Sukun, a restaurant inspired by freshness

THE most important meal of the day has never been this stylish—and fresh.

Well, that goes for the two main meals that follow. This is one of the perks when staying at the newly opened Alaya Resort Kuta in Bali—good meals always prepared fresh at any time of the day you wish to dine

Sukun takes its name from breadfruit found throughout the South Pacific and Asia. If that piqued your interest, then just head to the lobby there’s one that greets every guest entering the Alaya Resort Kuta property. Breadfruit can be eaten, roasted, baked, fried, boiled, and its taste pretty much resembles the potato’s, with a texture of freshly baked bread, it’s naturally sweet and glutten-free.

If curiosity strikes again, head to the lobby’s lounging area, the hotel gives out complimentary breadfruit biscuits to everyone.

The restaurant is located behind the receiving area at the hotel lobby, flanked by a pocket garden and the elongated swimming pool. If your spirits are suddenly uplifted, it must be due to the openness of the place. Sukun is spacious with eclectic furnishings, quirky wall designs, relaxed even with its elegant dining setting and sprinkled with the right amount of live greenery all under the perennially sunny, blue sky.

The forever summer “mood enhancing” ambience was created by Made Wijaya, Bali’s very own authority on tropical gardens who creates artistic accents to complement his green creations.

Sukun departs from the traditional buffet serving of meals. Everything is served a la carte, everything specially prepared by the chefs and everything comes out of the kitchen freshly made, everything served stylishly like a restaurant that serves nouvelle cuisine. Pick one from a menu comprised of dishes with only the freshest ingredients from Bali’s bucolic land and fertile sea.

The introduction to freshness starts with a basket of freshly baked bread. Along with the pastries, breads are baked fresh each morning by Kuta’s famed Tan’s Bakery, a sister company, I was told.

The serving size is good and packed with flavors. Make sure to have the chicken and wild mushroom puff pastry on your next breakfast, the rustic pancakes for next. But if you do want something more familiar, there’s the traditional fried rice or fried noodles in the menu.

Sukun features lunch and dinner menus, an all day tapas menu and afternoon tea with treats featuring Indonesian delicacies.

Ask for the chef’s own version of Nasi Raja (served during lunch), a time-honored rice dish designed for royalty and esteemed visitors from generations past. For dinner, ask for the Nasi Magibung.

Both feasts are served on a ‘tempeh’ and created for two, so make sure you have someone to share this “royal fare” with.

Sukun is a place to kick back, de-stress and enjoy good food. Like the versatile breadfruit, Sukun is about all of what’s healthy and fresh and above all, local.