One of the finest hotels restaurant experience in Ubud — Aperitif at Viceroy Bali, the 60-seat colonial-style bungalow where Belgian chef Nic Vanderbeeken's degustation menus (Signature and Avant-Garde, 8–10 courses each, with regular partnerships with visiting Michelin-starred chefs from Europe and Asia) represent the most technically sophisticated European-influenced cooking available in Bali, and where the on-site greenhouse (supplying herbs and microgreens to the kitchen) and the colonial architecture (1920s plantation-style, with verandas and the jungle framing the dining room) create a dining environment cited by Tatler Asia as one of its Best 100 Restaurants.
Why It Belongs on the List
Aperitif (the name references the European tradition of the pre-dinner apéritif ritual, which is formally observed here with house-made canapés and a cocktail on the restaurant's veranda before the seated dinner begins) is one of the few Bali restaurants where the quality of cooking is driven by a chef with sustained European fine dining training: Nic Vanderbeeken worked in Michelin-starred kitchens in Belgium before arriving in Bali, and the restaurant's degustation menus apply that technical background to Balinese and Indonesian ingredients with a specificity that distinguishes it from the many restaurants that claim European training without demonstrating it. The Michelin Guide has featured Aperitif as a benchmark for fine dining in Bali; the question of whether Michelin will extend its star ratings to Indonesia (which would almost certainly result in Aperitif receiving recognition) is the most discussed topic in Bali's food media. The dining program: the Signature menu (classic European techniques with Indonesian ingredients — roasted duck breast, aged beef, foie gras preparations) and the Avant-Garde menu (more experimental, seasonal, ingredient-driven) both offer optional wine pairings curated by a sommelier. The greenhouse (on the resort grounds, supplying the kitchen with herbs, edible flowers, and microgreens) demonstrates the same farm-to-table philosophy as Locavore but in the European fine dining mode.
What Stands Out
- Tatler Asia Best 100 Restaurants: the Asian recognition that confirms Aperitif's position alongside the continent's finest
- Belgian chef Nic Vanderbeeken: the sustained European training that makes Aperitif's technical approach distinct from competitors
- Regular visiting Michelin-starred chef partnerships: the dynamic program that gives repeat visitors reason to return
- Signature and Avant-Garde degustation menus: 8–10 courses each, both with optional wine pairing
- On-site greenhouse supplying the kitchen: the farm-to-table philosophy in the European fine dining mode
- The veranda apéritif ritual: house-made canapés and cocktail before dinner — the European dining ritual properly observed in the Balinese jungle