KAUM – authentic Indonesian restaurants in Seminyak dishing up delicious Balinese cuisine.

Potato Head is a familiar name to many frequent Bali visitors and known as a destination for good times lounging around the swimming pool and savouring the tasty food and cocktails from the beachside restaurant. Following the launch of KAUM at Potato Head Hong Kong, PTT Family, the Indonesia-based hospitality and lifestyle group behind the Potato Head brand, opened their second outpost of KAUM at Potato Head Beach Club in Bali in 2016.

The concept

The opening of KAUM in Bali marks the PTT Family’s commitment to place Indonesia’s rich culinary heritage at the centre of the world gastronomic map by presenting dishes inspired but the Archipelago’s indigenous tribes to a wider global audience.

The restaurant name, KAUM, also reflects this commitment, which means ‘clan’ or ‘tribe’ in Indonesian, paying tribute to the more than 600 ethnic groups that make up the country.

KAUM is created by the culinary collective; PTT Family CEO Ronald Akili, KAUM Brand Director Lisa Virgiano and Executive Chef Antoine Audran.

The restaurant

The restaurant, located on the first floor, is relaxed and airy yet sophisticated and is overlooking Potato Head Beach Club. The long wooden dining table, made from high quality, locally sourced teak from East Java, encourages the family-style dining which is common among Indonesia’s tribal communities. The service is fantastic and the menu is explained in detail by helpful staff.

The food

The menu has been developed after working closely with remote tribal communities and independent local producers highlighting almost forgotten ingredients and cooking techniques.

The cocktail menu is impressive and it’s not difficult to see why the INDO 75 (lemongrass infused Tanqueray gin, lemon juice, mint syrup and sparkling wine) is one of the most popular drinks.

Another popular cocktail is the Coconut Negroni (Campari, sweet Vermouth, gin and coconut rum).

The menu is cleverly designed with a number of small plates to share as starters including pork sausages, fresh tuna, braised beef, and prawn tails. Popular dishes on the menu are Gado-Gado KAUM, Ikan Lele Sambal Tangkil, and Batagor. Gado-Gado KAUM is a lovely dish of assorted balanced garden vegetables tossed in peanut dressing, served with free-range egg, tofu, garlic crackers, and fried shallots. Ikan Lele Sambal Tangkil is a pan-fried catfish fillet tossed in a spicy melinjo leaf and green chili relish. Batagor is fried prawn and fish dumplings tossed in spicy cashew nut sauce with sweet soy sauce.

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The larger plates to share include pork belly, jumbo prawns, free-range baby chicken, grilled barramundi and crispy duck. Ikan Barramundi Bakar, Sambal Dabu-Dabu is a grilled fillet of barramundi marinated with tamarind water and Tumeric paste, served with spicy fruit and vegetable salsa. The dessert menu celebrates Indonesian ingredients such as coconut, rice, and fruits. Popular dishes include; coconut bread pudding, coconut sorbet, chocolate meringue & rum-soaked raisins and Balinese rice custard, coconut cream with toddy palm syrup. The real star among the desserts is Kacang Mete Karamal, a cashew nut and coconut shortbread with Amed sea salt, caramel & Bedugul vanilla ice cream.