Jakarta

Before telling you about our recent trip to Jakarta, I leave you with some interesting facts about this city for those who do not know much about it:

• Jakarta found its origin in the small early 16th century harbor town of Sunda Kelapa. 
• The Dutch East Indies Company, which captured the town and destroyed it in 1619, changed its name into Batavia and made it the center for the expansion of their power in the East Indies. 
• Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Batavia fell into the hands of the invading Japanese forces that changed the name of the city into 'Jakarta'.
• It is located on the Indonesian island of Java.
  
  
  
  
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• It is the capital and the largest city of Indonesia.
• The number of people residing in greater Jakarta is estimated at 23 million, making it the fourth largest urban area in the world.
• Jakarta is nicknamed Big Durian, because the city is seen as the Indonesian equivalent of New York City (the Big Apple).
• There are about 13 rivers flowing through Jakarta.
• The northern part of Jakarta is a plain land. Some areas here are actually below sea level and therefore subject to frequent flooding. Meanwhile, the southern parts of the city are hilly, and consequently designated for reservoirs. 
• With a tropical climate, Jakarta's average daily temperature is 27 degrees Celsius during a day, sometimes exceeding 35 degrees Celsius in the hot season. 
• It has two seasons: the wet season from October to April (with the heaviest rains falling from December to January), and the dry season from May to September. 
• Most residents in Jakarta are Muslims, i.e. 85.50%. Other religious followers are Protestants (5.20%), Roman Catholics (4.77%), Buddhists (3.56%) and Hindus (0.97%). 
• Jakarta is a city of contrasts: the traditional and the modern, the rich and the poor, the sacral and the worldly, often stand side by side in this bustling metropolis.

Colonial Jakarta and Current Jakarta

Table "matters"

Our mission this time was to go through endless options and carefully choose the glassware where we will be serving our beverage and the weapons you will be given to attack our food. 

The idea for the glassware is for it to be above all functional, but also to “dress” every drink, especially each of our cocktails. We left the house armed with our beverage menu and we started to look for the glasses that would best match the character and look of each cocktail. We put our favorite options on a table and once done we got their prices and took the selected glasses with us as samples to be tested at home with their respective cocktails. We went to a few shops to do the same and thus be able to compare brands and prices. It is funny because as soon as we favored one of the makes, the shop manager told us that that supplier was not reliable at all as it took ages to get the stock, if ever. We are facing similar scenarios every other day so we are doing our best to cope with this uncertainty by rolling with it and like MacGyver overcome problems with creative solutions… 

Then it was time to look for cutlery. We prefer a very simple, clean design. Something understated that feels great in your hand, easily grabs our food and goes well with the minimalistic design of Cuca. We have pre-selected a few options and we would love to know your opinion. Will let you know soon how to help us to choose!

TAPAS • COCKTAILS • DESSERTS: Why?

You will have already noticed from the tagline in our logo what our focus will be at Cuca. From the beginning we agreed on the importance of “concept clarity” and after endless discussions and loving arguments pondering our options, we decided on the three items we both love the most: tapas, cocktails and desserts.

TAPAS: sharing experiences

We want Cuca to be a place to share a great dining experience. As Charlotte Brontë wrote, “Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.”  This is precisely what we believe, that food is tastier when we share it with those we love. 

On the other hand, our menu is going to be so delicious that we cannot be as cruel as to make you choose…  Tapas provide you the opportunity to try several dishes at very affordable prices and without having to limit your choice to a single main course. Beyond our lunch or dinner, Cuca always welcomes you to graze on a tapa or two…

COCKTAILS:  blended concoctions 

We want to make drinks as thoughtful and unique as our food and cocktails offer us huge room for creativity. 

Our cocktails will be bold, exciting, refreshing, playful. Flavor and balance will reign over anything else. As a form of cuisine in their own, we are developing our signature beverage in line with our style of food and coherent with Cuca philosophy.

We want the artful blending of flavors in our cocktails to contribute to Cuca’s memorable and emotional experience.

DESSERTS: sweet cravings

At Cuca we are determined to celebrate life, food and good company. And what kind of celebration is one without dessert?  Our desserts will be mildly sweet, rather light but still heavily delicious. A well-crafted range of flavors to be enjoyed at any time and for any excuse whatsoever. 

Without wanting to reveal too much, trust me when I tell you that our selection of new sweet classics will definitely give you one more guilty reason to come back for more. 

Tapas, Cocktails and Desserts: three categories developed with the only purpose to ensure you feel spoiled.