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Lombok is proudly home to some outstanding restaurants and the culinary scene is expanding all the time – from simple cafés serving traditional Sasak dishes filled with the tantalising flavours of Indonesian spices, to innovative restaurants where renowned chefs curate menus that redefine the boundaries of taste.
We sat down with the masterminds behind two of the island’s most successful establishments recently. These visionary chefs are not just crafting delectable dishes; they are reshaping the very essence of Lombok’s gastronomic identity.
At the helm of innovation is Chef Vitto Negri, whose culinary prowess has elevated both Quali and Qerang Restaurants at Qunci Villas in Mangsit to a coveted position on the island. With an unwavering commitment to sourcing the finest local ingredients, Chef Vitto seamlessly blends tradition with contemporary flair.
Meanwhile, Chefs Samsul and Kenzo, the culinary inspiration behind El Bazar Restaurant in Kuta, shared insights into the avant-garde techniques and global influences that define the restaurant’s menu, with their commitment to pushing boundaries and introducing diners to new culinary dimensions.
Our exclusive interview provides a glimpse into the genius behind the scenes, where passion and creativity converge to deliver unforgettable dining experiences.
The Lombok Guide (TLG): Chef Vitto, you’ve been heading up the kitchen at Qunci Villas for just over a year now and we continue to hear great things! Let’s start by asking where you are from and what inspired you to become a chef?
Chef Vitto (V): Well, I was born in Naples, Italy and I come from a family of restauranteurs, who all love cooking. So it was natural I just fell into cooking, really. Originally, when I left school, I was studying dentistry but ended up switching to hospitality.
After that, I went to work at a 5-star hotel in Sorrento and then, Capri. Later I moved to Tuscany – I was interested in exploring all the Italian regions and different styles of pasta-making, meat preparation and wines.
TLG: Where are some of the places or countries you have worked and what are the cuisines that inspire your style?
V: Eventually I left Italy and went to work in London. I spent seven years there learning and experiencing new techniques and trends in food. London is so multicultural, with food from every nationality!
My career as a chef has taken me to Dubai, where I spent three years in Abu Dhabi, before moving to Koh Samui in Thailand, Bangalore in India, and then to a 5-star resort in Tunisia. I moved to Bali in 2012, to oversee the pre-opening of several hotels there.
Maybe somewhat surprisingly, the cuisine that inspires me most, apart from Italian, is Japanese!
Japanese food philosophy is all about the quality of the ingredients and keeping the pure quality or integrity of the food; simplicity and seasonal ingredients. This is the same mentality as true Italian cooking.
That’s why I’m inspired by the fusion of Japanese and Italian foods. For example in Qerang Restaurant we serve Blue Crab with Kani Miso – a Japanese paste made from crab.
TLG: What do you hope to bring to the kitchen and to the kitchen team at Qunci Villas?
V: Many of them already worked with some excellent chefs over the years and have good skills, and they’re keen to learn and grateful for the knowledge I share. They’re also the most respectful staff I’ve ever worked with in Indonesia, so that makes it easy to work with them to broaden their skills and experience.
For the kitchen, I am always focussed on my love for quality ingredients and the simplicity of pairing seasonal produce with innovative and complimentary flavours.
TLG: Would you say that is your true food philosophy?
V: Yes, definitively! That is why I am working not only with my kitchen team but also with local producers to try to elevate the quality of produce available in Lombok. I educate fishermen and farmers, sharing knowledge about food preparation, storage and transport so that we can access the best of local ingredients and they can improve their products and market – that way we all win!
On the other end of the island, in Kuta on the south coast, El Bazar Restaurant has been a firm favourite with diners for years, serving up delicious Mediterranean cuisine.
The restaurant relaunched in June 2023 with Chef Samsul at the helm and, in November, Chef Kenzo joined the team. This young and dynamic duo is learning a lot from each other and are ready to grow El Bazar together.
TLG: Where are you guys from and what inspired you to become chefs?
Samsul (S): I’m from Kuta, Lombok and live here with my family. I started my career in the Sheraton in Senggigi and stayed there for five years, before continuing at Living Asia Resort as Chef de Partie.
