Culinary Brigade at Manisan and Petani Set to Shine under the Guidance of Chef Bloem

Alaya Hotels & Resorts Bali is pleased to announce the appointment of Henry Alexie Bloem as Food and Beverage Advisor. Driven by his passion for Indonesian cuisine, the current President of the Indonesian Chef Association is expected to inject innovation and energy to the restaurants at Alaya Resort Ubud.

Chef Bloem brings nearly 29 years of culinary experience from around the world to this new role. Originally from Bali, he has held senior positions at several star-rated hotels and resorts around Indonesia. Throughout his career, Chef Bloem has always exhibited an intuitive determination in his pursuit to give traditional Indonesian cuisine the platform that it so rightly deserves.

With a personal cooking style defined by his desire to preserve the original flavours of fresh ingredients, Chef Bloem also likes to blend Western and Indonesian cultural influences.  Having spent his earlier years travelling through Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Spain, America and the Philippines, he was able to explore different foods and cooking techniques. At the same time, he also shared his own expertise by introducing people on his travels to the tastes of Indonesia. These experiences all culminated in Chef Bloem’s nomination as   President of the Indonesian Chef Association from 2008 until 2022 where he serves as an honorary ambassador for Indonesian cuisine.

On his appointment Chef Bloem said, “The unique and modern artistic concept of Alaya Resort Ubud is my biggest source of inspiration to create a new menu that defines the gastronomy of Indonesian fine dining at our extraordinary restaurants. My vision is to give guests to exceptional dining experiences by introducing flavours that truly satisfy the taste buds and are remembered long after they return home.”

In collaboration with Executive Chef Siharta and Food & Beverage Manager Krisna Decaran, Chef Bloem will revitalize all menus and motivate the kitchen team at Alaya Resort Ubud. He will draw on his extensive culinary knowledge and management skills to showcase authentic Indonesian cuisine with an elegance that complements the resort’s design aesthetic.

“The archipelago’s diverse cuisine will be well represented at Manisan, meanwhile Petani will highlight Western and Asian Cuisine with an ‘east meets west’ concept at Alaya Resort Ubud. We believe that under Chef Bloem’s direction, both Petani and Manisan will become Top Bali Culinary Destinations,” said Jimmy Gunawan, CEO Alaya Hotels and Resorts.

As Food and Beverage Advisor, Chef Bloem has already launched a new signature dish at Manisan, which is his own version of Nasi Bira. This is yellow rice infused with kemangi leaves accompanied by dry salted fish, cucumber and eggplant. It is served with tasting portions of spicy honey grilled prawns, seared tuna fish sambal matah, chicken betutu, minced chicken satay lilit, rice field escargot, vegetable urap and snake beans with two kinds of sambals and crackers. This Ubud delicacy is guaranteed to have visitors coming back for more.

Alaya Hotels & Resorts General Manager, Dewi Mas also commented that she is looking forward to all of the fresh ideas that Chef Bloem will implement. As a consummate professional who is well versed in Indonesian cuisine, he will mentor the Food and Beverage team as we set out to elevate Manisan and Petani. Guests in search for authentic Indonesian and Western flavours will be in for a real treat when they visit Alaya Resort Ubud.

Cocooned within a breezy Ubud rice field, Manisan Bali is a well-designed space that remains sensitive to the island’s rich cultural heritage. It provides the perfect setting to showcase the diverse and exotic flavours of the Indonesian archipelago in style. A picturesque pathway leads to a 350-year-old Javanese Joglo that also lends itself to wedding celebrations and private events. To read more about Manisan Bali, please visit www.manisanbali.com

Petani serves the culinary needs of in-house guests and passers-by with a delightful menu of flavoursome fare. This smart dining venue presents its own take on East meets West cuisine. Petani celebrates the diversity of Asian food with a menu driven by farm-fresh ingredients and in-season delicacies. Every dish is layered with exotic flavours for a taste sensation that will linger long after the meal is over. Petani even has its own team of trained baristas so that every cup of coffee is perfectly brewed using a rich blend of Indonesian coffee beans. To guarantee consistency, these beans are processed using the La Marzocco FB/70 limited edition machine. To read more about Petani, please visit www.alayahotels.com