The neighbourhood bodegóns of Buenos Aires are renowned for their simplicity, the home-style quality of the dishes, and the warm, welcoming atmosphere. In Buenos Aires, everyone from taxi drivers to artists and politicians, head to their local cafe to catch up with friends, enjoy a good glass of wine, savor authentic Argentine dishes and relax at the end of the day.
Chef Fernando Trump grew up on this food. His career has taken him around the globe, from corporate kitchens to fine dining and Michelin-starred restaurants. Living in Bali, nostalgia for the flavours and experience of local Buenos Aires restaurants inspired him to retrace his roots and create his eponymous Berawa restaurant, Don Fernando.
A true neighbourhood restaurant where food, drinks, and hospitality combine to recreate the experience of an authentic Argentine diner. Fire and smoke play a starring role behind the large central bar where everything is cooked and prepared to order. Don Fernando is a place where guests are met with genuine hospitality, simple white-clothed tables are warmly lit by chandeliers and memorabilia from Argentina references the past.
A carefully curated wine selection is proudly displayed, rich with Argentinian Malbecs, while quality spirits and frosty craft beers line the bar. Don Fernando is ultimately all about the food. The best quality meat is treated to slow cooking and fast flame grills. Asado and the famed La Parilla drive the flavours behind the menu.
Salads, vegetables, and seafood are treated with the same care while hand-made sausages and burnished chickens slow roast over a measured flame. Chef Fernando Trump is quick to point out that the simplicity and the flavour of the finest beef and lamb are at the heart of this Argentine experience.
Perfect seasoning and traditional herbs mingle with the skill to allow quality ingredients to shine, preserving their true character. Playing with fire is a balancing act that requires experience to master.
Starters, both hot and cold, reflect the Chef’s past from smoky provolone to empanadas inspired by his mother’s kitchen; filled with succulent beef and vegetables wrapped in the flakiest pastry. Pickled beef tongue, smoked chicken tartlets, iron roasted romaine filled with creamy burrata, and meaty favourites like marmalade short ribs and roasted bone marrow are the perfect small plates. Wood-fired bread, baked on the premises, is served with smoked beef fat and chive butter.
The meat is divided into steaks that require a fast cook to retain their moisture and character, like the Chef’s favourite skirt steak, rump, sirloin and rib-eye, and Bone-in selections including slow-cooked lamb leg, OP ribs and a Bife de Costilla con lomo T-bone steak, the king of cuts. Market fresh fish and local prawns appear on the specials menu according to the freshest catch of the day. Salads and sides are vibrant and fresh, simply dressed to preserve their vibrancy.
On the floor, restaurateur Guiseppe, a Florence native by way of Bondi, plies his magic with guests, infusing the experience with warm hospitality and a love of great wine and food while Chef Fernando and his small team fan the flames in the centre of the dining room. Guests fill the bar with friendship and conversation and at the heart is a man who has roamed the world and created a very special diner devoted to the food of his childhood.
To dine at Don Fernando is to understand how Argentina and its food have inspired chefs and restaurants around the world, it is one of the world’s truly great cuisines, infused with history, a love of the land, family and community.
Don Fernando Bali
Jl. Tegal Sari No. 14, Tibubeneng, Badung, Bali, Indonesia – 80361
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