Cuca Cocktail & Garden Lounge

One of the main experiences Cuca provides is our very special Cocktail and Garden Lounge. The restaurant is being built in a gorgeous coconut grove and we want to offer guests a chilled out space to let the hours pass by while sipping our cocktails, sharing our tapas or indulging in our desserts.

While we discuss with our architect the material and location of the islands we want to build among the grass and the coconut trees to host the seats, we also had to find the perfect furniture to fit in this very special environment. As I mentioned in my previous post, we finally found the right supplier and this week we finalized the design, material and colors for both the furniture and the cushions.

We knew that synthetic rattan was our only option as the heat and the proximity of the sea would damage any other material; but what about the design? There are dozens of suppliers in Bali but all of them have practically the same models: very square and rigid. We wanted something that feels super comfy, more organic and natural and that was not that easy to find… After finding someone capable to make it, we went into the bargaining phase that eventually took us to a comfortable agreement. Next step: the color of the rattan, that we chose based entirely on our surroundings, the dark wood color of the coconut trees. 

And final decision: the cushions. This is where we became dumbfounded. We were compelled to decide between two options: go for a canvas material that is cheap but under the strength of this sun would discolor in only weeks and when exposed to this extreme humidity would inevitably mold… or choose Sunbrella. If you haven’t heard of this brand, welcome to the universe of the highest quality performance and most comfortable fabric in the world, the Ferrari of cushions. It is so, so good that comes with a 5 years guarantee. Can you imagine a tiny outdoor cushion exposed to sun and rain, dirt and seawater, with a 5 year warranty? It is insane; like its price. Two little cushions cost the same than the entire armchair. If we are talking about a loveseat, a back and seat cushion with two small pillows… we are talking about three times the price of the loveseat! Unbelievable… it still hurts as I write. To make matters worse (or better, it depends on how you look at it), our interior designers unsurprisingly chose the most amazing patterns that in Sunbrella world translate as the most expensive ones. Now that is for sure, they are outstanding to look at and to seat on.

In summary, we are now proudly broke owners of the most amazing Garden Lounge… beautiful and irresistibly cozy. So get your calendar and start booking your dinner with us!

Let's talk about Tuesday

By now you may know the amount of work we have in our hands, although after writing so many posts, it may look like we must be almost there. Well, our life is only getting busier! To illustrate it, let’s talk about yesterday, Tuesday.

9:00am. First stop of the day: outdoor furniture supplier. We had been checking options but mostly hoped our designers would find something interesting in Jakarta. After weeks hoping and getting nothing finalized, we contacted one more supplier here in Bali. We met them yesterday, they took us to their factory and we loved what we saw. We discussed a few changes and are now negotiating the price. You know, it is always too expensive :)

11:30am. Cuca aroma: yes, we are still working on it! After countless visits to our perfume guru, we were not yet completely satisfied so to the dismay of the expert, we stubbornly continued trying options. Finally we are extremely glad (and relieved) to announce that yesterday we got the magic potion! We almost cried from happiness when after a powerful simultaneous inhalation we looked at each other and both of us were smiling… The ingredients? Green tea, honey… and more, but the rest is a secret.

1:30pm. Bali wine: Cuca will only serve local products and the challenges fulfilling this promise are quite many… For example, what to do about the wine? Can Bali wine compete with the French one? We decided it was about time to solve this question and started tasting local wines yesterday. The outcome was superb: between sip and sip we found the perfect angle to offer these wines (since Bali wines cannot and should not be compared to any other wines) and also tasted some great options. We have more to try tomorrow so give us a bit more time and we will let you know the final outcome!

It was then way pass lunch time but we were late for the rest of our appointments so we could not stop and instead decided to sin. Our lunch: a croissant, a cinnamon roll and an ice-cream (the best we have ever tried!). I still feel guilty so I won’t comment any longer but better continue with our action day.

3:30pm. Office equipment: construction is moving fast and we had to take a bit of time to get furniture for our back office. Something simple but practical and a bit nice (I am planning to spend very long hours there…): a long shared desk, many many bookshelves and a practical glass writing board. Check!

5:30pm. Printing crisis: initially we had found Nik, who has a little printing business, worked with him on a few small jobs and loved him, but you know… the grass is always greener on the other side… so we decided to try working with a huge printer. Take note: bigger is not always better :) Yesterday we went back to Nik, asked for forgiveness and renewed our vows. Huge day for both parties because we finalized our colors on all printing materials and confirmed many, many more printing jobs. Will share them with you as soon as they are ready!

7:30pm. Indonesian coffee: we must admit that this was never a problem. Indonesian coffee is fantastic, we are big fans. Yesterday our mission was simply to decide on which variety was the best among many good ones. We had found a boutique shop where coffee is local, roasted daily and superb and those are the qualities we want for Cuca, the best. We met with a great barista there who took the time to explain to us the varieties, their tasting notes, their own recommended blends… We left knowing we had found the right supplier, although not cheap. But worth it.

By the time we left coffee heaven, we realized we should have started the day this way instead of ending it with coffee because it was already 9pm and sleeping was not going to be easy. You see, every step of the way is a lesson we learn…

Giuseppe and the chocolate factory

Last weekend we experienced one of the many weird coincidences that keep on happening to us in Bali: we were completely lost in the middle of nowhere looking for an artisanal ice-cream shop highly recommended by a friend of a friend, when we stumbled upon a small bakery. Giving up hope to locate the much sought-after frozen delicacy, we decided to make it up with a croissant. As we were leaving the shop, we saw a hidden sign with the word “CHOCOLATE” followed by an arrow. This was quite shocking because Kevin is now finalizing his dessert menu and had unsuccessfully been looking for local premium chocolate manufacturers… so taking in the magic gifts Bali offers us daily, we followed a little path to what it looked like a private house… After at least 15 minutes wondering around the back yard  shouting “Hello!” the very same Signor Giuseppe Verdacchi made his appearance!

Signor Giuseppe with his special stone grinder

This Italian architect gave up his profession and has dedicated his life in Bali to produce the most amazing chocolate. Although abruptly awaken from his Sunday nap, he still was proud to share with us the details of the manufacturing process and the resulting product. If you are as curious as us to understand the making of chocolate, continue reading:

Dried chocolate beans

1. Cacao beans are organically produced and sourced
from the hills of Bali and dried at 70 degrees Celsius.

Photo from Primo Chocolate Website

2. They are then sorted by hand and crushed into small nibs and later separated from their skin using wind.

3. The peeled cocoa is ground for many hours in granite stone grinders (like the impressive one from the photo, custom-made for Mr. Verdacchi). This step continues until the desired taste, color and smoothness are achieved.

Photo from Primo Chocolate Website

4. Flavors are then added by a very traditional south Italian method: fresh ingredients (chili, orange, etc.) are slowly simmered with sugar to create an infusion and then cooled and crushed into small crystals that are finally added to the pure chocolate. The flavors do not mix with each other but appear in layers in your mouth as you eat the chocolate.

We left this chocolate oasis in awe. What are the chances of miraculously bumping into an Italian architect who makes chocolate following such a traditional, devoted method in a house surrounded by the Balinese paddy fields? Well, one more life story and one more passionate human being to be added to Cuca family.