefs will be curating the menu of all menus, course by course! Expect mouthfuls both raw and cured, and from the garden, land and sea, from chef Jethro Vincent [Bikini], Benjamin Cross [Mejekawi by KU DE TA], Kevin Cherkas [Cuca] and Cris Encina [PICA] – sign us up!
Sharpen Your Senses at Cuca: 7th May, 4pm – 10pm
If you’re like us and totally cuckoo for Cuca, you’ll want to reserve your seat for Sharpen Your Senses at this cool and quirky restaurant, where Michelin-trained head chef Kevin Cherkas will show you the secrets of creating delicious dishes without ever requiring the recipes – how awesome is that?! In a creative new approach to cooking, chef Cherkas will sharpen your senses and unlock your palate in a special tasting class, followed by a dinner of Cuca’s signature tapas where you can put your new skills to the test.
From Singapore to Seminyak at GROW: 8th May, 7pm – 10pm
In case you hadn’t heard, everyone’s favourite Singapore-based chef, Tippling Club’s Ryan Clift, recently swapped the city sights for the Seminyak strip, so for a fresh festival feast, you’re invited to his new restaurant, GROW, for a farm-to-table four-hands dinner alongside Open Farm Community’s Head Chef Russell Misso. From vegetables harvested in the highlands of Kintamani to seafood sourced from the island’s coastal waters, Clift and Misso will showcase the best in seasonal fare.
Balinese Palm Sugar Sweet Sensations at KAUM: 9th May, 12pm – 4pm
If you love to learn a thing or two about the scrummy food you’re munching on, this one’s for you. An educational and oh-so sweet journey to the source of Balinese palm sugar, KAUM is exploring the joys of the nectar of coconut, arenga and toddy palm blossoms. Indonesian palm sugar is rich in culinary heritage, so this five-course, shared plate long-table lunch will unveil the unique characteristics of Indonesian palm sugar from three champion regions around Bali, with dishes including moringa leaves and snake gourd, and tamarind and turmeric barramundi – yum!
Mamma Mia, that’s a lot to digest, and that’s just for starters! For the three day munching marathon, you’ll want to save enough space for the main courses, when kitchen celebrities from around Asia – and beyond – will be headlining the festival with the theme, “Every flavour has a story”. Celebrating natural flavours, farmers and producers, this year will see Chele González of Gallery VASK – the Philippines’ only entrant on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2017 – chef and author Joannès Rivière of Cambodia’s coveted Cuisine Wat Damnak, Sicilian-born, award-winning chef owner of Singapore’s Gattopardo Ristorante di Mare, and Sydney’s Olio, Lino Sauro.
They’ll be joined by an endless collection of culinary talent, from chefs and restaurateurs, to speakers, foodie icons, and local legends cooking up some of the island’s best bites.
The unstoppable force behind the festival, Founder & Director Janet DeNeefe says: “We’re so excited to be bringing together more than 100 speakers to dish up our third Ubud Food Festival program, which is rich in culinary heritage, innovation and, of course, taste! More than just good food, our program unites chefs and foodies alike for a whole-of-industry look at the food landscape – from the hardworking farmers and growers, to our much-loved culinary icons, there is something to excite every appetite – and this year’s Festival is already shaping up to be our best yet!”
The three-day program spans a range of ticketed and free events, from cooking demonstrations, special events, workshops and food tours, to markets, film screenings, live music and in-depth forum discussions. Check out the full lineup on the Ubud Food Festival website, and grab your tickets quick because you lucky Honeycombers readers can receive 20% off the 1, 2 and 3-Day FoodLover Passes by entering the code MPHC at the checkout. This offer expires 8 May.
See you there hungry Honeys!