Text by David Trauts
Photos by Sulthon

Warisan restaurant has been a dining institution in Bali for 20 years and its present owner/occupier has been involved directly and indirectly since day one. Ibu Dayu Sri was brought up with hospitality in her veins. From her family-run hotel in Ubud where she grew up, and later as the PR at the Oberoi during the eighties, before starting the original Warisan restaurant in 1990, entertaining guests and relating to people comes as second nature to this Balinese woman. From the beginning Warisan was always a sociable place to be and has been part of the reason Bali has become an upmarket tourist destination. “Back then there weren’t many good dining options on offer in Bali,” Dayu told FRV. “So, myself and two friends, Tosca and Mary, decided to do something about it.” They opened the restaurant behind the existing Warisan gallery and ran it for the next four years. “By the time the boys came and offered to take it over I was pregnant again and said to them, yes sure, take it away. Said and Doudou were good friends and regulars at the restaurant by then and I was happy to let them have it.”

Thirteen years later the boys had moved onto their new project, METIS, and with Dayu’s children already grown up she decided it was time to roll up her sleeves and get back onto the front line. “I’ve always loved food, cooking and entertaining,” she confides. “I am involved with every part of this restaurant but it is the food that I most enjoy.” She has help too in an old friend and now general manager at Warisan, Cetin Candan, who brings an abundance of business and dining experience to the table. In the kitchen, Belgian chef, Vincent Denayar is cooking up a storm with the French – Mediterranean cuisine. “Personally, I prefer to call it an international menu because it does have dishes from all over the world,” points out Dayu Sri. The lunch and dinner menus are really quite enormous with a wide selection of delicious options.

The new restaurant, which was completely transformed in nine months of renovation earlier this year, can seat over 100 people and has the Warisan furniture and jewelry stores on one side, with parking for over 40 vehicles behind (unseen from the restaurant). The space is enormous.

Dayu Sri could be considered in many ways the queen of Bali Style and now once again she’s back to being the grand dame of Bali Restaurants. She is a natural host and generous with her heart and smile to all comers. “Caring and love is good,” she said to me, “Money’s fine, but caring means more.” She proves this in many ways, but also in one particular place where it counts; the prices they have set at Warisan. They are a tier lower than their main competitors in the finer dining end of the Seminyak area. “I like people to come often to my restaurant, not just on birthdays or special occasions.” And she’s right; the price quality ratio is nothing less than value for money and with lashings of care, style and taste.

Warisan
Jl. Kerobokan Raya 38
Kerobokan – Bali
Tel: +62 361 731 175
www.warisanrestaurant.com

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