Nuanu Creative City Opens Nusantara, Bringing Nine Indonesian Regional Cuisines Under One Roof in Bali

14 August 2026, Tabanan, Bali – Nuanu Creative City today opens Nusantara, a culinary and cultural discovery destination built on the premise that Indonesia's own regional cooking, coffee and art can carry a major venue on their own — without borrowing a foreign concept to do it.

Nusantara is designed as one journey across the archipelago rather than a collection of outlets. It begins at Warung Nine Islands, where spice pastes are ground from scratch every morning and regional techniques are preserved rather than adapted, drawing on dishes from Java, Sumatra, Bali, Lombok, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Sumba, Flores and Madura — many rarely served outside their home islands. Those same ingredients reappear at Meja 36, where contemporary technique is applied without softening the flavour profiles, sourced directly from regional producers, fishermen and foragers. The Mangrove Café pours single-origin coffee from Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Flores alongside pastries built on pandan, palm sugar, klepon and dadar gulung. Framing all of it is The Gallery, opening with INDONESIAN VISION — 1,000 Indonesian tribal artefacts curated by Pascal Morabito, each carrying a digital guide to its history, technique and cultural context. Selected works are available for acquisition.

Bali recorded 6,948,754 direct foreign arrivals in 2025, up 9.72 percent on the previous year, according to BPS Bali. That boom has been defined largely by imported formats — Mediterranean beach clubs, Japanese omakase counters, Australian-style brunch cafés. Nusantara makes the case that the archipelago's own culinary map is the more compelling one, and that it has been underserved on its own island.

"Bali is Indonesia's gateway, and we want Nuanu to open the door wider," said Lev Kroll, CEO of Nuanu Creative City. "Our guests already fall in love with Balinese culture — Nusantara is our invitation to fall for the rest of the archipelago too: its cuisine, its craft, its regions. It's rooted in tradition, but the goal is discovery. Our long-term vision is for Nusantara to become a home for 'embassies' of Indonesia's other regions — because curiosity is the first step toward falling in love, and that's the real secret to a great experience."

"We drove to the producers. All of them," said James Ephraim, Chef, Founder and Owner of Nusantara. "Many months across nine islands, sitting with fishermen, foragers and cooks who have made the same spice paste for forty years, because you cannot shortcut that and you cannot buy it in. The test is simple: if a grandmother from Padang eats our rendang and recognises it, we have done our job."

Beyond the experience itself, Nusantara follows Nuanu’s broader model of participation in the Nuanu Social Fund (NSF), with a percentage of revenue contributing to initiatives supporting Bali’s culture, nature and communities.

The model connects the act of exploring Indonesia’s culinary heritage with a wider purpose: experiencing Indonesia’s cuisine can also help fuel the preservation and support of the culture behind it.

Nusantara joins Nuanu Creative City's existing programme across education, art, wellness and nature-led development on its 44-hectare site in Tabanan.

Venue Fact Sheet

- Warung Nine Islands — All-day regional Indonesian dining. 70 covers. Open 12pm–10pm. Kitchen led by James Ephraim, Chef and Founder of Nusantara and Luna Beach Club, with Chef Wayan Mustika, previously of Merah Putih (Bali) and Tri Restaurant (Hong Kong). Mains from IDR 120,000. Live performance daily at 6pm.

- Meja 36 — Contemporary Indonesian fine dining. Tasting menu at IDR 499,000 per person. 50 covers. Open 12pm–10pm, by chef and owner James Ephraim.

- The Mangrove Café — Single-origin coffee and Indonesian cakes. Beans from Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Flores. Open 12pm–10pm.

- The Gallery — Opening exhibition INDONESIAN VISION, curated by Pascal Morabito, featuring 1,000 Indonesian tribal artefacts. Works priced IDR 500,000 to IDR 625,000,000. Open 12pm–10pm.

Photo Credit: Nuanu Creative City