With Vincent Nigita, Eating Pastries in Bali Has Never Been So Chic – Indonesia

Vincent Nigita is a young French pastry chef who’s intent on bringing Bali one step further towards culinary excellence.

Having already started a pastry shop in December 2019 in the trendy Canggu district, this young entrepreneur has now opened a Dessert Bar right on top of it. Both places bear the name “Vincent Nigita Pâtisserie” and are supposed to rock the place like never before.

Don’t be mistaken, we’re not here in the usual bakery-pastry shop like the many outlets that have flourished on every Bali street corner over the last ten years, fulfilling the need for croissants or baguettes of the average Western residents.

We are into something far more sophisticated, which reflects the search for perfection by this 29-year-old originating from Bordeaux and raised in the culinary capital of France: Lyon. To give you an idea, when he’s talking about the famous éclair, don’t expect the regular chocolate or coffee ones. Look, instead, for some experimental berry ones!

The same goes for the world-famed and archetypal macarons. When Vincent Nigita works on them, you can bet he is going to come up with some innovative tastes, using, for example, local Indonesian fruits to create a completely new range of delicacies with combined flavours.

Hence the Dessert Bar project, construction, decoration, and final touches for which have been completed in the last few months. This new, trendy place in town will offer the perfect playground for gourmets in Bali, with a three-step menu; two sweet dishes for one savoury, with a price tag of Rp390,000. As the coronavirus still takes its toll on Bali’s economy, the Dessert Bar is currently open only every Friday from 7pm to 1am.

“The keywords for the Dessert Bar are experience, slowness, emotion, and discovery. I want it to be an absolute and unforgettable involvement starting from the outside. For instance, when you leave your car with the valet, you’ll have it washed by the time you dine. All details matter, even the restroom, and the music in the stairs or the cutlery,” Vincent Nigita explains with passion.

He adds: “The menu; it’s me, my life, my discoveries, my tastes, my spices, my ingredients. All the emotions I’ve felt in the many countries I’ve visited.” The a la carte menu will offer eight different signature desserts, each of them with a suggested pairing with a cocktail. These will be renewed by “chapter” roughly every three months, he mentions.

The pastry shop has already found its customers in the local Western residents and also the ever-curious crowd of wealthy Jakartans who spend their weekends on the Islands of the Gods. Indonesians discovered fine chocolate some time ago and then tasty sorbets and gelatos, Vincent Nigita is betting on the fact that the country is now ready for his R&D type of sophisticated pastries.

“My ambition is to be featured in the best of international gastronomy guides, therefore bringing the name of Bali to the top of the list and helping people to discover new things.

When I say I aim to involve my customers in an experience, I mean it. The courses will be dressed in front of them and I’ve already told my pastry chefs…