Waste not, want not
October 15, 2024 - How do you style a pineapple crown or distil the magic from a mushroom? Our chefs ensure nothing goes to waste on their watch. Great news for gardens and gut health alike.
Across our properties, our chefs embrace our Eat With Six Senses philosophy, where delicious flavors, sustainable sourcing, and well-being combine into a memorable culinary experience. They are also inventive when it comes to eliminating waste, uncovering new circular solutions and sustainable alternatives.
Fun zero-waste journey on the Island of the Gods
Six Senses Uluwatu offers serenity and precious moments to explore the things you love. Where better to start than our culinary journey of local ingredients, many picked in our own garden?
Our Director of Food & Beverage, Ignacio (aka Natxo), and Executive Chef Indra, champion sustainability through mouthwatering dishes and mixologist creations that use locally sourced ingredients. They are also on a mission to use every part of those ingredients, whether in delicious meals or lush décor.
The circle of life
“We live and breathe the zero-waste philosophy,” explains Chef Natxo. “At Rocka, our restaurant celebrating Balinese and Indonesian cuisine, the humble pineapple reigns supreme! We use every part of the fruit, from fresh slices and cold-pressed juices to energize your morning to tepache, a Javanese fermented drink made from the skin and core. Even the pineapple crown gets its moment of glory, floating regally in recycled glass as a unique centerpiece on all our tables.”
Every month, all the resort’s fruit peels and cores are transformed into around 50 kilograms of nutrient-rich compost, nurturing the gardens and helping create healthy soil. This isn't just good for our plants—it's great for the planet, and your own gut health too. That’s because a diverse soil microbiome has important bacteria capable of resupplying the friendly bacteria in the human gut microbiota too. The chefs also brew around 50 liters of eco-enzyme every month (made from fruit skins, molasses, and spring water) to give the garden a boost and help all the green shoots grow strong.
Indra continues, “Once we've brewed your morning coffee, the magic doesn’t stop! We mix the leftover grounds into the garden soil and use it in our restaurant décor. Our dining tables have a special touch—locally sourced coffee grounds mixed with cocopeat, adding a sustainable and earthy vibe to your experience. Ever wondered what happens to all the papaya, mango, and avocado seeds? They’re upcycled, sprouted, and transformed into green decorations in our restaurants and bars. It’s all part of our zero-waste commitment—turning nature’s leftovers into something beautiful.”
No to MSG – hello to mushrooms
The culinary team are obsessed with mushrooms, and they’ve created a whole trio of waste-free mushroom magic: Mushroom Shoyu, Umami Mushroom Powder, and Mushroom Gomasio. Aldo, our fermentation guru at Watu Steakhouse, uses the leftover mushrooms to make shoyu (a vegan alternative to Thai fish sauce), which adds a rich flavor to soups and curries. Then, the grounds are dried and turned into a pure umami powder, and finally, combined with organic fleur de sel to make our own gomasio seasoning—perfect for adding an extra zing to roasted veggies, meats, and seafood.
“Next time you're dining with us, know that every delicious bite is part of a bigger, greener journey. We're proud to say that at Six Senses Uluwatu, nothing goes to waste—except your worries!” says Chef Natxo.
Innovation unleashed at Six Senses Zighy Bay
Executive Chef Walter Butti is no stranger to sustainability, having spearheaded our first plastic-free kitchen at Six Senses Yao Noi. He is now expanding farm-to-table initiatives and curating innovative dining concepts at our Omani property, Six Senses Zighy Bay, which has recently been recognized in this year’s prestigious World's 50 Best Hotels.
Extraordinary results rarely come from ordinary thinking. “For me, it is not a matter of just trying to reduce waste, but actively looking for opportunities to create a zero-waste environment and dishes where nothing even goes to compost,” says Chef Walter. “Take homemade nut milk for example. Rather than just making it and then looking at what we can do with the leftover pulp, we work out how many hazelnuts or almonds our pastries need, grind them down to a pulp, and then the nut milk becomes the useful by-product.”
Reverse engineered to perfection
Orange rind is upcycled rather than composted, creating candied citrus wedges for car amenities or given a second life in pastries and room amenities. “The leftover cooking liquid, beautifully scented from the rind, can be used to soak sponges for cakes so nothing is thrown away.”
Leftover bread – gluten free too – is converted into breadcrumbs, and pastries can be mixed to make the legendary “rum balls”, although the exact recipe remains a well-guarded secret.
Chef Walter’s long-held aversion to plastic continues, with vacuum bags banned from the first day he joined and going back to basics with classical French techniques. “For the re-opening of Sense on the Edge, we’re even banning the plastic squeeze bottles which are much loved by chefs.” Eliminating all that plastic leaves space for creative alternatives to flourish.
Zero waste, zero miles at Six Senses Yao Noi
A jungle-meets-beach retreat with ridiculously photogenic views across Phang Nga Bay, Six Senses Yao Noi has recently scooped Two Keys from Michelin and 21st place in the world’s greatest hotels by Telegraph Hotel Awards. “This is a place to indulge in the pulse-slowing benefits of nature,” said the head Asia judge, and where better to start than the abundance of organic herbs and vegetables in its on-site gardens?
Executive Chef Braden Reardon brings his passion for sustainable sourcing and preparation to the resort’s four dining venues, when he’s not out on the rocks mussel harvesting with local fishers. From his introduction of split-gill mushrooms to the oyster mushrooms in the mushroom hut to the lemongrass and betel leaves that flavor the Thai cuisine at Nithan and Chef’s Table, food simply does not get more local than this.
Capturing flavors at their peak
“When designing dishes, I think about building layers, and the processes that go into that. Sourcing is paramount and our philosophy is to build connections with surrounding suppliers to ensure as few food miles as possible. My methodology is that consistency is key. Even if the preparation is more difficult, I want to capture flavors at their peak and do a lot of preservation for future use.”
Chef Braden is particularly excited about his new concepts at The Hilltop, with adaptable, mindful, and plant-based cuisine. “My calamansi ponzu has a long fermentation and uses everything from the zest for the floral components to the pith, which you can use to marinate and break down certain protein structures to make mushroom jerky. We use mangosteen preserve with honey from a local apiary as an alternative to refined sugar.”
Giant coconut palms make the resort’s timber-and-thatch structures almost indistinguishable from the pristine landscape. It’s therefore unsurprising that coconuts pop up everywhere, whether the welcome drink, palm sugar, dehydrating the meat to make coconut powder, or drying the shells in the solar dryer for ice cream cups. The coconut husk is used in smoking techniques and the oil is used in the spa. It also offers great anti-viral properties in compost.
Fewer imports, fewer impacts
Techniques such as dry aging and fermentation reduce the need to import products. Chef Braden’s Thai artisanal products start with getting back to the roots and relationships with local farmers and fishers, from handline caught yellowfin tuna that can be dry aged or used in a mapo tofu to cured cheeses and even ricotta-based cocktails to enjoy on Mai Thai Beach.
Extended Stay – Four Nights
Stay for four nights or longer (and who wouldn’t want to) in the Pool Villa of your choice and receive 15 percent off the Best Flexible Rate, plus complimentary breakfast.