“Bali Asli” is the realization of a long-held dream by its Executive Chef and Director, Penelope Williams.


“Bali Asli” also promises to offer Balinese cuisine cooked traditionally in wood-fired, mud brick stoves,
A cooking school also forms part of “Bali Asli” with lessons themed on “a day in the life of.” This unique approach includes excursions into surrounding farming communities as well as hands-on cooking experience.

To celebrate the opening of “Bali Asli Restaurant and Cooking School” Penelope Williams has invited fellow-chef Tony Howell of the Cape Lodge in Western Australia to join her in the kitchen on Saturday, July 30, 2011.
The celebratory opening dinner is strictly limited to only 40 diners, beginning with a cocktail at 5:00 pm followed by a special menu cooked entirely on wood-fired stoves and open fires.
Like Chef Williams, Tony shares a commitment to absolute freshness and uncompromisingly good ingredients.

Describing the decades long process, Williams said: “Bali Asli is the product of my many dreams. After a four-year apprenticeship at the Savoy hotel in London, where I didn’t see a fresh chili for the entire period, lots of foie gras and truffles, but no chili! It too 12 years in Sydney working in cutting edge eating establishments such as Restaurant 41, Boathouse and Bather’s Pavilion, followed by a three year posting as Executive Chef at the Alila Manggis hotel East Bali to make those dreams come true. A spark inside me was ignited when I went travelling through Asia in the late 1980s, little did I know the spark would lead me to where I am now.”
Penelope relates how it was during her time at the Alila Manggis that she discovered the rich array of fresh produce available in East Bali and the Balinese ability to “create a unique tapestry of flavors.”




Bali Asli is located in Gelumpang village, near the town of Amlapura the capital of Karangasem regency in the Bali's northeast. In terms of driving time, Bali Asli is about 2 hours from the airport, 30 minutes from Candidasa and 30 minutes from Amed village.

Located in the very shadows of Mount Agung, the restaurant strives to be both “from” and “of” East Bali; relying heavily on the local community to supply fish and produce that stock their kitchen and eventually grace their table.