A Culinary Journey from ‘Sawah to the Sea’ with John Hardy Seminyak and Begawan Biji

This July and August, two chefs bound by the same culinary heritage come together to present bespoke dining experiences at their respective restaurants. Highlighting Indonesian-inspired flavours and fresh, local produce, this two-part, four-hands dinner series is a journey from the farm to the sea.

At John Hardy Seminyak’s ‘The Long Table’, Chef Tomy Saputra has been introducing some of Indonesia’s most exotic regional dishes and cooking techniques through his fabulous spreads made to share. Finding the perfect balance between ‘rustic’ and ‘refined’, The Long Table delivers authentic flavours in an enviable garden setting.

Meanwhile, in the verdant countryside of Payangan, north of Ubud, Chef Andrew Fahludza takes full advantage of his agricultural surroundings and serves a farm-to-table menu of Indonesian and Southeast Asian inspiration. Begawan Biji was founded to support Bali’s Mansur heritage rice and the organic fields on which they are grown, which spread generously behind the beautiful open-air restaurant.

The dining series begins on 25 and 26 July at Begawan Biji, where Chef Andrew invites Chef Tomy  to the heart of the farmlands for the ‘Sawah’ (rice farm) component of the collaboration. As such, diners will savour produce straight from source, the surrounding farms, prepared into contemporary dishes as is the shared expertise of both chefs.

Unique ingredients like the ‘emprit’ field birds to the paddy eels (lindung) will be introduced alongside freshly harvested vegetables, as well as highlight dishes like ‘Brenebon’, a rich beef broth and kidney bean soup, ‘Iga Bakar’ short ribs braised in tamarind and finished on open fire, to ‘Jantung Pisang’ banana blossom sauteed with smoked fish sambal.

Then, on 7 and 8 August at John Hardy Seminyak, the chefs shift their focus from farm to sea, serving up coast-focused flavours. This includes delicacies like ‘Lumpia Laut,’ a seafood rice paper roll filled with fish cheek, roe and Papua crab; fire-grilled Lombok lobster with a Manadonese dabu-dabu chilli relish; to seafood soup cooked with coconut water and turmeric, topped with Medanese anchovies and flying fish roe.

Though two very distinct menus are on offer, both share a vision to uplift flavours from across the Indonesian archipelago, utilise locally-sourced ingredients and of course showcase the Mansur heritage rice, which is prepared in many ways from breaded rice ball starters to sweet rice pudding desserts. “The founders of both Luxury brands have a long-standing connection – we both plant heritage rice on our properties, and have been passionate about sustainability, community and artisanship since the beginning,” shares Polly Purser, Sr. Director of Heritage at John Hardy.

These events are all about celebrating the source, shared histories and values. In the hands of these passionate chefs, each ingredient is allowed to shine.

“It’s such a pleasure to be working with Chef Tomy from The Long Table,” says Chef Andrew. “This collaboration feels really special — a one-of-a-kind feast with the theme “From the Farm to the Sea”, celebrating the incredible flavours of Indonesia’s land and sea in a meaningful way.”

“To me this collaboration is a dialogue between the land and the sea. As a chef, I find the idea of Subak is inspiring – it pushes me and Andrew to look deeper into the roots of our craft, to reconnect with local farming and fishing communities, and to honour our shared values,” explains Chef Tomy.

Follow: @johnhardybali and @begawanbiji

NOW Bali Editorial Team

This article has been written or uploaded by NOW! Bali's in-house editorial team.