Chef Maurizio Bombini of Mauri Restaurant on Winning at Fine Dining

Prestige’s Ajeng G. Anindita catches up with Mauri Restaurant’s Maurizio Bombini about his restaurant’s continued success and Bali’s culinary landscape.

It has been a good year for Maurizio Bombini and his eponymous restaurant. Not only is Mauri doing well financially, but its reputation is also rising as new talents come in. All in all, Mauri has shown solid effort in business and teamwork. “In general, we are very happy with the results and the restaurant. The most important thing is that I feel and I see that everyone is enjoying what they are doing, very happy to be here,” Maurizio gushes. “That has been the goal since day one and I think we are achieving the goal because they are really happy to work here and the customer are happy also.”

Growing up in restaurant scene, Maurizio has always had a passion for food; although at first, he wasn’t really sure that he wanted to open his own restaurant. So, he worked his way up in restaurants and hotels after finishing culinary school. His journey took him from Switzerland to Monte Carlo and many other cities. Then, 10 years ago, he landed in Asia and started working at the Ritz-Carlton Sanya in China, before finally stepping foot in Bali. There Maurizio joined the team at the Bvlgari Resort Bali in Uluwatu as chef de cuisine at Il Ristorante. Next, he moved to Ubud, to Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Resort, where he was in charge of the venue’s opening. Finally, after three and a half years, the opportunity arose for him to open his own restaurant, Mauri, which has now become an extremely popular fine dining destination in Seminyak.

Having lived and worked in the island for nine years now, Maurizio has witnessed many important ups and downs in Bali’s food industry. Restaurants highlighting the finer points of gastronomy are popping up all over the place alongside fine dining establishments and casual restaurants. Vegan to gluten-free options are also more common now as new concepts bloom almost every day in Bali.

“The competition is quite interesting now. Everyone is pushing to make it better and slowly the level is increasing. Every night when we talk with guests from overseas, they are very impressed with the level they find in Bali,” Maurizio reflects. “I think Bali in the next few years will become the best place for restaurants in the Asia Pacific region. The good thing is that we can really deliver on a variety of levels, but still at an affordable price compared to big cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and Australia. I’m very happy with what’s happening now in Bali.”