Glory Restaurant: Balinese cuisine in Legian

How the times have changed in Bali. Go back 15 years and there were 2-3 places to hang out in Legian, if you were an expat. Now we are awash in places and the expat scene is scattered. Longtime Legian restaurant, Glory, has seen it all, and Neil van Alkemade, the creative force behind Glory, recently responded to an article in The Weekend Australian. As well as Balinese cuisine, Glory also caters to a family audience, serving western food. Here’s an enlightening look into one of Bali’s longest serving restaurants.

I am glad that you have drawn attention to Balinese cuisine in your “The Curious Cook” column (“The Weekend Australian”, August 19-20 2006); but you could have added spice to your story by explaining that there are two main varieties of lawar, white and red, the latter being so because of the fresh pig’s blood stirred into the mixture just prior to serving for consumption – sort of like an uncooked black pudding. I have some knowledge of these matters, having written accounts for “The Jakarta Post” in 1984 – 85. My story “Food, glorious food, hot sausage and mustard” (“J.P.”, Sept. 24, 1984) was a devil’s advocate piece arguing that Balinese traditional cuisine could not be presented a la carte, practically or profitably, in a western-style restaurant; hours are spent preparing some of the complex bases – short order cooking does not apply. The following year I commenced a weekly buffet luncheon of Balinese Home Cooking in my restaurant, Glory, in Legian, Bali; by presenting about twenty different dishes the guarantee for the paying customer of “at least twelve” was fulfilled, even though some dishes were quickly finished. “The Bali Post” reported (April 17, 1985) that, since commencing on March 17, 1985, the numbers of customers jumped progressively from 42 to 73 to 91 to, as observed by the reporter on April 7, over 100; customers were lavish in their praise. It should be noted that the customers were overwhelmingly westerners, including many Australians. Glory, to this day, presents this buffet; but it is not a mainstay of the restaurant’s profits, thus substantiating my original argument. It is disappointing that Glory does not get some credit for this pioneering role in presenting Balinese cuisine to the tourist trade. Furthermore, the so-called Balinese cuisine presented at the much hyped establishments of recent times is fusion food; Balinese in name and, certainly, some tastes, but not dishes that any ordinary Balinese would recognize. Again I speak with some authority; I’ve lived the whole of my nearly thiry years in Bali in Balinese households.

There is also a sad aspect to the present state of the tourist industry in Bali; the restaurants you have listed in your piece, and many more like them, are nearly all owned by foreigners – their sweeping success in surfing the current wave of elitist dining has brushed aside the businesses of the Balinese owners. Being more concerned with the spiritual than the material, the Balinese have not pursued the making of money to the extent displayed by others. From the 70’s to the 90’s there was an almost idyllic balance between business returns and cultural practices. In the case of restaurants, that translated as good food and service, delightful milieus, and bonds between customers and staff that endure until today – just ask anyone who was lucky enough to have participated in that era. Glory has regulars who are now bringing their grandchildren.Yet BaliEats, a website restaurant guide, commences its “Eating out in Bali” page with the following – “The 1970’s must have been grim. Local warungs [cafes] that even made some minimal attempt of producing food that looked, or tasted, a little bit western when on the plate, became overnight sensations. Featured in many well-known, international, guide books, these establishments are today still, unfortunately, serving up the same poor imitations. Having been highlighted, on the world stage, by famous guide books [some with questionable taste], and having made much money as a result, who can really blame them?” This is largely incorrect and, particularly the final sentiment, grossly unfair. On my first visit in March 1975 I dined (in the full sense of the word) at an excellent Japanese restaurant in Sanur; food, service and ambience were all exquisite – the business did not last because there were simply not enough tourists to sustain that level of presentation. Telaga Naga, an equally good Chinese restaurant survived, partly because it is owned by Hyatt, and to this day is renowned. In Kuta, Poppies was making a name for its romantic garden setting and good fare, and other places of more humble stature served some very good dishes – I can still savour in memory the hot, freshly baked, deep-dish apple pie, dripping with ice-cream, eaten streetside in the long-gone Tropicanna opposite Kuta market. Also in Kuta, Lenny’s and Bali Indah presented Chinese Sezchuan specialities, and Ramayana ran a Balinese night featuring Babi Guling and Balinese dance presentation.

When I bought Glory in 1979 I used my pharmaceutical training to improve the standard of hygiene and discipline, and my experience as a cellarmaster of a wine and food society to introduce a new menu of varied food and drink. I have before me my first menu and see the very first item is rujak; it is now well known but it was an idea before its time and didn’t last long. That very first year I hunted down some local, live turkeys and presented a Thanksgiving Dinner; there weren’t enough American customers, and the turkeys could have been made into boots, so that was another idea commited to history. Similarly, there were not enough customers of a class to appreciate my fish pate (perhaps BaliEats could devote some thought to that aspect) . But my avocado seafood cocktail (now ubiquitous), fish poached in white wine, rich chocolate mousse and many more prevail to this day; most of the tens of thousands of Glory’s customers over the years will attest to our excellence (not all; we’re not perfect). All of this was possible ONLY because of the extraordinary goodwill, effort and perseverance of my Balinese business partner and staff. There have never been any prima donna chefs in our kitchen or flouncy fops waiting on tables! The same principles applied to most small businesses serving the tourist industry in Bali. The very important point is that a great many ordinary Balinese shared in the burgeoning industry and continued to do so as it boomed; cash, previously in very short supply, was repatriated in large amounts to the remote villages for better standards of living and spiritual devotion. It is for all of these reasons that I feel very sad to see the destruction of the tourist industry that we knew in Bali of yore. Glory is now managed by my partner’s eldest son; with his youthful vigour and cruise ship experience he revitalized and modernised the business including a website (www.glorybali.com ; the Balinese Home Cooking is described on the special functions page), The second bomb atrocity of October 2005 shattered the comeback; now, like the majority of similar businesses, he and his staff struggle to greet the few customers with the familiar beaming smiles of the Balinese. No wonder, as Australian tourist arrivals are down some 58% this year to this date. The latest closures this last week have been Tubes and Poco Loco. The lack of Australians is the key factor; the locals are more perplexed by this absence than dancing bikini-clad babes – “Why aren’t they coming back?” they ask me. Perhaps the radio shock-jocks and the biased travel agents in Australia can better answer that question. Indonesian authorities are trumpeting the rise in arrivals from Taiwan and South Korea, but these tourists spend virtually nothing in the streets of Kuta or Sanur. The Aussies, by comparison, spend freely in the bars and restaurants, in the souvenir shops and department stores, and on tours and entertainment. I guess that one Australian is worth ten of the others mentioned to the small businesses of Bali. The tourist industry in Bali became far too reliant on the Australian presence and has suffered grieviously by the abandonment; it will take a long time to redress this imbalance, and other Asian markets are not the answer. It is very heartening to see the announcement of Jetstar’s operations and, in the same issue as your story, Harvey’s new package deals to Bali. But I will be advising my Balinese friends and associates not to get caught again in the trap of dependence upon one prime market and, most emphatically, to assert their inherent rights. Bali belongs to the Balinese; they, their warm hospitality and their unique culture, are the essence of the tourist industry in Bali. These attributes are being swamped by gross over-development so that the bejewelled Island of Ten Thousand Temples is being turned into another Coney Island. Swamp the magic of Bali and all that’s left are the tawdry excrescences of the plastic resorts of Nusa Dua, and the glitzy eateries for the see- and-be-seen, on just another bespoiled tropical island.