Chef Gaetan Biesuz invites guests to embrace the unknown through a completely bespoke dining journey at the Rumari Counter.
There is some strange satisfaction in having something that others can’t have; it’s what gives value to precious gems or limited edition releases, be it fashion or collectors items. So, imagine experiencing a dish, or an entire menu that no one has had before – or will ever have again. This is precisely what’s on offer through the Rumari Counter, a chef’s table experience launched at the end of 2025 at Raffles Bali’s signature restaurant.
“At the Rumari Counter, we take the DNA and philosophy of a Japanese omakase experience, but we adapt that to what Rumari is all about – celebrating local ingredients through progressive Southeast Asian flavours,” explains Chef Gaetan Biesuz, Culinary Director of Raffles Bali.
The regular tasting menu at Rumari Bali is already designed as a journey, taking guests on a guided tour around Bali and Indonesia through specific ingredients – crayfish from Sibang, heritage pork from Baturiti, mud crabs from West Sumatra. At the counter, there is no map, there is no menu, you sit and see what the chefs place in front of you.
The counter occupies a private corner of the restaurant. An al-fresco space on the open deck, with the busying chefs backdropped by scenes of Jimbaran Bay and beyond. Seating a maximum of eight guests, this is an intimate affair, but most precious is the up close interaction with the chefs as they prepare each dish. For the real gourmands, this will be the real added value: the opportunity to ask and query about processes, ingredients, inspirations. Food, after all, is a medium for storytelling, and the best chefs are exemplary storytellers.
Whilst future creations will vary, details of our bespoke menu offers a glimpse into what an experience at the Counter has in store. “We have a general structure to the journey,” explains Chef Gaetan, clearly in his element, the counter his new playground.
Always a bespoke menu at the Rumari Counter
“We start fresh and light, introduce some raw items. Then something with carbohydrates, before we get into the meats and seafood. And then of course, desserts!” How each of these phases are played out are very much at the whim of the chefs on the day.
We begin with a trio of one-bite snacks: a delicate tartlet of fresh ocean perch, cured in a leche de tigre infused with cemcem, a local leaf used in Balinese health drinks – tart and refreshing. The Indonesian corn fritter is rehashed into a soft, deep-fried beignet, and a minuscule beef taco is embellished with a traditional beef floss, or abon. These amuse bouche tease the direction of the upcoming dinner, how the culinary team creatively mix-and-match flavours, blending Indonesian ingredients and international inspirations.
This theme continues: delicately sliced raw tuna, balanced with creamy dollops of burrata and generous servings of Kristal Caviar for an exquisite (and luxurious) note of umami. Then an Italian-Thai fusion, where Phad See Ew meets Tagliolini with flavours driven by Bali’s freshwater crayfish.
Every dish sparks new conversation and Chef Gaetan regales us with stories: sharing of his recent visit to a caviar supplier and his newfound knowledge, his comparisons between Thai and Indonesian culinary industries, and explaining the elements of each new dish.
“The Kinmedai is slightly different from the regular red snapper, you can tell the difference from its eyes,” he explains, handling the finishing touches of our next main. Inspired by Jimbaran’s famous seafood barbecue, the Rumari team cooked an aromatic bouillabaisse with Balinese spices – a ‘Jimbaran fish soup’ – the sauce for a perfectly grilled portion of Kinmedai.
The final main was a fun deconstruction of Indonesia’s favourite beef dish, rendang. A premium cut of Tokusen tenderloin accompanied by diced short ribs in a rendang sauce, crispy ‘singkong’ cassava chips (traditionally a side vegetable), with a thick coconut foam on top.
“We don’t know what we’re going to make because it completely depends on what we have on the day,” admits Chef de Cusine, Bachrudin Mahmud, who shares the counter’s responsibility with Chef Gaetan.
“The fish depends on the catch, same for the desserts – see what we have!” Adds Chef Gaetan, whose sweet of the evening was inspired by his recent trip to Paris, as he was fresh off the plane having collected Rumari’s award as one of La Liste’s Top 1,000 Restaurants of the world.
“In France, we were enjoying wonderful grapefruits, so I thought, we have blood orange here, we can make something!” The inspiration resulted in a pavlova-esque dessert with confit blood orange, pomelo and Italian meringue.
But that is the magic of the Rumari Counter, its spontaneity, where a recent trip abroad, or a fruit coming into season can dictate the direction of a dish. It keeps the kitchen team on their toes – as well as Head Sommelier, Naufal, who must draft up his wine pairing from Rumari’s 250 labels at a moment’s notice.
A perhaps less obvious delight is that the conversation and engagement at the counter fills the space between dishes, making a six- or seven-course menu flow seamlessly into the night. With chefs Gaetan and Mahmud personally enlightening their guests, the Rumari Counter experience is both a social and epicurean pleasure.
Rumari Counter is currently available five days a week (Wednesday to Sunday), with one seating per evening.
+62 361 201 5800
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raffles.com/bali
