A celebration of local produce, culture and primitive cooking, Waatu is Uluwatu's hottest wood-fired restaurant – and I can't get enough.
Right here in Bali, taking residence atop Uluwatu’s rugged cliffs, is Waatu – a fire-driven restaurant where open flames, indigenous ingredients and the ancient art of coal cooking do all the talking. At the helm is Chef Lachlan Budd, and his produce-driven menu is as dedicated to the land as it is to the cooking methods themselves.
Despite being the signature restaurant of The Ungasan Clifftop Resort (Uluwatu’s five-star cliff-hugging resort), you won’t find any fancy fine dining formalities at this fiery restaurant. Instead, Waatu is laid-back and leisurely. It’s warm and welcoming, with generous, produce-driven dishes and fire-kissed recipes designed to swap and share.
Waatu shows us exactly what an open flame can do to quality ingredients. Low, slow and perfectly charred, fire and coals are at the heart of Waatu’s menu. Regeneratively harvested local produce is cooked using indigenous cooking methods (no electricity), while the essence of Uluwatu (nature, culture and community) can be seen in every bite.
Fire & smoke: Waatu pays homage to cooking over coal
Taking us back to a time when cooking simply over coal was the only way, Waatu is a celebration of raw flavour. Indigenous herbs, spices and seasonal Indonesian ingredients dominate the menu, while hand-selected lychee- and coffee-timbers (sourced from across Bali) add layers of complexity.
You’ll want to swap and share all the best dishes here, so fill your table with signatures from every section of the menu. There are small plates, yakitori, rice bowls and grilled mains. We began with the fresh-out-of-the-fire roti, with nori jam and buttery bone marrow (melted in the wood-fired oven).
Yakitori and kushiyaki skewers then lined our plates. Think Wagyu beef, garlic prawns, and miso meatballs. Then, the plates sized-up and a 500-gram dry-aged striploin and BBQ market fish stole the show. With them, unconventional sides like wood-fired fried rice with pork and scallop xo, and a salad of seaweed, shiso, ginger flower and tobiko.
I forgot to save space for dessert, but I simply couldn’t turn down the passion fruit curd pie with burnt meringue. Or the Bali cocoa and salted milk caramel, theatrically served inside a whole cacao. And while you might assume that the food here is the biggest drawcard, the cocktails are some of the best in Uluwatu…
Shaken & stirred: Whimsical cocktails from Waatu’s resident mixologist
Following the menu’s lead by infusing local indigenous flavours, Waatu’s cocktail list is worth a trip to Uluwatu alone. The man behind the mixology is Eka Adi Putra – a bartender-slash-liquid magician who proves his creativity knows no bounds. His imaginative concoctions break boundaries in both flavour and presentation. And just like the food, they honour Waatu’s dedication to fire, smoke and local culture.
Take the Lalapan cocktail for instance. It’s named and flavoured after the Indonesian dish, made with basil gin, kemangi herbs, yuzu, pineapple and kyuri cucumber. Or the Baraa, which is Waatu’s take on the classic Negroni, using smoky espadin mezcal, rosso vermouth, campari and artichoke, topped with a stick of charred marshmallow. And let’s not forget the bold Taliwang – Lombok’s traditional spice mix, reimagined at Waatu as a cocktail. It’s made with BBQ bell pepper-infused tequila, chilli, lime, sichuan pepper and sea salt. Pure magic.
Refined yet casual: Your new favourite wood-fired restaurant in Uluwatu
Located high above Uluwatu’s crashing waves within the grounds of The Ungasan Clifftop Resort, Waatu could easily be confused for a fancy hotel restaurant. But that it is not. Yes, it’s refined and perfect for a special occasion. But it’s also laid-back and leisurely, with a relaxed ambiance where you can swing by with friends for dinner and cocktails, or a family-style, charcoal-grilled feast.
As flames flicker from the open kitchen and a sumptuous smoky aroma wafts through the dining room, you can swap, share and get a taste of Indonesia in the most delicious way possible. Local ceramics line the walls, and warm earthy tones add to the cosy ambiance. It’s a casual yet refined dining experience, and it’s definitely ignited our appreciation for flame-kissed cooking.
Key highlights:
- Best for: Date night with Asian-inspired BBQ and craft cocktails.
- Good to know: Waatu is located inside The Ungasan Clifftop Resort.
- Must-try dishes: Wood-fired flatbread, Wagyu beef yakitori, grilled bone-in striploin.
- Must-try cocktails: Lalapan, Baraa, Taliwang.
- Address: Jl Pantai Selatan Gau, Banjar Wijaya Kusuma, Ungasan.
- Opening hours: Daily, from 7.30am.