20 years of Room4Dessert: superstar chef living the sweet life in Bali

Twenty years is a lifetime in the world of restaurants. 

For one to last 20 years - over two very different locations - is a major feat. 

Room4Dessert, the culinary love child of word-renowned pastry chef Will Goldfarb, has just marked 20 years of quirkiness, chaos and excellence in its second location in Ubud, Bali. 

Born in New York, the second iteration of Room4Dessert is not only a survivor, it is challenging, fun and home of some really interesting drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Having started life as a late-night dessert bar in New York City, Room4Dessert has metamorphised into a dessert-focused eatery, boutique accommodation, regenerative farm, and culinary academy. 

It might not be to everyone's taste, but it is a "must visit" on the list of every foodie visiting Bali. 

Goldfarb, described as a "pastry provocateur and flavour philosopher", has guided his Bali eatery for 11 years after nine in the Big Apple. 

The 15-course main event is lauded as "edible storytelling, botanical mischief, and joyful rebellion".

The signature menu has been named Fight Club and is described by Goldfarb as "Three decades worth of stories told through the plates we create". 

Start with five inventive savoury dishes in one space; move to a room overlooking the kitchen for five desserts, and then finish in the garden next to a fire fit for a quintet of petit fours. 

From savoury curveballs to sweet sensations, every mouthful is unexpected, with a nod to Goldfarb's career, which includes a stint at El Bulli, being named World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2021 and starring on Netflix series Chef’s Table.  

The dishes are served to an eclectic soundtrack that veers from Sinatra to the Beastie Boys.

We opted for no alcohol pairings: mocktails with attitude like curry spritzes, a coco colada minus the rum and an Open Sesame without the bourbon. Invigorating selections.    

Here’s a taste of what the menu might feature: 

Lak Lak is a riff on the Balinese street snack, topped with whipped coconut yoghurt and trout roe. 

Or Raspberry HK, which features local raspberries with black sesame ice cream, sesame nougatine, and black tea milk sauce. 

Or the eccentric Fries // Shake: Klungkung-style sweet potato fries from chef Dewi’s garden, served with cashew aioli and kluwak mole. 

"No waste. No pretence. No rules. Just flavour - at its most fearless," says Goldfarb 

The Room4Dessert collection includes:

● Room4Dessert, the flagship tasting experience.

● Shelter Island, a boutique guesthouse wrapped in coconut trees and quiet magic.

● Powder Room, a local candy store for grown-ups, with natural wine and sweet treats.

● The Forest, a regenerative playground for ingredients, ideas, and education.

● Academy: pastry boot camps for the next generation of sweet thinkers.

“We don’t just serve food - we share stories," says Goldfarb. 

"We grow more than ingredients here. We grow ideas. We grow people. And if we’ve done it right, you leave a little more connected to the land, to yourself, and to each other. Sometimes, we even grow dessert.

"This isn’t a retrospective - it’s a continuation. A quiet celebration of showing up, staying curious, and sharing what’s been learned along the way." 

The 15-course extravaganza is thrilling, confronting and tiring. It's not something you'd want to do every week - but it is certainly something you'll want to do if you find yourself in Ubud. 

A tasting with natural wines is IDR 1,890,000 ($177) per person
A tasting with spirits is IDR 1,540,000 per person
A spiritless tasting is IDR 1,290,000 per person
An unpaired tasting is IDR 1,090,000 per person
*Prices do not include 21% government tax and service charge and it pays to book well in advance.

See www.room4dessert.com. Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Kedewatan, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561. 

# The writer was hosted by Room4Dessert 

Ubud: My you’ve changed

Ubud used to be a quiet little artistic village in Bali. 

Now it is a magnet for tourists from around the world. 

The trouble is that the infrastructure has not kept up with the influx. 

The roads are shambolic. The pavements a health hazard (see the image below). 

But you can still get cheap massages, even cheaper Bintangs and interesting cultural experiences. New age therapists abound  

There is a forest where dim tourists get their mobile phones stolen by exhuberant monkeys; some seriously good restaurants and street markets abound.

So the masses will keep coming. 

The Mehrudhani Boutique Hotel is a nice affordable oasis down a laneway in the centre of town. It’s pleasingly quiet in a town where quiet can be hard to find. 

Check it out here https://www.meruhdani.com/

Ubud resort offers a different slice of Bali

 

Ubud sits in the highlands of Bali, away from the maddening crowds of Kuta.

The town is known for its arts and crafts and its beautiful terraced rice paddies.

There are many temples, annual food and literary festivals, fine dining establishments, spas (you can find hour-long massages starting from $15 per hour) and several art museums.

One of the major attractions, or pests, depending on your point of view, are the denizens of the Mandala Suci Wenara Wana, known to westerners as the Ubud Monkey Forest - home to around 1000 macaques, who also venture into the town.

Visitors need to keep their wits about them, as these cheeky monkeys are known to steal handbags, glasses and anything else that you do not hold on to tightly.

Keep your eyes peeled for them, and also for local women gracefully balancing piles of fruit offerings on their way to the temple, or to sell to the tourists.

Many of the largely Hindu local population still live traditionally.

A local speciality is luwak coffee, made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by civets and been pooped out. Not in a million years, your honour.

Our Ubud base on a recent media trip hosted by airasia Superapp and Archipelago International was the Royal Kamuela, situated just off one the town's major thoroughfares but in lovely, leafy gardens.



Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites at Monkey Forest (to give the hotel its full, grandoise, name), has 12 pool villas, three suites with pool access and 15 suites with a balcony overlooking the gardens and pool.

The hotel features everything you need in a luxury property including a full-service wellness centre/spa, extremely comfortable rooms and excellent staff.

The breakfasts here (below) are outstanding with a choice of western and Asian dishes, and there are private butlers for each separate villa.



The resort is very close to the main attractions of Ubud with dozens of restaurants within walking distance, and boutiques and art galleries aplenty.

The hotel can be booked through the airasia Superapp, or at
https://www.kamuelavillas.com/en/villa/view/3/royal-kamuela-villas---suites-at-monkey-forest--ubud

The hotel is operated by Archipelago International, largely unknown for most Australian travellers but south-east Asia's largest privately owned hospitality group, with more than 40,000 rooms and residences in over 200 locations.

Archipelago International brands include Aston, Collection by Aston, Alana, Huxley, Kamuela, Harper, Quest, Hotel NEO, fave, Nordic and Powered by Archipelago.

Check out their website for more info: https://www.archipelagointernational.com

The writer was hosted by airasia Superapp and Archipelago International