29 November 2018 - Seasalt take pride in keeping their ingredients and collaborations local, using produce from local farms wherever possible to provide fresh, sustainable dishes. From the personalised service and charming atmosphere, to the meticulous pairing of ingredients by Executive Sous Chef Ngurah Heru Wijaya, Seasalt certainly strive to provide a spectacular dining experience!

A little bit of history..

Born in 1979 in Singaraja, Bali, to a farming family, Heru began charting his culinary career from anearly age. He was inspired by his independent teenage life at school, where he had to cook for himself alone in his rented room, and his love and respect for quality and tradition. After graduating from the Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Bali (STP) at age 21, Heru sought opportunities to further develop his own creativity. His international culinary skills flourished during his early six months of training at Conrad Singapore, followed by a period with Norwegian Cruise Line from 2002 to 2008, where he developed and refined his culinary techniques. He later dropped anchor back home in Bali and joined his first Alila family, Alila Villas Uluwatu, in its opening year, serving as Demi-chef, then Junior Sous Chef, under the legendary Chef Stefan Zijta.

In 2014, Heru joined Alila Seminyak as Sous Chef with the pre-opening team and worked once more with Chef Stefan Zijta. At Alila Seminyak, he continuously delivers greatness and serves from his heart. He has made the Beach Bar at Alila Seminyak one of the best places to chill out at sunset in Seminyak and plays an important role in Seasalt as well. His willingness to keep on learning, not only in cooking but also in his managerial and administrative skills, earned him the position of Executive Sous Chef in 2016.

Full of inspiration!

Heru has always been inspired by Chef Stefan Zijta’s creative use of local ingredients and progressive French-style cooking techniques. This, and in alignment with Alila and Seasalt’s sustainability efforts, is why he uses strictly local ingredients – guaranteed to always be of good quality due to their freshness. In Seasalt, you will be familiar with Butterfish, Tuna Tartare, and the recently-introduced tasty ‘72 Hours’ steak in Seasalt Pairing. These tantalising dishes were Heru’s ideas, which were perfected in collaboration with Seasalt’s Chef de Cuisine.

A message from the Chef

Chef Heru is always thirsty for knowledge and he knows no limit. He is working on building an excellent knowledge of wines and cheeses and, of course, his determination and persistence will soon get him there!

For Heru, everybody can be a chef and there is always a story behind every dish. A recipe is only something written on a piece of paper. The final result of the dish all depends on who cooks it. It requires soul, passion and attention to detail. Taste is subjective; as long as you can present it well, then you’re a chef!