Gas VS Electricity

Kevin’s master plan for his kitchen before moving to Bali was to get all electrical equipment. After years facing open fires, he was convinced that gas is messy and electric stoves and equipment are the way to go especially for open kitchens. During numerous meetings with our designers the focus was electricity but sometime down this long road of finalizing the kitchen the engineer uttered: “Well, with all this equipment you are going to require as much electricity as a Balinese village…” This comment sounded off an alarm… We have heard a few people say that electricity is quite expensive in Bali and if our consumption was that high… oopps… But before changing our entire concept we had to gather more information and getting actual numbers was really difficult. Nobody in the island was using this type of equipment in its electrical version so we could only guess.

Our contractor, Pak Didik, discussing structure details with the gas supplier.

Time passed by and Kevin was quieter than usual (something rather unusual) until one sunny morning he dropped the bomb: “Virginia, I think we better switch all the equipment to gas”. Surprisingly for him, I couldn’t agree more: to settle now for an option that would forever carry a high monthly cost was not the way to start our project. So determinedly we met the kitchen suppliers and with the best of our smiles we asked them to change all the equipment. Together we found ways to adapt it to an open kitchen and we kept a couple of appliances electric as they would not be consuming too much power.

This week we met a supplier for the gas piping equipment and after showing us the most shocking sales video we have ever seen (happy customers using their services and national news of a huge fire at a restaurant using the competitor’s services), we learned that the installation is quite expensive but the consumption cost is really low (especially when you compare it with the very high electricity cost on the island). Unfortunately there are more cons: we found out that the ugly gas pipes must come from the ceiling and cannot be hidden beneath the floor. Given our open kitchen concept, if we cannot find a good way to hide them, you will be first-hand witnesses to our clever cost effective strategy :)

Let there be light

If there is something that contributes to create a great atmosphere in a restaurant, it is lighting. This is something that restaurateurs either entirely overlook or become obsessed with as the possibilities seem endless.

Cuca will enjoy natural light during the day with its unique open space design, but how to create a magical intimate environment in the evenings? We had an idea of what type of atmosphere we want in each space of the restaurant but we had no clue on how to achieve that result. We needed our interior designers to help us with the type of lighting required and they will also need the support of a lighting consultant to determine the specifications of each lighting device. A long chain of people that need to trust each other and agree despite all having different opinions and interests in mind.

For the bar our interior designers chose a set of fashionable and gorgeous lights from overseas that look great but cost a small fortune. We, who are responsible for the budgets, started to think of options available on the island to find more affordable prices and save the additional shipping cost. The designers showed their concern for local quality and we thought of the potential problems related to servicing overseas products. As you see, everyone is right.

For the dining room our designers proposed a concept completely based on lighting. We were very happy to agree this time with them as we loved their vision but our partner expressed his concern for the electricity cost in Bali. Once again, everyone is right.

We are still facing this dilemma and are trying to find a solution that addresses everyone’s concerns. Not easy, but we like to be surrounded by professionals who care and have principles. And anyway, balance between cost, look and long term feasibility are factors that we would need to take into consideration no matter who is involved, so better to have passionate professionals who know what they are talking about. At the end of the day, we are sure there will be light.

A day in our sandals

You may be wondering how our days pass by on this beautiful island and how busy can we be if Cuca is not even open. Being distractions dangerously reachable, it may well look like we are spending our days getting a tan and drinking mojitos.

Well, this post is going to reveal the truth of our island life. While all the Balinese walk around giving away their gorgeous smiles, telling us to relax and being a living proof of balance with their environment, we must confess that we struggle to follow their example and advice. This is what a very typical day in our new world is like:

• Alarm kicks off at 6.30am. We need to get up to beat the jam! 
• 7.15: we jump in the car and make our way flowing among rivers of motorbikes going to work, women carrying market products on their heads as they make their way home, ceremonies filled with beautiful white costumed worshippers… 
• At 8.30 we arrive at our first destination, a company where we are asking for a second quotation for our uniforms. We meet a lovely lady who spends an hour telling us about options and their respective pros and cons.
• It is 10am when we walk into our printer’s shop. We have brought them our designs and today we need to select the colors from their Pantone. It seems they cannot make round stickers in small quantities as they require an expensive custom-made knife. The containers we have chosen for our retail products are round so after discussing for long and looking at different options, we have no choice but to make thousands of labels… we hope you all support us as we have stickers enough for everyone.
• We now meet the company that is going to engrave our cutlery. They have prepared a sample but unfortunately the result is not as good as we thought it would be. We need to find a solution… what about painting the engraved logo to cover the uneven wood? “It may work”, they tell us, so we need to go back to their workshop in a week time to see the new samples. 
• Time to collect our “beloved” round containers… This is a hectic Arabic run shop where everyone is immersed in captivating tasks: they make and bottle perfume, among other products, so their job is to smell and smell again. While we wait for our receipt, the owner comes to us and asks us if he can help us with something else… we look at each other and come up with an amazing idea. You will have to wait to find out more…
• We speed towards an area called Kerobokan, where all the interior design shops are located. We need to find hanging lamps for Cuca. Our designers have come up with a few proposals but they are completely out of our league (designer lights from Italy…) and we really want to find Indonesian alternatives as part of Cuca’s philosophy of going local. After visiting 5 or 6 shops we find one where the owner tell us he can custom-made all type of lamps. We can’t believe our luck! It usually takes us weeks to find the suppliers we are looking for! We get his contact, shake his hand, returned his smile and tell him we love him.

• Our empty stomachs strike at 4pm… we don’t have time to stop for lunch so we buy some bread and eat in the car on the way to the construction site. We want to have a look at the progress and at the same time collect some paper samples for our menus. 
• On our way home we stop at a servicing centre. Our car has been working as hard as us and needs a little oil change. 
• We get back home at 7. Time to check our emails and get back to suppliers, interior designers, contractors… We also send emails to everyone we met during the day recapping our meetings and “gently” reminding them of the looming deadlines. 
• I check once again our “to do” list and take the last few decisions of the day while Kevin starts preparing dinner. 
• We smiled at each other and tell ourselves we need to take it easy. Things will only get more hectic when Cuca opens and we will need to be rested… Sigh.