There is something special about knowing someone for almost your entire life, and somehow still finding your way into the same room, the same work, and the same plans years later. Banny Parasutha and Rui Yamagishi have been doing that for most of their lives. What started with Saturday football in Bali eventually found its way into kitchens in Jakarta, and now, into a third restaurant together.
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It Started on a Football Field
Banny was five when Rui was two, and their families were already connected through the half-Balinese, half-Japanese community they grew up in Bali. They lived nearby, went to the same school, and spent their Saturdays playing football. Banny would pick Rui up from home and bring him along, usually with their friend Raja Suria. The three of them had their own little order: Raja was the oldest, Banny was in the middle, and Rui was the youngest. They grew up together in that rhythm, with the older two looking after Rui and the three of them spending their weekends on the field.
It was a friendship that kept carrying into the next chapter of their lives. Years later, the three found themselves in hospitality, joining Raja’s Kaminari Group before reuniting at BIKO. Rui took charge of the kitchen, while Banny looked after operations, first at Fūjin Izakaya and later at Acta Brasserie. The football field was long behind them, but the friendship had found a new place to grow.
For Rui, that friendship made Banny more than an old friend. He was the older brother Rui grew up looking up to, someone who had been around for so long that it is difficult to separate Banny from the story of Rui’s own growing up. There is something quite rare about having someone who has known you since you were small, who has seen you change, make mistakes, find your footing, and become whoever you eventually become. Banny has been there for so many versions of Rui, and perhaps that is why there is so little need for explanation between them.
Maybe that is also why Banny describes their relationship through football. “I feed him the ball, and he scores.” It sounds simple, but the more you hear them talk, the more it makes sense. Rui is the one who takes the shot, but Banny knows when to put the ball in front of him. There is no grand strategy to it, just years of knowing when to step in, when to give Rui room, and when to make sure he has what he needs to take the shot himself.
A Return to Sydney
By then, Mikael Mirdad, founder of BIKO, had worked closely enough with Rui to know his background and what he had learned in Sydney. When Mik told him, “You’re ready for another restaurant. This time, cook what you want. Make it yours. Make it something only you would cook,” the idea opened up a different direction for Rui. His years in Japanese kitchens had given him a strong foundation, but there was more of his own perspective he wanted to put on the plate.
Mik eventually suggested they go back to Sydney together. Not just Rui, but Banny and Pastry Chef Nabila Yoestino too. For a while, the three of them followed Rui back into a chapter of his life that had happened long before this one: the city where he had finished school, spent years in kitchens, and built much of his foundation as a chef. Being there again brought those years closer, and gave the three of them a chance to see the place through Rui’s eyes. It became part of the conversation around what the new restaurant could be, and how Rui’s experience could come together with the way he cooks today.
The idea for the restaurant began to take shape from there. And then came the name: Encore. Mik suggested it as a word called out at the end of a performance when the audience wants more. It felt fitting for what they were building together. Rui would lead the kitchen, with Banny and Nabila alongside him, bringing the three of them together for a third time. Only this time, Rui would be the one at the center of the stage.
A Partnership Built on Trust
The trip was not all restaurants and research. Most days were spent moving from one place to another, talking about food and the restaurant even while walking between destinations. At Bondi, Banny already knew Mik would eventually want to swim, so he came prepared with swimwear. Rui did not. He was supposed to meet a friend and had no plans to get in the water. But when Banny and Mik went in, Rui watched for a while, then followed, regular clothes and all.
It was a funny thing to do for someone who grew up in Bali with a father who was a legendary surfer. Rui has always had a complicated relationship with the sea. But that afternoon, with Banny and Mik around, he did not overthink it. He just got in. “He thinks too much,” Banny says, and it is something he has noticed about Rui for years. Even on a motorbike, Rui can be thinking about the kitchen, the next dish, the next thing that needs fixing. But that day at Bondi, there was nothing to figure out. There was just the water, the breeze, the waves, and two people he trusted already in the sea.
Maybe that was part of what Sydney brought back for him. Not an answer, but a sense of connection to the places, people, and experiences that had shaped the way he cooks today. He was revisiting an important part of his own story, this time with Banny and Mik beside him, while imagining what the next chapter could look like.
“It’s my encore,” he told us.
Second Guy, Right Hand
By their third restaurant together, Banny has come to understand his role quite clearly. He has never been the first guy, and he does not mind being the second. As Managing Partner, he is there to help shape the idea, fill the gaps, make things happen, and give the person with the vision the space to lead. With Rui, that dynamic comes naturally. Rui brings the food and the ideas; Banny knows how to take them forward.
It is a role that suits the way they have always worked. Rui still overthinks. Banny still knows when to step in. Mik has become another person Rui trusts, especially when it comes to believing in himself. Rui knows this project would not exist in the same way without Banny and Mik. And when asked what he wants from Banny as they begin this next chapter, he does not ask him to change. “Just stay as it is.”
For the two of them, their partnership has become 当たり前 (re: atarimae). It's Japanese for natural. Understood without much explanation. They have been doing some version of this since they were kids: Rui takes the ball, Banny makes sure it gets where it needs to go.
Only now, the field is a restaurant.
And this time, the ball is Encore.
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Encore is now taking reservations.
Tuesday - Sunday | Dinner service: 6 PM onwards
Stay in the loop: @restaurant.encore
