Why Locavore NXT matters.
Locavore NXT is a pioneering Indonesian fine-dining restaurant where Lodtunduh's agricultural heritage meets Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah's dramatic approach to sustainable gastronomy, connecting indigenous biodiversity, experimental food production and regenerative architecture within one of Southeast Asia's most ambitious culinary institutions.
Jalan A.A. Gede Rai leads south from Central Ubud toward Lodtunduh, where Gang Pura Panti Bija branches into agricultural land near Titi Batu Ubud Club, placing the restaurant among cultivated rice fields, coconut palms and village compounds overlooking southern Ubud's countryside. The purpose-built structure incorporates exposed concrete, substantial geometric volumes and broad glazed openings that frame the surrounding agricultural landscape. A dramatic entrance passage lined with dark volcanic stone establishes a distinctive transition between the cultivated grounds and the building's interior. The main dining room combines an open kitchen, natural timber furnishings and expansive windows overlooking the rice paddies, integrating culinary production with the surrounding landscape. The result is a contemporary architectural composition whose substantial concrete forms, tropical planting and agricultural setting establish a striking physical environment for progressive Indonesian cooking.
What defines Locavore NXT.
Locavore NXT is best known for chefs Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah transforming their pioneering Indonesian restaurant into a comprehensive institution devoted to culinary experimentation, indigenous biodiversity and environmentally responsible food production. Their partnership developed through a shared commitment to exploring the agricultural diversity of Indonesia, whose extraordinary range of tropical ingredients provided the foundation for a new approach to contemporary fine dining. Plasmeijer, a Dutch chef who established his career in professional European kitchens, brought international culinary training to a partnership shaped equally by Adriansyah's Indonesian background and understanding of regional food traditions. The chefs opened the original Locavore in Central Ubud in 2013, establishing a restaurant dedicated to preparing sophisticated tasting menus from ingredients produced within Indonesia. Their decision to prioritize domestic agricultural products distinguished the project during a period when imported European ingredients carried considerable prestige within international fine dining. Locavore developed relationships with Indonesian farmers, fishermen, foragers and specialist producers, expanding the culinary possibilities of ingredients that received limited attention within conventional restaurant kitchens. The restaurant's growing reputation brought international recognition through Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, culminating in its selection as Indonesia's leading restaurant and recipient of the Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2019. Its position at number 42 on the regional ranking demonstrated the international significance achieved by a restaurant centered on Indonesian agricultural resources. The chefs nevertheless encountered substantial limitations within their original premises, particularly the restricted space available for food production, storage and technical experimentation. Their ambitions developed into a proposal for an entirely new facility that would integrate restaurant operations with agricultural cultivation, preservation, research and environmental management. The project moved forward during the disruption of international travel and hospitality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an opportunity to reconsider the physical organization of a fine-dining restaurant. Plasmeijer and Adriansyah commissioned Budi Pradono Architects to develop a substantial new building in the agricultural landscape south of Central Ubud, supported by creative collaborators responsible for the broader design program. Locavore NXT opened in late 2023, introducing a purpose-built culinary institution extending across 6,000 square meters of land. Its development incorporated a dedicated research kitchen, fermentation facilities, mushroom cultivation chambers, agricultural production areas and specialized systems for processing waste. The project's environmental infrastructure includes 172 solar panels, rainwater collection and treatment systems designed to reduce dependence on external resources. A biological wastewater treatment system uses 2,000 worms, extending the restaurant's commitment to circular production into the management of water and organic material. Its first year of operation achieved a waste-diversion rate of 98.4 percent, demonstrating the practical effectiveness of the integrated environmental program. International recognition followed through La Liste's Ethical and Sustainability Award for 2025, acknowledging the restaurant's contribution to environmentally responsible gastronomy. Another major distinction arrived when Locavore NXT received the Sustainable Restaurant Award at Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025, extending the achievement first secured by its predecessor six years earlier. The restaurant subsequently earned the highest three-star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association and three knives from The Best Chef Awards. These distinctions established Locavore NXT as an internationally significant example of culinary innovation supported by measurable environmental practices. Its development connects the professional evolution of two influential chefs with a broader reconsideration of how restaurants participate in agriculture, biodiversity conservation and responsible resource management.
Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah's cooking begins with the biological diversity of Indonesia, developing unfamiliar plants, tropical fruits, cultivated fungi and regional agricultural products through fermentation, controlled cooking and intensive ingredient exploration. The kitchen works exclusively with Indonesian ingredients, establishing a culinary repertoire shaped by domestic agricultural production and the availability of wild foods gathered across the surrounding countryside. Indigenous vegetables and fruits contribute a broad range of acidity, sweetness, bitterness and aromatic intensity, allowing the chefs to construct sophisticated flavor combinations from the country's natural resources. The absence of imported wheat and dairy requires alternative approaches to texture, richness and structure, placing considerable importance on starches, plant-based fats and traditional preservation techniques. Fermentation provides a particularly important foundation through the transformation of grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables into ingredients with greater aromatic complexity and concentrated savory flavors. Koji cultivation develops enzymatic activity that breaks down starches and proteins, producing sweetness and umami that extend the culinary possibilities of familiar agricultural products. The dedicated fermentation team develops these preparations through controlled temperature, moisture and microbial activity, producing ingredients that contribute depth to sauces, seasonings and accompanying beverages. Mushroom cultivation introduces another dimension through species grown within specialized chambers, whose controlled environments support consistent production and experimentation. Their earthy flavors and substantial textures contribute richness to plant-centered preparations, extending the kitchen's commitment to reducing dependence on animal proteins. The rooftop food forest supplies additional edible plants through an agricultural system incorporating tropical vegetation, cultivated herbs and indigenous species selected for their culinary potential. Foraging extends that agricultural program into surrounding forests and farmland, where specialist teams identify edible plants and gather ingredients whose availability changes with rainfall and seasonal growth. A dedicated biodiversity library develops the connection between individual ingredients and their ecological origins, giving the restaurant a structured foundation for exploring Indonesia's extensive botanical resources. LabX, the establishment's research and development kitchen, transforms these discoveries into preparations through technical experimentation and collaborative testing. The restaurant's tasting menu subsequently brings those processes into a carefully coordinated sequence, connecting ingredients with the techniques used to cultivate, preserve and prepare them. Seasonal compositions incorporate tropical fruit, fermented grains, mushrooms, seafood and modest quantities of meat, developing contrasting relationships between acidity, sweetness, fat and savory concentration. Honi pineapple demonstrates the possibilities of this approach through its pronounced tropical acidity, which supports combinations incorporating richer ingredients and carefully balanced seasoning. Rice koji provides another foundation through its natural sweetness and capacity to develop complex fermented flavors, contributing to preparations that incorporate floral elements and ingredients associated with the surrounding agricultural landscape. The beverage laboratory extends the same approach through locally sourced botanical ingredients, fermented drinks and preparations developed from materials recovered during food production. Nonalcoholic pairings emphasize the aromatic character of indigenous plants and tropical fruits, allowing individual drinks to develop alongside the sequence of the menu. The dining sequence incorporates several distinct rooms, beginning with introductory preparations and continuing through the main kitchen before concluding in spaces devoted to the restaurant's broader culinary work. Locavore NXT's distinctive cooking emerges from this integration of Indonesian biodiversity, agricultural production and technical experimentation, establishing a culinary approach in which the origins and transformation of ingredients determine the character of the finished meal.
How Locavore NXT fits.
Locavore NXT works as the concluding destination for an Ubud itinerary connecting Balinese painting, the preservation of traditional performance arts and the agricultural landscape that supports the region's contemporary culinary culture.
Begin at Agung Rai Museum of Art, the cultural institution established by Balinese art collector Agung Rai to preserve and develop the island's artistic heritage. The museum opened in 1996, bringing together historical Balinese painting and works by Indonesian and international artists associated with the development of modern art on the island. Its collection includes paintings by Walter Spies, the German-born artist whose work and cultural activities influenced Bali's twentieth-century artistic development. Traditional Balinese architecture and landscaped gardens connect the exhibition buildings with a wider program of dance, music and cultural education. Continue to Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets, a cultural institution devoted to preserving Indonesia's diverse traditions of masked performance and puppetry. Its collection encompasses thousands of masks and puppets from Bali, Java and other regions of the Indonesian archipelago, including objects associated with ceremonial performance and theatrical storytelling. Traditional wooden buildings provide exhibition spaces for collections representing the artistic and religious significance of Indonesian performance traditions. The institution also preserves examples from other Asian cultures, establishing connections between Indonesian puppetry and the broader development of masked theater. Conclude at Lumbung Sari Agroo, an agricultural attraction in the Lodtunduh countryside associated with the cultivation and preparation of tropical products. Its grounds introduce the agricultural character of southern Ubud through cultivated plants and demonstrations connected with Balinese coffee and regional produce. Coffee preparation provides a practical connection between tropical agriculture and the island's food culture, tracing the transformation of harvested beans into roasted and brewed products. The surrounding cultivated landscape reinforces the relationship between village agriculture and the region's developing hospitality economy. The progression moves from the preservation of Balinese painting through the artistic traditions of Indonesian performance and concludes with the agricultural practices that provide a foundation for Ubud's contemporary culinary development.
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