Will Goldfarb is one of the most singular figures in the world of dessert. Originally from New York, he spent two decades building a reputation in some of the city's best kitchens before relocating to Ubud, Bali, where he opened Room for Dessert in 2013. The restaurant has since grown into a neighbourhood of its own, encompassing a guesthouse (Shelter Island), a takeaway shop (Powder Room), a by-product kitchen, a food forest, and the Room for Dessert Academy – a training programme for the next generation of pastry talent.
His cooking is rooted in place: working with local producers, repurposing by-products, and exploring the flavour possibilities of ingredients beyond their conventional use. Among his current obsessions is the development of non-cacao chocolate inspired by the work of chef Matt Orlando. Room for Dessert turns 12 this year.
Could you please tell our community a bit about yourself and what you do?
My name is Will Goldfarb, and I’m an American pastry chef and restaurateur based in Ubud, Bali, where I run Room for Dessert. We've been focusing on getting our Academy going – where we currently have 12 students. Our guesthouse, Shelter Island, has been coming along nicely, and our takeaway shop, Powder Room, has been going strong for two years now. Our food forest is really developing, and we're just excited to be engaged with the community. This year Room for Dessert turns 12 here in Bali, and 21 from its origins in New York – so we're finally old enough to drink in the US.
What are you currently working on or excited about?
I'm very excited about our new menu, which is coming in the next couple of months. The cooking, I think, is the best it's ever been. Our by-product kitchen is developing nicely, and our team is cooking with a lot of soul. We're also grinding a lot of non-cacao chocolate in the Matt Orlando style – using coffee grounds, cacao leaf, barley, sesame, and more. Our focus isn't on replacing chocolate, but on introducing more flavour. We're on the equator, so cacao is a local product for us – the urgency is to make sure we're also creating nutritious and delicious things using what's around us.
How would you describe the restaurant scene in Bali at the moment?
The restaurant scene in Bali is strong right now. Locavore made Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list this year, there's really good energy on the street side, hotel dining has improved considerably, and you're seeing some excellent wood-fire restaurants, great bakeries, and a much stronger coffee scene. If anything, you're spoiled for choice – and it's still relatively affordable by European standards. A tasting menu here might be a tenth of the price of something comparable in Europe. People are genuinely surprised by the quality. And it's also become a better place to drink natural wine.
What are three restaurants in Bali you particularly enjoy, and why?
Warung Babi Guling Pande Egi
This is traditional Balinese – the best suckling pig experience you can have. A fine-dining chef who took over the family business. They serve around two thousand people a day, still at local prices, and it's an extraordinary, deeply democratic place.
Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku
A chicken and rice place that has expanded into a chain but somehow gotten even better. The spiced chicken soup that comes with the rice is really special.
This one is the real destination. The village priest who is the arak maker, fisherman, and salt harvester. You go to his house and eat whatever was caught that day – everything cooked with ingredients they either grow or make themselves, including vinegar from palm fruit. There's nothing quite like it.
Are there any hidden gems in Bali you would like to highlight?
Those three Balinese places I mentioned are my real hidden gems. Pande Egi, Nasi Ayam Kedewatan, and Dapur Balimula are local, local – off the beaten path and the real thing.
Which food cities around the world inspire you the most, and where do you like to eat when you're there?
I've had a good year for travel. In Mumbai, everything from the Hunger Inc. group is great – Bombay Canteen, Bombay Sweet Shop, O Pedro, Veronica's, and Papa's – each one extraordinary in its own way. I also like Bandra Born, by Gresham Fernandes, a local chef who's under the radar but seriously good.
In Jakarta, Costa by Ryan Theja is outstanding – vegetable-forward, elegant. And Kindling is exceptional. Think Odette, but with a Chinese-Indonesian sensibility, set in a beautifully restored house. Flawless cooking.
In Bangkok, I really enjoyed Baan Tepa. And Charmkrung was a genuine surprise – third floor of a building in Chinatown, buzzing crowd, big plates, big flavour, great wines. Very Thai, very approachable, and an impressive operation.
In Manila, Toyo and the whole Toyo family – the flagship, plus Inato (the Michelin-starred newer addition) and Azuki, their kakigori spot. All exceptional. And Manam, which is a larger franchise but the quality of the food is so good – a real twist on Filipino comfort food.
In Copenhagen, Café Seks was a wonderful discovery. I could eat there a thousand times. And Taqueria Sanchez was even better than I remembered. I'm a Hart Bakery fan, and Fatty's Burgers remains a regular stop.
In Rio de Janeiro, I really like Alberto Landgraf’s restaurant Oteque.
What is your favourite dish, and where would you like to have it?
I'd have to be a little abstract here. About twelve years ago, at Bistro de la Marine – at chef Jacques Maximin’s restaurant in Cagnes-sur-Mer – he made a dish of sole goujons braised over a julienne of vegetables and finished under a gratin of crème fraîche. A perfect dish. Old school, in the best possible way. I could eat it every day. I believe he's still cooking – he's the dean of Ducasse's school now, and you can't stop this man. If I could ask for one thing, it would be for him to make that dish for me again.
Is there an up-and-coming chef you think is doing great things?
Danny Africano at Lignum in Galway, Ireland. His restaurant is fun, and the restaurant is exceptional. I was there in October – he had fifty chefs in at once and cooked his whole menu in canapé style. I thought it was going to be a disaster, but it was absolutely flawless. The room is beautiful, food’s cooked over wood fire, and nobody takes themselves too seriously. The level of cooking is as good as anywhere in the world. The fish and seafood is of exceptional quality. He'd be my shout for under the radar.
Is there a food expert or curator whose restaurant recommendations you would particularly want to hear?
I love Max Veenhuyzen. If he says it, it's good — his recommendations come from the heart, and that counts for a lot. And Hanan Sayed Worrell, who wrote Table Tales – a whole book about little places all over Abu Dhabi. She knows everything about every corner of that food scene, from Lebanese to East African, and she's a real fan in the old-school sense. She really cares. If she says it, you want to eat there.
