The theory of relativity tells us that space and time are not separate, fixed things, but are otherwise interconnected. For Locavore chef-owners Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah, the theory of relativity fits in well with the opening of NXT, their “more than a restaurant” venture that brings Locavore to a different level.
In the original 2013 Locavore, space was one of the biggest issues that limited the duo from realizing the different things they wanted to achieve in and out of the kitchen. With NXT, they’ve built a space that houses everything that they once envisioned—and with this expansive space, they can do more things—all at the same time.
“[Now] we have all the facilities Ray and I wanted: lots of kitchens (main kitchen, canteen kitchen, lab kitchen, fermentation kitchen, beverage kitchen, koji prep kitchen), growing areas (food forest/jungle on the rooftop),” Chef Eelke said.
With all these, NXT is “more than a restaurant”—it is a space that allows the chefs and their teams to push their boundaries and offer the most complete dining experience “that is not ‘just’ a dinner.”
“I think that now we finally have all the facilities we always wanted, we can never say that things are not possible to do. Back in the day, we always felt limitations to do more and to do better but now those limitations are gone and we have no excuses anymore not to do things.”
It’s “more than” and “not just” a restaurant, even adding on The Wood Rooms—three cabins onsite, built for personal friends and guests who want to stay overnight and have “The Full NXT Experience.” That is a dinner at Locavore NXT, an overnight stay at The Wood Rooms, a private tour of the NXT project (including meeting the chefs), and an off-menu breakfast at their Canteen restaurant.
With NXT, Chef Eelke and Chef Ray are reaching the full potential of what Locavore wants to achieve. A rebellious and revolutionary food destination that not only aims to feed people good food, but also to educate, inspire, become a solution by example, and perhaps, to change the restaurant landscape into a more localized, sustainable direction where people care more about local produce, ingredients, and processes that make up every dish on the menu.
“We also really wanted the project to be as sustainable as possible because we always felt we could do so much better in that area,” Chef Eelke adds.
When they say sustainable, they go beyond reusing organic waste or recycled materials—it’s a sustainable building design with solar power, recycled rainwater, an organic wellness center where they segregate their waste, soil regeneration, and worm toilets—what’s that you ask?—2,000 worms housed in a chamber deep inside the basement that works on everything that gets flushed.
With the tropical brutalist space, they become one with nature as they move forward and explore the depths of local food, while at the same time using modern techniques to push the boundaries of what local produce can do and reach a different level of sustainability, showing their respect for nature.
Staying true to the Locavore ethos, they work exclusively with local ingredients and produce—no imports, no dairy or wheat, gluten-free, utilize everything, less animal protein.
Chefs Maxie Millian and Sook Yi of the Locavore kitchen team had to travel all over Indonesia to find the most interesting and unique produce, creating a 20-course tasting menu that is purely local, changing the menu three times a year.
“The first menu at NXT is a celebration of these spaces – the nature, the culture, the people, and even the building itself.” Using ingredients that have never been used before, as well as using indigenous Indonesian produce grown in their food forest, NXT provides an interactive, dining experience that highlights Indonesia’s diverse food sources.
Immediately after arrival, guests are welcomed in a cabin in the middle of the ‘forest’ where the journey begins along a concrete pathway into the building, surrounded by herbs from their garden, walking along the view of the rice paddy fields before coming into The Bar.
From there, guests walk through a massive Balinese carved wooden door, offering a quick peek of the main dining room, before going down a labyrinth that takes guests to a mushroom chamber and a B.I.O Lab—an interactive and extensive digital library containing information about the countless local produce used in the kitchen. Guests are then led to the 60-seat dining room, showcasing a massive open kitchen filled with talented chefs and staff.
After dinner, we were given the pleasure of a tour by Chef Rey. We walked through the Canteen kitchen, the R&D lab, the fermentation room, and on to their roof garden where they also house their beehives. An exit through the gift shop offers a peek at merchandise: culinary books and artwork from local artists, while guests sip through their choice of a hot, comforting drink: coffee, tea, or creamy chocolate.
In making the menu, ingredients such as picung, lontar fruit, jengkol, trigona and daluman are found—these are ingredients not commonly used—considered some of the most unique ingredients used on the menu.
“Each snack or dish has at least one or two ingredients that most of our guests have never heard of.” Chef Maxie said. Expect all Indonesian ingredients, but don’t expect Indonesian dishes—think of daluman jelly with mudcrab, crispy Jatiluwih rice, and pea aubergine—there’s softness and crunch, there is subtleness and punch in flavors.
The Honi pineapple topped with lardo, with the local ginger temu poh is another play on sweet and savory flavors, with juicy, chewy textures. Each dish is complex, with different textures and mingling of flavors. The menu takes the tongue on a wild trip and calms it down as dinner ends with a comforting beverages.
The Beverage Lab also plays an integral part in the whole concept, offering a pairing of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks with the menu. Doing away from any wine pairing, drinks are made out of local spirits and ferments such as arak and brem, manipulating taste through fermentation and flavors, using bright ingredients like flowers, fruit, spices, and kitchen leftovers. There are pet nats, kombucha, and soda on the 0% option, making the drink list an interesting highlight to the dining experience.
For Chef Maxie, the jengkol dish is a standout. “It is such a challenging ingredient for a lot of (Indonesian) guests and they always like our version, even if they normally don’t like jengkol.” As for Chef Sook Yi, the daluman dish is her personal favorite. “Our version is a savory one which wasn’t that easy to do, as it is normally served in sweet drinks or dishes.”
With a sprawling space of functional rooms and kitchens paired with over 100 employees, combined with the passionate, creative, and energetic force of Chef Eelke, Chef Ray, and the creative out-of-the-box non-F&B guy, David, there is so much they can achieve with their time, all together, in Locavore NXT.
Locavore NXT
Jl. A.A. Gede Rai Gang Pura Panti Bija, Lodtunduh, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571
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