Bali, TodyasSpill.com
Lulu Bistrot has been named one of the Tatler 20 Best of Indonesia 2025, but beyond the accolade lies a more powerful story: the rise of a new generation of Indonesian chefs who are no longer chasing global cuisine — they are leading it.
At the heart of Lulu’s kitchen are Head Chef Austin Milana and Sous Chef Airin Eddy — two young Indonesian chefs who aren’t trying to “localize” French cuisine, but instead elevate it through an Indonesian lens — intuitively, honestly, and without forcing fusion.
This isn’t about imitation. It’s a shift in authorship.
From learning French techniques — to rewriting them
Austin trained in Surabaya before joining Skool Kitchen and later Lulu’s sister restaurant Bartolo. His culinary philosophy was shaped long before that — at the dinner table with a Filipino father and Indonesian mother.
“My dad’s flavors were savory and sour, my mom’s were spicy and bold — it trained my palate before I even knew the word ‘gastronomy’,” he says.
During a quiet season in the industry, Austin co-founded a creative cooking collective called Jammin’ Chow with fellow young chefs Ryan Theja (Costa) and Vallian Gunawan (Kindling) — born not out of competition, but collaboration. It became a quiet but important movement: chefs gathering just to create, with no agenda.
The future of Indonesian cuisine was being shaped in a living room — not a Michelin kitchen.
Airin’s journey mirrors that sincerity. Inspired by her grandmother’s traditional baking, she later trained professionally at Dewakan in Malaysia — a restaurant known for philosophy-driven dining, not just technique.
“In fine dining, I learned that great cuisine isn’t about complexity — it’s about intention,” she shares.
French cuisine — guided by intuition, not imitation
At Lulu, the two reinterpret classic French dishes not to make them “Indonesian-fusion,” but to make them more alive, more contextual, more reflective of place.
• Bourguignon simmered gently with coconut water
• Beurre blanc layered with kluwek to add quiet depth
• Sole meunière translated into fresh local grouper — caught that very morning
“Freshness dictates the menu, not the recipe,” Austin says.
“Especially seafood — we follow the ocean, not tradition for tradition’s sake.”
Airin’s inspirations are intimate, almost poetic.
“Jackfruit blew my mind when I first saw it turned into tea during training. One day, I want to introduce it to French cuisine — not as novelty, but as truth.”
Not fusion. Not imitation. A cultural conversation finally led from Asia.
Recognition, the chefs agree, is not a finish line — it’s responsibility.
“The challenge isn’t reaching this point — it’s growing without losing honesty,” says Austin.
“It makes us ask harder questions,” adds Airin. “Are we still cooking with heart?”
Rafael Nardo, founder of Lulu Bistrot, couldn’t be more certain.
“Lulu was built to make people feel genuinely cared for. Seeing Indonesian chefs lead that philosophy — with humility and conviction — is the real achievement.” TS-01
