Room4Dessert In Ubud Review

If you are a fan of Netflix’ Chef’s Table, you may have heard about this place. Room4Dessert is the brainchild of Chef Will Goldfarb and has seen a surge in popularity due to his episode on the Netflix series.

In a lot of ways this place a mix between your classic Michelin starred restaurant, and a casual island eatery. While the restaurant is beautifully laid out, with expensive looking fixtures and tableware, there is no dress code, and no difficulty getting a reservation.

I booked a reservation one day in advance for Alona (from Jet Set Together) and myself at 8:30 pm and was pretty much thinking about it all day long. I’ve done tasting menus at quite a few well reviewed restaurants all over the world, but none that were completely focused around dessert. When we arrived, we were pleasantly greeted by the staff, and taken on a private tour of their garden. We were taught all about the different fruits and vegetables and herbs that they grow to use in the restaurant which was very well done.

ROOM4DESSERT PRICES

As the menu is ever changing due to the season (and pure whimsy according to Will) these prices are accurate as of publication, but you should check their website yourself if you plan to make a visit. I attended their 10th season on December 6th, 2019 so your experience may vary.

Tasting Menu: 740,000 IDR

Tasting Menu + Mocktails: 960,000 IDR

Full Tasting Experience: 1,150,000 IDR

Prices are in Indonesian Rupiah and do not include the 21% tax and service charge.

ROOM4DESSERT SEASON 10 COURSES

This season’s tasting menu has 21 courses. Yes you read that right, 21 different dishes. There are 7 appetizer courses, 7 main dish courses, and 7 petit fours. We didn’t eat dinner beforehand and were quite full by the end of the meal. I would recommend that you refrain from eating as well so as not to ruin your appetite.

While I’m going to show all the dishes I had, I’m not necessarily going to tell. The reason being is that they are quite complex, and I wasn’t going to be able to write everything down. So if my descriptions are a bit lacking, you’ll just have to go to Room4Dessert and try them for yourself.

THE 7 STARTERS

Starter #1 is called Dancing Flower. It is a chip shell made from marigold leaves. The cup is filled with a homemade yogurt and other flavors.

Starter #2 is called Gobo and it is also served with a Barley Soda. The Gobo is a burdock root that has been simmered in beet juice and is accompanied with an apple compote.

So there’s no chicken in starter #3 even though it is called chicken feet. This is a meringue made to look like its namesake and is served with a tamarind dipping sauce.

Starter #4 is called the R4D Shawarma and is their own homemade pita bread served with farm fresh veggies and a vegan chorizo.Kentucky Mushroom

Number 5 is called the Kentucky Mushroom and it is served in a McDonald’s-esque paper box. Inside is a fried mushroom that really does taste quite similar to a fast food style fried chicken, but much better. This was my second favorite dish from the 7 starters here at Room4Dessert, and I wish they published a recipe so I can make it on the regular!

#6, the McCatri is a potato soup with a bit of a curry flavor profile. This one is meant to be drunk, however you are provided a spoon to help eat up all the delicious foam on top. Looks like a cappuccino, tastes like a curry potato soup.

Last but not least, #7. This is called Torchon and is a beautifully presented dish. They also call it vegan foie gras and it is rich and creamy and has tons of great flavor. It is served alongside a piece of freshly toasted homemade bread which really melds well with the flavors. I think Alona and I both agree that this was our favorite out of all the starters.

THE 7 MAINS

Out of the main dishes, we start with one simply called “Red.” As you can see, the dish is red. There is dragonfruit, Rosella, and watermelon granita. The rosella chip above is fantastic. It has the texture of a shrimp cracker, but tastes like a sweetened rosella tea.

Next we were served Na Bro. To be honest it gets a Na Bro from me. This was my least favorite out of all 21 dishes. I’m not saying it’s bad, just not my cup of tea. In fact, other than the semi-candied pineapple, I don’t really remember much about the flavors of this dish, other than I didn’t much care for them, and I didn’t like the texture of the pink thing (like a frozen meringue).

Le Razz Hot comes in next and was quite delicious. It is served alongside an edible cinnamon stick (I tried to understand what it was, something like cinnamon infused dried apple paste that has been baked and rolled into shape, but I could be wrong). The main part of the dish is like an ice-cream base with a frozen sorbet disc on top. Also served with some raspberry puree from the garden.

Mango Puff had my second favorite plate out of all the dishes served, and was quite a fun dish to eat. It is sweet mango in between two pieces of what taste quite a bit like a buttered pie crust. It almost reminded me of an ice-cream sandwich.

This plate was Alona’s least favorite, but I quite liked it. I found it light and refreshing, and a great palate cleanser. I don’t know if that was the point, but that’s what I felt. Alona thought it was a bit flavorless as there is not a real stand-out flavor and quite watery.

However after the Devil’s Kiss, we got what was both our favorite dish of the whole entire evening. Incidente Stradale, which means motorcycle accident in Italian, is the penultimate of the Mains. I call it Balinese Tiramisu since that is essentially what it is. A deconstructed tiramisu using only Bali ingredients. There were coconut and coffee tones of course and the Balinese chocolate tuille was so decadent. Right on top in the middle was some pieces of coconut apple which I had never even heard of before. Apparently it is the part of the coconut that will grow a new palm tree once planted.

Also, look how cool that serving dish is. Definitely gets an A+ from me.

The last of the mains is called Caramel Chocolate Brulee and it was so, so rich. However as it was the last of the main set of desserts, rich was just what I wanted.

I have no idea how they made this, but it tastes just like it sounds, caramel and chocolate with a brulee crust. Once it was served our server put a few drops of bitters atop the dish which really punched up the flavor.

THE PETIT FOURS

A French madeleine with a coconut milk caramel.

This was a sugar coated candied aloe vera jelly. I’ve never had anything like this before, and was a unique concept. I quite enjoyed it.

The 3rd petit four is called a Klapertart, and for the life of me cannot remember what it was about. All I remember is it was a crispy outside and soft creamy inside and had so much flavor. This one was definitely one of my favorites.

The Hot Bobi is a rosella flavored homemade (of course) marshmallow. It is quite sweet, but hey these are the desserts to your dessert.

The Small Mac is a biscuit topped with a sweet coffee cream. I did find the biscuit a little dry but the coffee cream was so delicious.

Tamago is a custard ice cream with tea powder sprinkled on top. The cone is made from pumpkin and the sweetness of the dish was perfect. This dish is also served with a Red Rice “Genmaicha.”

This may be the richest thing I ate the entire time at Room4Dessert. It is a chocolate biscuit with a toffee dome, and was my favorite out of all the petit fours. It is of course extremely rich, but a great way to end the menu.

FINAL THOUGHTS?

Well if you’ve made it this far you are probably wondering if I think Room4Dessert is a must eat place. The answer if you haven’t figured it out by now is YES. I absolutely loved my experience here and would love to come back for another season.

Other than the food, the service staff were fantastic. I’ve never been so impressed by service staff in Indonesia. It was like being in a Michelin starred place, but affordable for the average person. Yes yes, I know…there are chicken rice places in Singapore that are $3, but we all know they didn’t really deserve one.

ROOM4DESSERT LOCATION

Address: Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Kedewatan, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561