The Ubud Food Festival takes place from 30 May to 1 June 2025, with chefs, food writers, producers, innovators all descending upon the culinary capital for three food-filled days. The program includes talks and workshops to cooking demos, food tours and a food market, but there will also be one-time-only dining experiences you won’t want to miss.
One of the most special parts of the Ubud Food Festival is the unique collaborations that take place, where chefs from outside Bali head into renowned kitchens in Ubud and cook alongside the island’s own culinary legends. The result is a one-time-only experience, a cultural exchange of flavours!
So, what special dining events can you expect at UFF 2025? Here are some highlights:-
Crossing Borders: A Four Hands Feast
30 May 2025 at Apéritif Restaurant
Apéritif’s Executive Chef Nic Vanderbeeken welcomes Esca Khoo, a Malaysian-Australian Chef whose bold, expressive cooking channels a personal journey through Asia, infused with history, people and memories. Esca’s style will complement Chef Nic’s signature approach of introducing Indonesian ingredients through European techniques in this dinner.
The experience begins with four snacks—two from each chef—followed by a seven-course menu. Each chef presents three courses that reflect their individual style, culminating in a collaborative dish that draws on the culinary traditions of both Malaysia and Indonesia.
Three Stories, One Table: A Six Hands Celebration
31 May 2025 at Mozaic Restaurant
Three extraordinary chefs unite for an unforgettable 6-hand culinary experience. Christian Martena, the acclaimed Puglia-born chef of Clara, Bangkok—a Michelin Guide restaurant, named among the 50 Top Italy 2025—joins Blake Thornley from Ubud’s own Mozaic and Gareth Whitton, Australia’s first-ever Dessert Master and tart maestro of Melbourne’s favorite, Tarts Anon. Together, they present a sublime journey of exemplary flavours, blending world-class fine dining with local accents and heavenly sweet perfection.
Guests will enjoy welcome snacks from the chefs, a 6-course tasting menu, and petit fours.
Kindled: A Night with Syrco Bakker & Vallian Gunawan
1 June 2025 at Syrco BASÈ
Settle in for a 12-course experience as Chef Vallian Gunawan from Jakarta’s hottest new restaurant, Kindling, joins forces with Chef Syrco Bakker at his eponymous Ubud dining destination. This 12-seat event promises intimacy, with each course prepared live, plated with intention and accompanied by stories from the chefs. Both chefs have French cooking in their heart, but a deep respect for Indonesian flavours.
Sundanese Soul: A Feast at Bumi Kinar
1 June 2025 at Jingga Restaurant, Bumi Kinar
Discover the flavours of West Java as these three chefs showcase the culinary heritage of Bandung. This is not just a dinner, it’s a tribute, with Chef Rama of Jingga Restaurant, Joongla Indonesia, Bandung’s culinary storytellers, and Chef Agus Hermawan, of the acclaimed, Ron Gastrobar in Amsterdam cook up Sundanese delicacies. Think smoky grilled meats, bold sambals, and greens picked straight from the resort’s garden, all enjoyed in the depths of an Ubud river valley that Bumi Kinar calls home.
Long Table Feast from Banda Neira
31 May 2025 at Casa Luna
A long-held tradition of UFF 2025, the Long Table Lunch returns to Casa Luna, where flavours from Indonesia’s spice islands are focus. Abba, the enigmatic owner of Cilu Bintang Hotel, hosts a storytelling feast hailing from Banda Neira, Maluku, alongside Ibu Dila Banda. Savour fresh fish soup infused with nutmeg fruit, tuna gohu-gohu, eggplant with kenari sambal, fish in turmeric-lime broth, Asian slaw with kenari, delicate fish cakes, and more. Discover the spices that made these islands the beating heart of global colonial trade!
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ubud Food Festival’s special events, with food tours, workshops and masterclasses also taking place during the festival dates, inviting real gourmands to dive deep into their favourite culinary interests. Discover the full programme on the UFF website, and make sure to book your calendars for 30 May to 1 June 2025!
@ubudfoodfest | ubudfoodfestival.com
