I don't know about you, but mention German food, and what first comes to mind are sausages. Then pork knuckle. Then a massive mug of beer. While we won't be reproached for inaccuracy, that doesn't mean that's all there is, and it seems that chefs in the country are working to broaden that perception.

One such example is two-time Michelin star chef Hubert Obendorfer - hailing from Bavaria, he is the man at the helm of Kingfisher restaurant in the Landhotel Birkenhof (which he and his family own). The restaurant received its first Michelin star in December 2008, an honour that stunned the good chef at first. "I was just happy, thrilled. The crew couldn't believe it at first," says Obendorfer. And how has this achievement affected his running of the restaurant? "I've tried not to change a big deal because this is what I got the star for. With all the public interest and media attention, there is that fear of failing, but that is also the petrol that keeps the engine running."

That well-oiled engine brought him all the way to our side of the globe last month, when he travelled to Banyan Tree Ungasan, Bali as a guest chef, bringing with him a stellar team that included his chef de cuisine, Christa Dirmaier; sous chef Christian Schider and his restaurant's sommelier, Holger Steck. Cooking at the resort's Ju-Ma-Na Restaurant over five nights, he won guests over with his menu that takes a fresh approach to traditional elements of German cuisine. 

Asked to describe his style of cooking, Obendorfer offers this: "Bavaria, after the Second World War, was a very poor region, so there was not much food. People tended to gather whatever food they could find, which had to be very nutritional with lots of calories, so you could work. I take these same ingredients and try to find a way into the taste of it. It's not just about putting them together to make sure you have a full stomach, but to be able to distinguish these individual flavours within one dish. Each flavour is intended to give the other room, and to not have them fight on your tongue. A tomato should taste like a tomato." 

This philosophy came through nicely in Obendorfer's dishes served at Ju-Ma-Na, and turned out surprisingly light against the pre-conceived ideas of meat-heavy German dishes. The stout chef chuckles when we describe this stereotypical notion of his national cuisine, and while he doesn't disagree, he insists that there's much more to uncover. "Germany has become somewhat of a booming region for cuisine, and all over the country, you'll find a high density of good chefs who try to lift up this blanket of heavy food, to let food and flavour steam up a little. France is of course the top region in Europe, but I think Bavaria is starting to catch up, as is northern Europe. It's a new wave of good cuisine that's sweeping over Europe now," he says. 

On the five-course menu at his guest stint at Jumana were Three Ways of Salmon Trout; Potato and Leeks Veloute; Tilapia Sausage; Braised Wagyu Chuck Roll; and Curd Mousse. No wildly fancy ingredients here, but Obendorfer manages to elevate the flavours, creating some culinary magic with his dishes."Everywhere we Germans go in the word, sooner or later there's the mention of Oktoberfest," says Obendorfer with a laugh. "Everyone has this impression that the cuisine of Bavaria is a big pork knuckle with three dumplings and a lot of beer. I mean, we love pork knuckle, but we can also do pork in a fine way. I'm here to say, ‘Hey, take us seriously, we can do some good cuisine as well'."

Hubert Obendorfer's guest stint at Banyan Tree Ungasan, Bali, is the first installment of a series of Michelin-starred culinary experiences that the resort has planned for 2011.