Bali’s Ubud, one of island’s main tourist hubs, was no exception. While the town used to be alive even late at night, it quieted down during the pandemic. The town, inevitably, saw its food and beverage (F&B) businesses declining, with many restaurants closing since March, when social restrictions were starting to be imposed.

Riyan Mudadalam, head of operations at Locavore Group, of which award-winning restaurant Locavore is a part, told The Jakarta Post in October that the restaurants under the group were closed for dining at around late March and took to offering takeaway orders. He also saw neighboring restaurants close down.

“[…] Slowly, in July, when Locavore reopened for dining, [some of our neighboring restaurants] also reopened, but mostly only franchised [restaurants] or those of large chains,” said Riyan.

He went on to say that at that time, there were rumors that the airport in Bali would be open to international arrivals in September. So, Locavore as well as Nusantara and Locavore to Go —which are also parts of the same group — reopened in mid-July “in order to stay nimble and light on our feet”.

However, it was later revealed that Ngurah Rai International Airport would be closed to international arrivals until the end of the year.

Considering that they will not be visited by foreign patrons for quite a long time, Locavore Group took the initiative to reach out to their fans in Jakarta by taking up residency somewhere in the capital.

“So, we eventually held a pop-up [dining spot in Jakarta]. This is not our first time [doing so], as we had done it two years ago at Emilie restaurant,” said Riyan.

Locavore Group was initially going to conduct four or five pop-up dining events across Jakarta, with the first being held in collaboration with Raffles Hotel Jakarta, titled Pancaroba. The group’s first event, held for 12 days in early September, was considered successful as an event during the pandemic.

Go local or go home: Always determined to use Indonesian produce for the foods they create, Restaurant Locavore uses the tagline “go local or go home”. Seen in this picture is grilled lobster with fermented durian sambal and pickled jicama. (Courtesy of/Restaurant Locavore)

“We didn’t think [Pancaroba] was going to be that busy, but turned out it was, with 400 guests coming within 12 days of service,” Riyan recalled.

Pancaroba was going to be followed with the next pop-up dining event featuring Restaurant Nusantara, which is recognized for its lesser-known Indonesian cuisine served family style, unlike Locavore’s fine dining presentation.

Unfortunately, large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) were once again imposed in Jakarta, just when restaurant Nusantara’s event was about to start.

“We directly switched to offering rantang-to-go [takeaway and delivery],” said Riyan.

Fortunately for the group, the rantang-to-go offering, which featured various dishes, from Balinese spiced fish cooked in bamboo to roasted beef East Nusa Tenggara-style, was said to be well-received by customers.

“We achieved the target we set for two weeks, so we extended [the rantang-to-go period],” Riyan told the Post.

Indonesia on the table: While on temporary residency in Jakarta, Locavore Group’s Restaurant Nusantara offered takeaway and delivery meals called rantang-to-go featuring lesser-known Indonesian cuisines. (Courtesy of/Restaurant Nusantara)

Restaurant Nusantara’s rantang-to-go eventually lasted for three weeks, and by early November, Locavore Group was already on a new gig with Marriott Bonvoy, a loyalty program by hospitality company Marriott International.

Titled Locavore City Breaks 2020, the Locavore X Marriott Bonvoy program completed a four-day event at Jakarta’s The Hermitage hotel and moved on to JW Marriott Hotel Surabaya, East Java, where it will stay from Nov. 12 to 22.

In both establishments, Locavore presents the Pancaroba menu again, as well as its popular Butcher’s Table that “brings out the carnivores for organic, ethical meats cooked as a feast for the eyes and taste buds”.

A statement released by Locavore and Marriott Bonvoy said that more dates would be announced for the pop-up event.

Those who have added dining at Locavore to their bucket list might as well be ready to tick it off, as the restaurant may come for a pop-up at a location nearby. Who would have thought? This pandemic has inspired the restaurant to become more agile in order to stay afloat.