In 2019, I moved back to Kuta to start as a CDP for Kenza Restaurant. The last 4 years I have learned a lot working with this company, we are always experimenting with different cuisines, organising events and opening new restaurants together.
Kenzo (K): I was born and raised in France and lived there pretty much all my life. I think the main reason I chose to cook so young is because I wanted to find a job where I’ll never get bored, that would stimulate all of my five senses and that would allow me to travel.
Being a chef was uniting all these desires. Later in my life, I realised that food has always been a big part of my life. I come from a double culture, my dad is Vietnamese, and from the moment I was able to eat solid meals, food was a way for my family to demonstrate their love to me. And that is how I became more and more involved with food and started cooking. This is what makes me happy now – giving love to people through cooking.
TLG: Where are some of the places you have worked and what cuisines inspire your style?
K: I studied culinary arts and started working in the area where I grew up: Nice (on the French Riviera). I wanted to start my career in the best restaurants I could find, and to learn from the best chefs.
I did my apprenticeship and started my career in gastronomic restaurants. The first one was named “Keisuke Matsushima” (Nice, France), and continued at “La Chèvre d’or” (Eze, France), and then at “Alexandre Mazzia” (Marseille, France).
Thanks to these experiences in Michelin Star restaurants, I learned high French standards, strict rhythm, and discipline. I then wanted to learn in a different style of restaurant so I worked in a restaurant in Marseille called “La Mercerie”, a creative modern bistro, working and adapting with seasonal and local products. I really appreciated the approach to cuisine they had, and it changed my vision and my way of cooking forever.
After this, I worked as a private chef for different events and customers, and started exploring my own cuisine and creating dishes.
In 2021, I started traveling because I felt that I needed to discover the world and the cuisine it has to offer, to find inspiration. I’ve travelled in many different countries; tasting, meeting people and cooking with them, and sharing our love for cooking and eating.
I finally arrived in Australia, where I worked as a chef. On my days off in June, I visited Lombok for a few days and I fell in love with this beautiful island.
El Bazar was reopening with a totally different concept and I was impressed by the kitchen and the space this restaurant has to offer. I met Larbi, (the owner of El Bazar), who has the same passion for food as me. We became friends and he offered me the opportunity to come and cook for him, and here I am!
TLG: Samsul, how do see the collaboration with Kenzo so far?
S: I’m really happy to work with someone who comes from a very different background and has worked at another level of hospitality than we have here at the moment.
I’m really interested to learn more from Kenzo about the classic cooking methods that they use in France. We also plan to reduce the food waste, as many parts that we don’t use at the moment we can use to make other sauces and dishes.
We have a lot of fun together, as I explain to Kenzo about Indonesia, the culture and the team.
TLG: What do you hope to bring to the kitchen and to the kitchen team at El Bazar, Kenzo?
K: My goal in El Bazar is to push every team member to their full potential, bringing my skills and experience as a French chef to this beautiful kitchen and this amazing team; teaching them how to work with western standards, for their future.
Of course, I also want them to share their skills and knowledge about their cuisine. Together with Samsul, my right hand, we will improve everything we can. He’s my true guide and partner on this big challenge. We will all collaborate to give customers a unique experience and it’s important to us that everyone in the team has the same goal and vision.
TLG: How would you describe your food philosophy?
K: My food philosophy is adapting to what is around me, getting inspired by the products, cooking foods that I like and doing it the best I can – always with love, an important part of my cuisine.
I like tradition as much as I like modern and creative cuisine. I am a mixed-culture chef, growing up with a French mother and a Vietnamese father, so my cuisine is obviously not settled to one style.
I like to use the French skills I learned in my country, and adapt it to a different cuisine with different products, and Lombok has a lot to offer! I have many new things to learn and discover here, and I’m very excited to be able to work with products that are impossible to find in Europe.
TLG: What’s your plan for El Bazar menu?
K: My plan with the El Bazar menu is to make it evolve to a more creative and local products-oriented menu. With Samsul, we would like to emphasise freshness and work with the team to build a true identity around that, collaborating together to serve food that will make sense and that everyone could be proud of – mixing my style of cuisine and my skills with theirs to create delicious dishes.
We will keep our existing à la carte menu, and we are also thinking about including a set blind menu for customers who love to be surprised; they will be guided with our vision from the appetiser to the dessert!