It’s not every day that a chef gets a chance to open a restaurant in a cave.
So Ryan Clift, the chef and owner of Tippling Club, an award-winning restaurant and cocktail bar in Singapore, seized exactly that opportunity when it arose.
It all started when a close family friend, the interior designer Caroline Usher, told him a cave had been discovered on a hotel property she was working on in Bali.
“I said, ‘I’m going to put a restaurant in there!'” Clift told me when we met earlier this year in Singapore.
After about seven years of planning and construction, The Cave by chef Ryan Clift opened its doors in May 2022 at The Edge, a resort in Bali.
Dining at the restaurant is meant to be an immersive adventure, Clift said.
It’s a two-hour experience, and it’s not just about food. Light projections on the cave ceiling serve as breaks between courses.
“We have a little cave off the side. We have these little hard hats that people can wear and go exploring,” Clift said.
Traveling to The Cave
I first came across The Cave on TikTok.
Bali’s tourism scene is exploding. With its well-connected international airport, lush scenery, and famous beaches, it has become a hotspot for digital nomads and expats who can build their dream houses anywhere in the world.
While the island is now home to a mix of affordable surf hostels and high-end resorts, it doesn’t have any Michelin-starred restaurants. It does, however, have a range of high-end dining options, like Locavore and Room4Dessert, the latter of which was featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table.
The Cave still stands out from the rest of the dining scene, Gita Widyasari, an Asia Pacific travel concierge for Jacada Travel, a luxury tour operator, told me.
“The Cave is arguably the most distinctive fine dining experience in Bali,” Widyasari said.
The Cave’s setting sets it apart from its competitors, Widyasari, who was born in Bali and recently dined at The Cave, said.
“The Cave’s location and its accomplished menu are helping to place Bali firmly within the international culinary scene as we strive to gain our first Michelin star in the not-too-distant future,” she said.
For my part, I saw the restaurant being hyped by travelers on TikTok, who praised the one-of-a-kind experience and the picturesque cave setting.
Bali is a little under three hours by plane from Singapore, where I’m based, and I was going to be on the island for work anyway, so I decided to give it a shot.
The restaurant has 22 seats, so I made a dinner reservation a few weeks before my trip. I picked the seven-course set menu, which was priced at 1.75 million++ Indonesian rupiah, or about $110, and had to pay a deposit.
The Cave is located in The Edge, a resort in Uluwatu, at the southern tip of the island. The restaurant’s entrance was a quick buggy ride away from the lobby.
There are two dinner seatings: 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. I chose the latter, and by the time I stood outside the restaurant, it was already dark and past my usual dinnertime.
Exploring the setting before dinner
Behind two large wooden doors lay a high spiral staircase that descended into an underground cavern.
It was smaller than I had expected, but it didn’t feel claustrophobic.
The dining tables are arranged in a semicircle around the perimeter of the cave. Rows of stalactites hang from the cave’s roof.
I could see the chefs preparing for service in the cave’s open kitchen. Clift told me there’s another kitchen above ground.
I headed toward a little grotto off the side of the main cave to explore. A staff member handed me a hard hat and told me to watch my step.
Some narrow steps were next to a stream of running water, leading to a tiny section of the cave that overlooks the main dining area and the open kitchen.
Getting ready for dinner
On the night of my visit, it was a full house.
Most other diners were in pairs except for one group of four. Like me, they all seemed like travelers; there was an Italian couple to my left and an Australian couple to my right.
The lights dimmed, and the cave’s roof was lit up with moving light projections. As soon as the light show ended, the first dish was served.
The first course was a bite-sized crispy pancake topped with bechamel, truffle, and egg-yolk gel. Next arrived a generous dollop of caviar in a green sauce topped with gold leaf.
This was followed by amberjack tartare served in a small, edible cone. It was salty and tangy, my favorite of the first three courses.
The next course was called Tomato Water. I thought it would be a tomato purée — and I thought wrong.
The dish was clear, garnished with basil and a quartered baby tomato. The “water” had a jelly-like texture. It was a little sour, and I could taste the wasabi notes, which I loved.
Looking back, I realize the dish was probably meant to be a palate cleanser, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Light shows break up the courses
After another light show, waiters brought out a dish that consisted of finely chopped smoked squid and a quail egg covered in a green, minty sauce.
Up next was the Mille Feuille, which stole the show. It’s foie gras between three slices of flaky pastry, topped with chunks of kumquat and apricot. The sweetness of the fruits and the pastry complemented the buttery texture of the foie gras perfectly.
This was followed by a 15-minute intermission, during which most diners got up to use the bathroom — located on the ground floor outside the cave — or take photos.
Once the intermission was over, it was time for another light show and the remaining courses.
First up was the turbot, which was wrapped in nori.
The next dish was a main called Vitello Tonnato. It consisted of a pan-roasted veal tenderloin with tuna rouille and capers.
For dessert, an olive oil sorbet with hints of yuzu and thyme was then followed by the Manjari Ganache.
A new menu every quarter
Clift told me he collaborates with Tay Chan Yong, the head chef at The Cave, to create new dishes for the restaurant. Once the items are finalized, Tay orders all the ingredients he needs for those three months.
“We know we’re going to do exactly 66 people a day, three sittings a day. We know exactly how many grams of caviar we’re going to use. We know how many grams of wagyu we’re going to use,” Clift said. “Everything is so precise.”
Clift is based in Singapore, but he flies to Bali for a few days before each menu goes live.
He said the team spends two days perfecting each recipe.
“They’ve already done a tasting in-house prior to me arriving,” Clift said. “So the waiters know the flavors, they know the techniques, they know where the produce is from.”
Review: Is The Cave worth it?
My bill came out to 2.19 million Indonesian rupiah, or about $135. This was inclusive of a 10% service charge, 11% tax, and a bottle of water.
If you’re a food traveler looking for new ways to experience high-end cuisine, this restaurant might be for you. Similarly, if you want bragging rights and the photos to boot for an unusual experience, The Cave will deliver.
For me, though, it was an experience I enjoyed but wouldn’t repeat. For one, the price tag is steep by Bali standards.
But even more than that, while the subterranean experience added a distinctive ambiance to the meal, the novelty of it wore off quickly.
Bali is a stunning island known for its beaches and jungles. In my opinion, there are plenty of restaurants on the island — both affordable and high-end — that will satisfy your appetite without compromising on the views or the vibes.
Business Insider covered the cost of my meal in full.
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