Threads of Asia: A Four-Hands Feast at Api Jiwa
Asia’s culinary traditions are anything but static. They evolve through generations, shaped by migration, memory, ritual and the ingredients found close to home. This August, Api Jiwa at Capella Ubud brings two distinct perspectives to the table with Threads of Asia, an intimate four-hands collaboration with Jakarta’s SU MA.
Taking place on August 28 and 29, 2026, the two-night collaboration pairs Api Jiwa Executive Chef Arvie Delvo with SU MA Co-Executive Chef Ryan Kim for a 10-course Asian tasting menu that explores the space between heritage and contemporary expression.
For Chef Arvie, the evening is an extension of Api Jiwa’s philosophy, where Asian culinary heritage is interpreted through curiosity, craftsmanship and a deep respect for ingredients. At the heart of the experience is the restaurant’s signature Wara open-fire technique, which cooks over surplus rice straw sourced from the surrounding paddy fields of Keliki. The method lends ingredients a delicate smokiness and layered depth while connecting the dining experience to the agricultural landscape around Capella Ubud.
Across the table, Chef Ryan brings a culinary perspective shaped by his Korean heritage and travels throughout East Asia. His career spans pastry, cuisine, coffee and oenology, with experience at Sydney institutions including Quay and Bennelong, before co-founding Korean-inspired patisserie Fragments in Jakarta with his wife. At SU MA, his cooking balances classical technique with the flavors and traditions of East Asia, creating food that is precise yet personal.
The result is a meeting of two distinct culinary languages. SU MA’s contemporary interpretation of Chinese and Korean traditions, with its focus on fermentation, seasonality and thoughtful technique, meets Api Jiwa’s fire-led approach, where locally sourced ingredients are transformed over burning rice straw. Together, the chefs create a menu built around craftsmanship, memory and regional storytelling rather than simply recreating dishes from the past.
With one seating at 7pm on each evening, Threads of Asia is a limited culinary encounter for those looking to experience Asia through the lens of two chefs and two kitchens. And the conversation will not end in Ubud: the collaboration continues in Jakarta this October, when Chef Arvie joins Chef Ryan Kim and Chef Brendon Chen at SU MA for the next chapter of this culinary exchange.