Rafi Papazian and Greg Guerguerian opened Monsieur Spoon, Bali's first authentic French bakery, after missing the pastries from their home in Paris. In just 15 months, they opened three bakery locations and a kitchen on the island. Rafi focuses on using high-quality local ingredients like sea salt from Amed and rewriting recipes to suit Bali's climate. His passion for pastry and focus on quality without concessions have led to legendary treats like croissants and eclairs that attract both locals and tourists. Rafi's philosophy is to bake with his senses and take time to ensure everything is handmade without rushing the process.

1. W
ith the sun forever shining,
the sea forever glistening
and the locals forever
smiling, it’s hard to believe
that Bali has its drawbacks. But for dessert
lovers, the ones who have dined on true
French pastries, tasted distinctively
Parisian macarons and licked sticky Fleur
de Sel caramel from their lips, being in
Bali means sacrificing these one-of-a-kind
French delicacies for humble imitations.
Well that was until Parisians Rafi Papazian
and Greg Guerguerian decided to swap
views of the Eiffel Tower for Tanah Lot, and
A Boutique
French Bakery in Bali?
Taking Bali’s sweet-toothed visitors by storm,
Monsieur Spoon is the bakery that everybody’s
talking about, the place with the legendary
croissants, the creamiest eclairs and the
totally unique “Takesumi” charcoal baguettes.
EXQUISITE TASTE: Since launching,
you’ve opened three Monsieur Spoon
outlets and a kitchen in Bali – all
within fifteen months. What’s it been
like?
Well, I must be crazy, or very passionate,
or maybe a bit of both! It’s been an energy
that’s been impossible to stop – like a wheel
down a hill. I was busy inspiring staff and
sharing my passion for pastry with the
kitchen team, while Greg was out selling
our beautiful creations, regularly texting me
saying, “we’ve been asked to do this or that,
can we do it?” It was impossible to refuse,
so this pure, exciting energy led us to today
serving more than 400 recipes with more
than 90 people in our team.
EXQUISITE TASTE: So your staff have
really taken to your passion for pastry?
When Monsieur Spoon first started up,
I didn’t want to just share my recipes, I
wanted to inspire and transmit my passion.
I quickly understood that the Balinese
are motivated more by visuals than just
explanations and instructions, so, for
instance, when one of the team created a
new pastry, I would take a photo of them
with the dessert and put it on the wall. The
other team members were so excited by it
that they were desperate to learn something
new and also get on the wall. And it never
stopped! The Balinese are curious, they are
artisans and they are very talented, so I
also learnt a lot from them too. This mutual
exchange left us both greedy to learn more.
They’ve become bakers and I’ve become
Balinese.
Oui Monsieur!
MONSIEUR SPOON
when they realised that leaving behind their
crispy croissants, flaky Apple Chaussons
and creamy eclairs was too much to bear.
Voilà! Monsieur Spoon was finally
born, Bali’s authentic boutique French
bakery built on a true love for pastry, an
overwhelming craving for artisanal French
desserts and a passion to share these treats
with fellow sweet fanatics.
We managed to speak with Executive
Pastry Chef, Director and Founder of
Monsieur Spoon, Rafi Papazian in between
his busy schedule. It’s busy because, in
just 15 months, he and Greg opened three
Monsieur Spoon outlets in Canggu, Oberoi
and Umalas, as well as a Monsieur Spoon
Kitchen where they host regular pastry
cooking classes.
He tells us about Monsieur Spoon’s
whirlwind rise to fame with the island’s
yummy mummies and hoteliers alike, and
he reveals the secrets to his legendary
croissants. But most importantly, we find
out how Monsieur Spoon has done what no
other has done before – brought real French
desserts to Bali.
EXQUISITE TASTE: It’s no secret you’ve
also become one of the most popular
bakers on the island, but what was your
vision when you first started up?
I actually came to Bali to relax, to enjoy a bit
of down time, but very quickly I missed my
Apple Chaussons and croissants. There was
raspberry jam available to buy at grocery
stores, but no good croissants and no bread
– what’s the point of having jam with no
croissants or bread?! So I started baking at
home, understanding how to work in these
new conditions and writing recipes all over
again – at first my girlfriend complained,
saying I was getting too much flour all
over the place, but of course she was soon
hungry for mini Apple Chaussons freshly
baked for breakfast each morning! So I
rented a place in a French neighbourhood in
Umalas and opened there. I was so excited.
I simply wanted to share my morning
moments with the world – at first with the
French, so that if they say, “this is the best”,
then the rest of the world would believe
them!
