An insider's guide to eating in Bali

From traditional Indonesian food to tasting menus, two local chefs share their top picks

- Aatish Nath

Bali has long been a place to slow down—for backpackers or honeymooners, families or friends. Here meals can range from quick protein runs to a 7-11, or elaborate sit-downs at the many five-star hotels.

Chefs Ray Adriansyah, an Indonesian, and Eelke Plasmeijer, who moved from the Netherlands 15 years ago, met in Bali when they were working at Alila Ubud hotel. Since then they have honed a business and creative partnership. While the duo is best known for their tasting-menu-only restaurant Locavore NXT in Bali, they run a mini empire that encompasses Nusantara, which showcases food from Indonesia’s many islands; Night Rooster, a bar that takes inspiration from local ingredients; Herbivore, which is known for a vegetarian tasting menu; Locavore to Go, which does burgers and sandwiches; and Local Parts, a butcher shop.