INTERVIEW WITH GRANT WIRYADINATA – OWNER OF ARSANA RESTAURANT BALI

What is the best gift you have ever received in life?

That would be my wife, Chika Arnan. She’s the other half of me that I finally found.

Who is the most inspiring figure in your life?

My parents for raising me and teaching me about life lesson, the older I get the more I realize the meaning of things that my parents have taught me; such as manners, respect elders, etc.

Can you share the story behind Arsana? How did it start and why did you decide to join the business with William Wongso?

Arsana means ‘happiness’ in Sanskrit, hence we want our customers to feel happy after they tasted our food and we also want to ensure that our staffs are always happy when they are at work.

My father Gilbert Wiryadinata and William Wongso have known each other many years ago, even when William Wongso was still single and living in Surabaya. Their first business together was 20+ years ago when they were partners in Hanamasa Restaurant. The opportunity arises once again when Alila Seminyak gave me second chance to work along with William Wongso to serve authentic Indonesian food at Arsana, since he has been the Ambassador for Indonesian food the last decades or so. Our aim is to be the centre of Indonesian cuisine in Bali.

What was the last thing that made you cry?

When I asked forgiveness and blessing from my parents during my wedding mass at church.

What are two of your most favorite beer brands?

I like Czech beer Budvar, for me, it brings the true flavor of real lager. My other favorite beer is wheat beers variant; Erdinger, Konig, Hoegaarden, Primator Weissbier, because you may get arrays of distinctive flavors from wheat beer.

What is the biggest challenge you have overcome so far in managing Arsana Restaurant?

Arsana is the first project for me in the industry, so the biggest challenge for me is the business itself. Challenges come everyday in many forms because I’m still new in this industry, I love to learn something new every day from everyone; the customers, business partners, suppliers, building contractors, colleagues etc. so I can overcome those challenges.

How do you want to be remembered?

I’d like to be remembered as a person that can inspire others surrounding me and teach them about positivity.

What is your vision for Arsana Restaurant Bali in the future?

My dream is for Arsana to be ‘The Place’ to go for authentic Indonesian cuisine that provides the variety of Indonesian food from all over Indonesia, from Sabang to Merauke. In the 3 months of operation, I found a lot of very interesting facts especially from our guests. One of the most interesting is that not a lot of people really know what authentic Indonesian cuisine is really about. When they tried our food, they are surprised at the richness of the flavors and also just how delicious true Indonesian dishes are! So my simple vision is for more guests to experience that sense of ‘discovery’ at Arsana and make us strive to bring out more of authentic Indonesian cuisines.

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