April is a month of celebrating and increasing awareness about climate change and the environment. And one of the essential issues regarding climate change is how we manage food waste.
Food waste can contribute to global warming because it produces methane gas as it decomposes in landfills. As a greenhouse gas, methane gas is 25 times more hazardous than carbon dioxide.
According to a study from the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2019, Indonesia is the world’s second-largest food waster after Saudi Arabia, binning almost 300 Kg of food per person each year. Around 23 to 48 million tons of food waste annually from 2000 to 2019; this is equivalent to 115 to 184 kilograms per capita per year.
Some restaurants have begun to adapt to a more sustainable concept to reduce food waste and be more conscious. Restaurant sustainability refers to when food businesses minimize their impact on the planet by addressing sustainable farming, carbon footprint, shortening their supply chain, food wastage, packaging, water and energy consumption, recycling, and more.
From doing a farm-to-table concept to a zero-waste restaurant, we have rounded up some of the Sustainable Restaurants in Bali and Jakarta.
Bali
Locavore
From raw Balinese abalone to Sumbawa Island oysters, Locavore is all about local, right down to the plates, silverware, and cocktail glasses manufactured in surrounding workshops. Thus in 2019, Locavore has won the Sustainable Restaurant Award for its commitment to sustainability. Locavore chefs and owners Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah aim for an ingredient-driven menu that celebrates Indonesia’s farmers, fishers, and food artisans. These ongoing relationships ensure their guests the freshest seasonal produce and ethically fed meat animals. And by working closely with local farmers, Locavore supports sustainability within its community.
Eelke and Ray painstakingly source the animals they used in their kitchens, ensuring they were free ranged, raised on wholesome natural foods, and dispatched with respect.
Ijen
Ijen, a nothing leftover experience, is a restaurant in Bali’s Potato Head Beach Club. This restaurant is the shining example of the company’s goal to become a circular brand with zero environmental effects. The restaurant proudly serves fresh fish caught locally utilizing a hand-reeling procedure in an open-air environment made from recyclable materials. The restaurant was created on a strict ethos, embracing “zero-waste” principles in its interior design and operations. The terrazzo-style dining room floor was made of broken plates and chipped drinking glasses, while the furniture was made of Mersawa wood and motorcycle oil cap plastic.
Ijen rigorously divides organic and inorganic trash into five containers and uses environmentally friendly materials and cooking procedures. Food scraps are fed to pigs on nearby farms or composted on-site, shellfish shucks are pulverized and used in animal feed or fertilizer, and the island’s responsible waste management service, eco ball, recycles 100% of dry items.
Chef Daryl Wonorahardjo gets his inspiration from the daily catch, which is caught on hand-reeled lines in the area. The new menu showcases responsibly produced foods only from trustworthy sources throughout the Indonesian archipelago and the freshest and most prolific from the sea and land.
Ijen celebrates the fresh ingredients found across the Indonesian islands—from coastal waters to local farms. Their menu selection includes fresh mackerel, prawns, oysters, etc.
The Suku Bali
The Suku Bali is a farm-to-table experience nestled in the lush hills of Ubud, built upon the five pillars of food, community, coffee, art, and music. Connect with the culinary heritage of the ‘Island of the Gods’ and beyond. Suku offers authentic street food from Bali, Java, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore, prepared with the freshest produce and the best meats and seafood, served in an open, casual ambiance.
Environmental sustainability and community empowerment are at the heart of ‘Suku,’ which means ‘tribe’ in English. This large facility has an open-plan restaurant, café, and event area surrounded by a lush garden that grows a variety of spices and products for use in the kitchen. The venue, which sits on 1300 square meters of land, has 25 indoor seats and 35 outdoor chairs, with a maximum capacity of 500 people in the garden space.
Their official website says, “Here at Suku, our mission is to bring Bali life back to its roots. We believe that knowing where your ingredients come from is important to ensure a quality dining experience and make sure that everyone who helped bring food to your plate gets a slice of the pie.”
The Suku Restaurant strives to source exclusively local and ethical ingredients in creating soulful food. They treat all ingredients and the farmers who grow them with the utmost respect. Their central farms are located in Bedugul and Garut (West Java), with seasonal goods intermittently sourced from local suppliers.
Jakarta
GIOI by The Farm
Located in the middle of an urban farm, GIOI by the Farm is widely known for its farm-to-table concept while serving classic Southeast Asian cuisine. GIOI sources some of its high-quality ingredients and fresh produce from a hydroponic farm in the Ciawi Hills of Bogor.
This Indonesian restaurant is well-known for its modernized versions of classic Indonesian dishes. Specializing in Southeast Asian cuisine, mainly Indonesian and Thai, GIOI doesn’t hold back when it comes to providing robust tastes and spices that will excite your taste buds.
Serving a wide range of hefty meals and snacks, signature Crispy Duck, Salmon Lodeh, and Crispy Wagyu Brisket are among their highlighted dishes. The restaurant handpicks the season’s best herbs from the adjacent Urban Farm garden. These menus are available for consumption in the eating area, located immediately across from the vegetable garden.
Terra Eats
Reflecting the name Terra, which means Goddess of Earth in Roman mythology, Terra restaurant started from an idea to provide balanced, nutritious food provided by nature. They are a one-stop-shop for anything relating to health and wellness in food. It provides a wide variety, starting from salads and hot bowls, which the guest can customize.
Aside from the primary course selection, guests could also enjoy varieties of juices, and smoothies, alongside healthy-baked goods.
“I like relating nutritious food to Mother Earth, as she provides everything we eat. It reminds us further of the importance of protecting her for future generations,” said xxx as the owner of Terra Eats.
Located in Senopati, Terra Eats first opened in 2019 to make it accessible and approachable for healthier and more responsible eating. With the slogan of “Balanced Living,” they believed it is all about consuming various nutritious ingredients.
Sourcing all of their vegetables from various specialized local farmers, their lettuce and kale, for example, are from hydroponic farmers in Bogor.
Mandira's Garden
Located in Kemang, South Jakarta, Mandira’s Garden is hidden in a small street. Mandiri Garden is a restaurant and cafe with a garden-to-table or farm-to-table concept. It has a small garden yard with various beautiful plants, from colorful flowers to fragrance herbs, and an abundance of farm products like vegetables and fruits used for their kitchen.
The menu offered uses crops from plantations planted in the Mandira Garden yard. Thus, they don’t have a fixed menu; it changes every day depending on what is harvested or picked from the garden. Their usual menu includes salads, Nasi Rames, Pasta, and many more.
If you live in Mampang area or happen passing by Jalan Mampang Prapatan Raya during the suhoor time, RM Padang Mekar Jaya is the place to get your meal. The small restaurant offers authentic Minang cuisine with delicious taste. Their beef rendang and gulai cincang is a must!
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