EXQUISITE TASTE: You mentioned
you’ve had to rewrite recipes - does the
climate here in Bali affect the way you
make certain desserts?
Absolutely, it minimises the possibilities
and affects how flexible you can be with
pastries. When I learned about pastry 12
years ago, I learned it through a book by
Hervé; the inventor of molecular food. He
was a chemist, working in a lab, excited
by why our grandma’s taught us to add
EXQUISITE DESSERT

2. eggs two by two, instead of altogether.
He wanted to understand why chocolate
crystallised at certain temperatures, how
we make mayonnaise and generally why
things act the way they do in the kitchen.
So I really learned how things work from
the inside out, which has definitely helped
me naturally adapt my recipes to the
climate.
EXQUISITE TASTE: You’ve been
jam-packed (no pun intended) with
expats, tourists, yummy mummies,
restauranteurs and hoteliers alike.
What’s your secret to pleasing all types
of customers?
As a baker, my vision is simple: make good
food that I would enjoy myself. So I’ve
never made any concessions when reaching
that goal. Another important factor has
been taking my time and really listening
to people. The biggest mistake would
have been to come to Bali to simply start
a business – it becomes money-oriented
and things become rushed. So the first
6 months I just baked at home, invited
people over, met new people and gathered
feedback from different nationalities.
It was really important for me to know
there was room for my pastries in this
environment.
EXQUISITE TASTE: Really great French
ingredients are usually key to creating
really great French desserts, but are
there any local ingredients you’ve
discovered since being in Bali that you
now love to use in the kitchen?
Definitely! Take the salt for example. When
I first came to Bali I joined almost every
tour going, and while I was in Amed, I
began watching the locals collecting sea
salt. I was so intrigued, I decided to join
them. We would take the water, 40kg at a
time, and filter it using natural, half-open
bamboo structures. After four days of
drying, we’d be left with beautiful, natural
salt. So anytime I needed salt, I would go
back up to Amed, tell this kid playing guitar
in the street to bring me to his family, and
we’d continue to collect salt together. After
a while, I sent him a text asking him to
bring the salt to Canggu, and today, two
years on, he still brings it all the way from
Amed and I use it in all Monsieur Spoon
pastries.
EXQUISITE TASTE: You’ve just
launched your charcoal-like
“Takesumi” black pastries and breads
– a mix of Japanese and French
techniques. What’s the story behind
this?
Well it’s a long story, but I’m really into
combining the best of both worlds, mixing
cultures and enjoying the different effects.
So when I met a Japanese lady here in Bali
who said she had a traditional Takesumi
oven built over 20 years ago, I just had to
try it out. After that, nothing could stop me
from mixing the French know-how of bread
with Japanese ancient traditions. Hence,
the Takesumi pastries and breads were
born at Monsieur Spoon. My Takesumi
Baguette is a highly digestive, antioxidant,
cleansing bread. In my opinion, it is just
the best baguette ever made.
EXQUISITE TASTE: We agree! We also
love your coffee eclair – we’d go as far
to say it’s better than any we’ve tried
in Paris. But what’s your favourite
treat at Monsieur Spoon and why?
It completely depends on the moment and
the time of day, and I love to forget flavours
and rediscover them all over again. For
example, I will enjoy my Apple Chaussons
for an entire week, then I’ll ask myself, is
the Raison Roll still as I remember? Does
it still have the silky feel of vanilla cream,
the syrup-dipped raisins and the generous,
flaky dough? That will last another week,
until I crave my lemon tarts...
EXQUISITE TASTE: Your croissants are
also legendary in Bali, some say they’re
the best in Asia. What do you do that
makes them so scrummy?
Like with all my desserts, I make them with
passion and love, respect for the French
know-how of pastry, and I make them with
no concessions, whatever the cost.
EXQUISITE TASTE: So are there any
key components you think all desserts
simply must have?
Not at all, I don’t think we should ever
unify things. I believe in variety and
glorifying people’s senses when they
approach the dessert counter. I love
watching people when I’m in the shop,
swallowing as they get nearer. Their steps
are guided by their senses, and at that time,
they’re not thinking about answering their
phones, checking their Facebook or fretting
about their daily duties or concerns - at
that time, they’re simply answering to
themselves, their desires and they feel so
good it shows.
EXQUISITE TASTE: You’re making
us drool! Ok, so what’s your ultimate
philosophy when it comes to baking?
What does it all come down to at the
end of the day?
Baking with your senses, hand making
always and never rushing anything.