FED by Made in Seminyak Bali

Destinations

This Homegrown Bali Restaurant Is the Hottest Table in Seminyak Right Now

Bali has never been short of eateries helmed by international chefs. So we’re incredibly excited to see three young Balinese friends owning and operating this small Seminyak restaurant that is shifting the spotlight back onto emerging local talent. Have you been FED by Made?

MY FIRST MEMORY OF FOOD would be when I was around five years old. My mum had a small canteen selling local traditional Balinese food for a big hotel right in front of our house. Now FED by Made is in that same space,” says Made Dhanu, chef and co-founder of FED By Made in Seminyak. The 26-year-old was born and raised in Seminyak, what he calls the “tourist melting pot of Bali,” but moved to Melbourne when he was 17 to study. During his six years there, he and two friends came to lay the bones for what we now know as the small set-menu concept that’s turning foodie and chef heads alike in Bali.

FED by Made — Made Dhanu and some of his culinary creativity.

“It started for me as cooking for friends and family. It brings me a lot of joy, watching them gather and having fun. I was studying at TAFE in Melbourne and was working at cafes and small restaurants (including relaxed fine-diner Transformer in Fitzroy). My friends and I were surrounded by young creatives; artists, musicians and DJs. Myself, Nik and Kai wanted to do something that was on the creative side and show that we, as three Balinese, could something a bit different in Melbourne – where everyone loves to eat,” says Made. The trio started hosting private pop-up events for their friends and the rest is history. Having returned back to Bali during the pandemic, they went on to set up FED by Made the restaurant in 2021.

“We’re all under 30 and we’re all from Bali. We want to showcase that us, as young local Balinese, can compete with all the big restaurants,” says Made. “That’s what we’re proud of. FED is open three days a week from Friday to Sunday and Made says the team is constantly looking to learn more about ingredients, which are sourced locally and sustainably, as well as the business side of things. “We’re always learning,” he says. On their days off, they take off for the mountains or the sea. “At the end of the month, we always go somewhere and ride our motorbikes to the mountains and explore. Sometimes we hang out and surf,” he says.

The industry in Bali has kept a keen eye on what they’re doing and Made says that as well as running their own restaurant, the FED team now offer consultancy services helping other venues. “We’re really grateful that people in the industry have been so accepting of us, they’re all looking at us.”

The sky is the limit.