It’s quiet on the night we dined at Fed, but by no means empty. The compact restaurant tucked away on Jl Kunti in Seminyak has doubled in size since it first opened and while the August rush is over, friends drop by to hang out, test new dishes, talk music and cocktails and ‘merch’.
Fed is as much about friendship as it is about food. It’s all about youthful exuberance and having a go. It was created by two friends who have some serious cred in Bali’s food and beverage scene – Nikolas’ family are the original partners in La Luciola, and Chef Made’s Dad is an integral part of Sarong Group behind venues such as Mamasan.
“ Made wanted to be a chef, he was at culinary school in Melbourne, I was studying at another university. We started doing pop-ups in Melbourne under the name Fed By Made, Made was an unusual name in Melbourne so we played on that. I was the driver and dishie,” laughs Nikolas.
The pandemic interupted their studies and sent them home to Bali, and with little else to do they decided to continue their pop-ups. Fed was created in a former bookstore in the parking lot of what was the Bali Deli. it’s now re-opened as Frestive in Jl Kunti.
At the start, Fed offered a set menu of four dishes that changed monthly. With only 10 staff and a small kitchen, they could do that. The food was different, new and exciting and they quickly gained a loyal following among ex-pats, hungry for something new. The former bookstore was a shell, industrial by its sparse decor rather than by design, but that’s kind of the story behind Fed, it all just happened.
The cool thing about Fed is that Made can cook – his dishes are bold and delicate at the same time. There’s a commitment to sustainability that extends to their natural wine selection. Our entree, a chickpea fritter topped with smoked fish and fragrant chervil is not only delicious, it’s part of their zero waste program to use the whole fish they order for their mains. A pork croquette with spiced apple chutney was a joy to eat; a crunchy coating reveals a filling of long-cooked pork and the spiced apple plays perfectly against the richness. Accompanied by a fresh beetroot salad dressed with purslane, mint and creme fraiche, our starters disappeared in moments, simple yet so cool.
When the space next door became available Nick, Made and partner Purwa expanded FED and added a waiting room that became their music bar. They expanded the kitchen and a cool wait staff, dressed in crisp navy and white moved in to serve a new breed of customers. Visiting foodies have discovered Fed, despite its quirky location off the main drag.
The extension left space for an office and a place to display their merchandise, a reflection of what they love. Football shirts with their funky rabbit logo, cups, lighters, baseball caps and a range of handmade knives created by another friend. Friends play all the roles here from photography, creating their distinctive social media campaigns and bright graphics and designing the interiors. These guys grew up in Bali and their friends have skills – and they make up a very cool, young crew.
The wine list is of interest and it turns out that on their menu of natural wines, they include Park Juice, created by another friend as a pandemic project in his Umulas home. “I was impressed by natural wines when working in Melbourne restaurants, I like the idea. Park Juice is very drinkable, a small batch that includes a pinot noir-style, an orange wine (macerated with the skins) and a white,” explains Made.
Made sources the wine from local suppliers while the bar staff create modern concoctions using local spices mingling with imported and local spirits like Arak from reliable sources. Flavours like peanut butter bourbon and spiced banana rum add intrigue and are popular with their weekend crowd who come for the music, the food and a more intimate place to hang out.
Our mains arrive and include a delicious duck agnolotti – fresh pasta cooked perfectly encasing a zesty orange spiked filling dressed in brown butter. It’s a polished dish that goes well with a roasted carrot and almond salad. Our grilled pork neck was a little too smoky for our tastes and Made agreed he’d change the wording on the menu. That’s the refreshing thing about Fed, they aren’t scared to go out on a limb, try new dishes and techniques and tweak them according to the feedback from guests.
They may be the new kids on the block but they’ve started to play with the big guns including a recent pop up at Berawa’s Mosto, the bistro created by a team of industry professional who are also part of the Motel Mexicola and Da Maria team. Jakarta calls them regularly to host pop ups, their merchandise is seen on the streets of Melbourne, Jakarta and further afield. Visiting DJs drop in to play a set post-dinner, it’s the little restaurant that has turned into a bigger success than the original partners imagined. They’re happy to focus on what they have for now rather than expand and possibly water down the concept that grew organically and remains exactly that.
If you’re in Seminyak, Fed is well worth checking out. It’s bright, vivacious and despite the youthful exuberance of the partners, it’s polished, chic and adventurous. They planned to open for breakfast and lunch only but the night before opening, did an about face and decided to do dinner only. Three nights a week has now turned into five. FED ( they dropped the Made as its very common in Bali, they joke) is now open Wednesday to Sunday nights from 6pm.
