Quick Answer
Three months in. The first run of seasons has surfaced the dishes guests order twice, the wines Manuel sold out of, and the operational details a kitchen learns in its first hundred days. A short, honest note from the team.
The dishes that landed
Some plates arrived already finished. Others got rewritten through the first eight weeks. The ones guests have ordered most:
Tuna crudo, finger lime, sesame oil. A late addition to the Pomona menu in late March. Quiet, bright, the kind of opening course that resets the appetite. Has not left the menu since.
Charred eggplant, miso butter, sesame. Sounds quiet, isn't. The first dish a vegetarian guest called "the best thing I'll eat all year." Made by a kitchen that doesn't treat vegetarian as a constraint.
The asado plate for two. Beef short rib, chimichurri, a small grilled chorizo, charred onion. Initially we worried the portion was too generous. Three months in, guests finish it.
Whole grilled fish, sambal matah, lime. Whatever comes off the morning boat. The kitchen has built a relationship with two local fishermen; we serve what they bring. Some nights snapper, some grouper, some kingfish. Each version cooks slightly differently. Worth ordering once a stay.
Dulce de leche tart. Single most-ordered dessert. Hot kitchen, cold dessert, the contrast does the work.
What got rewritten
A few honest revisions:
The opening Pomona menu had a ceviche that was too acidic. We pulled it after the first two weeks. The new ceviche uses local citrus from a grove on Lombok; calmer, more layered.
The lunch beach-club menu was originally too long. Cut it from 22 items to 14. The ones we cut were duplicates of dinner dishes. The ones that stayed are the right ones for a long lunch with a cold beer.
The Rosalee tasting started at six courses. Five reads better. The pacing improved by removing the fourth course; guests left less full but more satisfied.
The wines that surprised
Manuel runs the lists across both rooms. A few notes from the first months:
An Argentine Bonarda we didn't expect to sell. Lighter than Malbec, more food-friendly, perfect with the asado. Three cases sold out before the second order arrived.
A small biodynamic Burgundy at Rosalee. Manuel poured it on the second-evening tasting. A guest with a serious cellar at home asked to buy a bottle to take with him. Manuel agreed once.
Indonesian wines from a small producer in north Bali. Better than they should be. We pour a glass on the lunch menu at the beach club. Guests come back curious; some take notes.
A non-alcoholic pairing flight at Rosalee. Built late in February. Fermented apple, a hand-blended tea, a smoked tomato water. Manuel's pet project. Several guests have asked for it instead of wine, which is rare and welcome.
The team
The kitchens at BASK run quieter than most. A few notes:
Chef. Argentine-Italian, trained in Buenos Aires and London. Builds menus that aren't trying to be inventive for the sake of it. Reads the room.
Sous chef. Indonesian, ten years in fine-dining kitchens, has an instinct for fish that no degree teaches. Runs the grill at Pomona on busy nights.
Pastry. A small team of two. The dulce de leche tart is hers. Most desserts go to the kitchen, then to the table, with very little fanfare.
Manuel. Sommelier and floor manager across both rooms. Walks the floor on most evenings. Will tell you exactly what to drink with a course; he is rarely wrong.
Front-of-house. Six people across the two restaurants and the beach club. Most have been with the property since pre-opening. Their familiarity is part of why returning guests describe BASK as "feeling like home."
Stories from the first months
Three small ones, with permission:
A couple on their honeymoon ordered the chef's tasting at Rosalee on their third night. The chef sent a small handwritten note with the dessert. They keep it framed at home. We see them booking again in November.
A guest staying eight nights asked the kitchen to make her a specific Argentine dish her grandmother used to cook. We didn't have the recipe; the chef and Manuel called her grandmother on WhatsApp. The dish appeared, off-menu, on her fifth night.
A small group of regulars from Singapore visited in February and asked Manuel to plan an evening they couldn't have anywhere else. He paired four bottles of progressively rare wines through a five-course meal and gave each guest a card with notes on the producers. Two of them have already rebooked for September.
The quiet operational improvements
A few small things that have shifted the daily kitchen experience:
- Tighter relationship with local fishermen. The boat that brings fish docks 50 metres from the kitchen. The whole fish travels less than 200 metres from net to grill. Hard to beat.
- A small herb garden behind the kitchen. Started in March. Mint, coriander, basil, lemongrass, kaffir lime. The chef cuts what he needs each morning.
- No single-use plastic in the kitchen. Suppliers have all been switched. Took two months to negotiate; worth it.
- A morning ten-minute team huddle. The kitchen, the floor, and the activities desk meet at 10:00. Special diets are flagged. Honeymoon couples are flagged. The day starts aligned.
What's coming
A few honest plans for the next quarter:
- A new spring menu rollout in June. Lighter, more raw work, more vegetable-forward.
- A guest-chef week in July. A friend of the chef is coming for ten days to take over Pomona. Details soon.
- A small wine evening series at Rosalee. Manuel will host quarterly themed evenings starting in August. First one likely around grower champagne.
- A coffee programme refresh. Working with a small roaster on Bali. New beans by July.
What we'd ask of guests
Just one thing. If something on the menu doesn't work, tell us. We can't fix what we don't hear about. If something does work, tell us that too. We feed it back to the kitchen the same evening, and it shapes the next iteration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has the BASK menu been the same since opening?
No. The menu has evolved across the first three months. Several dishes were added, a few removed, others refined. We rotate slowly and intentionally.
Are the kitchens at BASK chef-led?
Yes. Both Pomona and Rosalee have their own kitchens, both reporting to the head chef. Each room has its own identity.
Do the kitchens accommodate dietary restrictions?
Yes, with seriousness. Tell us when you book or via the BASK Concierge app, and the menu adapts before you arrive.
Where does the fish come from?
Local fishermen, dropping off at the harbour each morning. We buy whole fish, whatever is best that day, often within a few hours of being caught.
Is the wine list good?
Yes. Manuel built it. Old World leanings with strong South American and small Indonesian sections. A non-alcoholic pairing flight is available at Rosalee.
Can I see the kitchen?
Yes. The kitchen pass at Pomona has a few seats by request. Watch the wood-fire work. Ask when you book.
Can I request something off-menu?
Within reason. Tell the team a few hours ahead and the kitchen will usually try. It's part of how we work.
