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Chef-owners Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah champion hyperlocal produce at their creative playground which spans over 6,000 square metres
“There is a major disconnect between the food we eat and its origins,” says Eelke Plasmeijer, co-chef-owner of Locavore NXT alongside his business partner Ray Adriansyah. “Hold up an ingredient in its rawest form, and the majority of people don’t recognise it.” Born in December 2023 out of the hope to bridge this gap between diners and the way food is cultivated, the multifaceted dining space is located just outside Ubud, Bali, and spans over half a hectare.
From a fermentation lab and bee-keeping facilities to an edible rooftop jungle, mushroom-growing chamber, and on-site cabins, Locavore NXT is the ultimate gourmand playground. “More than a sit-down dining experience, we offer an experiential one that showcases the different ways ingredients are grown and used,” explains Adriansyah.
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Above Eelke Plasmeijer
Above Ray Adriansyah
Eelke Plasmeijer
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One of the first snacks on the menu features the “ugly” parts of mushrooms and is served within the restaurant’s climate-controlled mushroom fruiting chamber in the basement. Currently, 13 varieties of mushrooms are cultivated, from lesser-seen varieties native to Indonesia to ones that the chef-owner duo enjoy cooking with.
Above The mushroom chamber
The mushroom chamber
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“The world of mushrooms is greatly undiscovered, and many guests have never tried brown oysters or lion’s mane,” enthuses Adriansyah. The team cultivates and uses the fungi in a myriad of ways, from a mushroom tea to a dish paired with tempeh made in-house from kenari nuts and undis with a creamy cashew milk sauce.
Above Kenari nuts, milky mushrooms, kluwak
Above A snack made from the off cuts of mushrooms
Kenari nuts, milky mushrooms, kluwak
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Within the same basement that houses the mushroom chamber is a series of interactive touch-screen panels, a platform referred to as the B.I.O. (Biodiversity Interactive Open-Source) Library. It displays a visual collection of 257 local ingredients (and counting) that are each 3D scanned, including information such as seasonality and traditional uses.
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“We integrated our documentation of ingredients into the guest experience, which is not only educational but also pushes us to make sure we are recording our research,” explains Plasmeijer. “In the future, we hope others will be able to contribute from all over the world, with their respective database of ingredients,” adds Adriansyah.
Above The restaurant’s bar
The restaurant’s bar
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With so many different spaces, the Locavore NXT experience takes place throughout the entire building. During my visit, we begin at the outdoor garden shed before entering a lounge and bar overlooking a neighbouring paddy field, where we are served our first snacks.
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Above The experience begins at the garden shed, which acts as a reception
The experience begins at the garden shed, which acts as a reception
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After a tour of the mushroom chamber and Bio Library, we enter the main dining room. “We like to change up this movement of guests when the menu changes, and hopefully we can soon integrate our edible rooftop jungle into the dining experience,” says Plasmeijer.
Above An aerial view of Locavore NXT
An aerial view of Locavore NXT
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Built from scratch over a process of three years alongside creative partners Agency X and Budi Pradono Architects, Locavore NXT is a celebration of nature, culture, and people, culminating in a tasting menu that spans over 20 individual courses. However, Plasmeijer and Adriansyah first ran the original Locavore in 2013, 10 years before its reconceptualisation, but felt they were constrained by space and could do more in terms of sustainability and guest experience.
Part of the new renovation is three Wood Rooms, which guests can stay in after dinner. “We call it the full NXT experience, as they are entitled to a backstage pass, giving them access to different workshops, from coffee cupping sessions to tempeh and fermentation workshops,” explains Adriansyah.
Above Lobster, pineapple, heart of palm
Lobster, pineapple, heart of palm
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However, strip away everything and at the core of the restaurant is the duo’s commitment to sustainability and community. “We are in a lucky position as a restaurant like this would not be able to exist everywhere, in terms of our exposure to new ingredients and the space for the facilities we want,” says Plasmeijer.
Care is consistently taken to ensure there is as little environmental impact as possible, from a worm sewage treatment plant and solar panels to the Black Fly larvae waste treatment system, which turns it into compost and fertiliser. “We want to be the best restaurant we can, being as light on the planet as possible and doing our part to make this part of the world a better place,” he ends.
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Images: Locavore NXT
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About
Katelyn is the dining and travel editor of Malaysia and Indonesia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she offers readers an inside look at the movers and shakers in Asia’s growing food and beverage industry.
