SLUIS/UBUD: Syrco Bakker, chef of two Michelin star restaurant Pure C will open a new restaurant in Ubud, Bali this autumn. While on the Indonesian island, he will simultaneously continue work on the renovation of a listed building in Sluis. Once completed, in around 18 months to 2 years, he plans to open a small-scale gourmet restaurant and atelier with his own bakery and farm shop where people can also enjoy breakfast and lunch.
On 29 April, Syrco Bakker will cook for the last time at Pure C in Cadzand. Having announced his departure from the two-star restaurant in December, he decided to continue the journey as an entrepreneur and chef.
In June, Syrco will move to Bali together with his family. Choosing Indonensia was not a coicidwnxw. Syrco’s grandfather is from Java and his grandmother is from Sumatra. As a child, little Syrco grew up with the flavours of Indonesian cuisine.
The new restaurant in Ubud will be called Syrco BASE and is currently under construction. Base is a Balinese word and has two meanings, spice and language. Base in English also means foundation, a starting point or main ingredient which in other words means Syrco returning to his roots in an attempt to embed them further in the fertile soil of Bali.
Syrco BASE is a completely independent project with its own identity and does not form part of a resort or hotel.
Syrco will apply the same philosophy in Indonesia as he did in Zeeland. He wants his dishes to include native ingredients from locally sourced fishermen, farmers and producers. The seasons will also play a major influence.
Guests will be able to choose a fine dining restaurant overlooking a garden with a set menu. The four large work tables will allow guests to follow what is happening in the kitchen. Aperitifs and coffee will be served in the lounge on the first floor.
There will also be a food bar as well as a chef’s table and a shop will feature collaborations with local artisans, brewers and farmers. People dining at Syrco Base will be able to enjoy his signature dishes combined with local Balinese produce as well as classic Indonesian flavours that take Syrco back to his childhood.
Syrco is planning to use summer and early autumn to help shape the new culinary project at close range. Syrco BASE will open in November.
Belgian and Dutch followers of Syrco Bakker will have to wait at least 18 months for his return but hsi return to the Zeeland region is certain. He plans to breathe new life into a monumental building. The renovation will be thorough will take at least 18 months. Afterwards, the top chef will open a small-scale, top restaurant. His wife and co-owner Charlotte Pillen will assume the role as maître.
Syrco not only wants to focus on top gastronomy, but he also wants to contribute to the quality of life in the surrounding communities of Zeeland, highlighting local producers. Plans are to create an atelier with a bakery and farm shop, where customers can have breakfast, lunch, or aperitifs during the day. The site will allow for locals to shop for their daily produce, alongside facilitating as an educational meeting place.
When Pure C opened in 2010 in the dunes of Cadzand, Sergio Herman entrusted the running of the kitchen to Syrco Bakker, then only 25 years old. Bakker had learned the tricks of the trade as sous-chef at Oud Sluis. Very quickly, Pure C became the culinary destination in Zeeland. A first star came in 2011, and the second followed in 2018.
Just last year, Syrco Bakker was named Chef of the Year in the Netherlands by Gault&Millau, and the same guide confirmed, with a score of 18 out of 20, that the chef can be counted among the absolute top of Dutch gastronomy. At 38, Syrco Bakker now thinks it is time to spread his wings and continue alone.
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