Cuca Restaurant — Restaurant in Kuta Selatan

Although each dish looked beautiful and the ambiance was next-level, it’s evident that Cuca is far from a Michelin experience (hence losing that nod in recent years). The problem here is a lack of attention to detail. Just because you serve something in a different form or via a kitschy experience, doesn’t make you a fine dining establishment. I was optimistic to start when they presented a cotton candy welcome appetizer dusted in savory powder. However, I was left disappointed by the majority of the seven course tasting menu. Exceptions: the roasted pork bun, smoked butterfish, and Bali breakfast dessert, which were all as good as expected for the price. For context, I had the chef’s tasting menu featuring seven courses. Sadly, two of them were served lukewarm: the chili satay and BBQ octopus were not warm enough, despite being hot dishes. Aside from that, the baked scallops (side note: adorable that the menu listed almost all items as a plural, since everything comes as a single - which the waitress was careful to emphasize at the beginning of the meal) tasted as if it could have been ‘baked anything’ from Red Lobster, the BBQ octopus could have been any protein under that dry rub (original texture amiss), and the beef bone & marrow was a sweet amalgamated sausage overly slathered in nondescript BBQ sauce - both of which you could find at any Asian grocery store - which was paired with a cup of overcooked sticky rice shoved into a bone marrow. The real foodies must have caught on by now, as the restaurant was pretty much empty at 8 PM on a Wednesday (and throughout my dinner) and there were maybe 2-4 staffers for each patron. Sure, waitress was very nice and customer service was on point, (although she didn’t present the food in the right orientation (e.g., primary protein furthest away from me and oysters in the opposite direction)) good service will never make up for overpriced food. It was laughable when she asked me if I wanted a break before the seventh course (dessert), as the portions were so scarce that I left hungry (but maybe if I ate all that overcooked rice…). Dessert, however, was sublime and deserving of five stars. Finally, the printed food menu as a perpetual placemat was truly amateur hour, especially given the spelling errors - not to mention, terrible for photos. One of the overstaffed employees should be able to take 30 seconds to explain each course to me (only seven) and leave the pamphlet on the website. I left hungry and dissatisfied with the experience, but they do have solid gin cocktails if you get an extra shot. They were kind enough to offer a complimentary drink and a handful of Balinese salts due to the overcooked rice (only item I mentioned), but I had to pay at the counter after wiping my hands with premium bamboo tissues - a bit all over the map with customer experience. Anyway, the point of this review is to help others spend their money in a better way when they visit: perhaps Cuca’s main menu is the preferable move. But at the end of the day, the tasting menu is touted as chef curated picks and that in itself is the true overpriced...

How should I put it… whoever comes here is just getting ripped off.

Dishes: • Welcome Snack: Everyone seemed to like it (cotton candy + BBQ-flavored crispy ramen snack). • Oysters were okay, though the spicy sauce only came out later. • Scallops — just forget it. At this price, there was zero scallop flavor. It was just breadcrumbs + batter + zucchini maybe? Lightly grilled. For this price, I expected fresh, big scallops like the kind you’d find by the sea. I’m not rich — I just want to eat the kind of scallops I normally wouldn’t splurge on. • Lobster roll tasted like it was pre-mixed long ago. No lobster flavor at all, and barely any lobster in it. When I hear “lobster,” I want to indulge. If it’s fresh lobster, this prep method is a waste of good ingredients. If it’s not fresh, then it’s even more unjustifiable at this price. • Seafood paella — just look at the photos. They said it was a big plate, but judging by the lemon, I had to ask: “Where’s the big plate?” That said, it was filling — mostly because of the thick layer of salty, greasy oil at the bottom. The shrimp wasn’t fresh or springy, a bit overcooked. Barely any scallops, but it was still one of the better items. • My partner wanted to try their signature dish, so we went back — it was painfully dry, and the rice inside was seriously undercooked. • The fatal flaw: if you’re a great restaurant, you shouldn’t be recommending spicy sauce to mask the flavor of your dishes. That ruins the whole taste experience. Though I’ll admit, the sauce was good — we were honestly grateful for it, or we wouldn’t have been able to get through the meal.

Service: • Some sort of VIP next to us got all the attention, while we were mostly ignored. • The waiter’s English was terrible — kept boasting about the restaurant’s philosophy but couldn’t explain it clearly. Just ended up showing us pictures on an iPad. • 19% tax + service charge is insane (I think the service charge was 9%). • The worst part about “fine dining” — no free water. Maybe I haven’t eaten at enough fancy places, but is this really how they all do it? • When we arrived, they insisted we have a drink first. I repeatedly told them we were starving, but they still led us to the bar for a drink. Good thing I had the balls to say no. • Totally unnecessary and awkward photo at the entrance — just weird. • On the bright side, we were stuck in traffic and arrived an hour late, and they still held our table. Big plus for that — even though the place still had plenty of empty seats.

Environment: • The open kitchen’s counter was made of a single slab of wood — looked sick, very fancy it, the price must be mental!!! • The outdoor lighting was way too dim — couldn’t even see the food clearly. • I saw a fly in the open kitchen.

Summary:

If you’re like me and prefer solid, down-to-earth food, don’t come here. All the negative reviews are absolutely justified. I may not have fancy taste, but if I’m paying this much, I want to taste the ingredients and the chef’s real creativity.

Love the hot sauce tho

(Was here last October, maybe...

I recently dined at Cuca, and what started as a promising lunch quickly turned into a significant disappointment.

The initial welcome was warm, and the ambiance was inviting, setting high expectations. However, those expectations were swiftly dashed as the meal progressed.

The presentation of the dishes was visually appealing, especially if you are there for content for your Instagram profile. Unfortunately, the flavors were unbalanced and unsatisfying. The Bone Marrow dish, in particular, was a major letdown—such a confusing dish. The Lobster Roll was equally disappointing; sorry chef, but if I bought the frozen ones and cooked them myself in the microwave, they would be exactly the same. The Hawaiana cracker was a funny joke. The crispy chicken was ok (but i mean you just need to drop it the fryer). As a Western man and my partner, an Asian woman, we both found the flavors not only unbalanced but also unappealing.

I’m really sorry to say this, but it is the worst food we have ever had, and we were so surprised that it is a Michelin-star restaurant. Moreover, the prices were unjustifiably high for the quality of the food.

Service was another area of disappointment. Despite the friendly greeting, the staff was inattentive and slow throughout the meal (we are still waiting for some ice). Not once during our meal did anyone ask how the food was. It was only after we had paid that someone inquired about our experience. When we mentioned that the food was very disappointing, the staff literally laughed, adding insult to injury.

To add to our frustration, we’ve experienced far superior food at other restaurants in Bali, including street food vendors. The quality and balance of flavors in even the simplest street food far surpassed what Cuca offered.

This is the first time I have ever written a complaint review about a business because I understand how hard it can be for a restaurant. However, this place definitely deserves it. Interestingly, we actually suggest trying Cuca yourself to confirm our experience(obviously don’t give the priority cause 100% will be a disappointment). It’s a stark reminder that nowadays, you cannot always trust food guides due to potential conflicts...