Cuca
Cuca is Jimbaran's most exciting restaurant and one of the most original dining concepts on the island. Chef Kevin Cherkas, who trained under Ferran Adrià at elBulli, brings a distinctly creative sensibility to a menu built around small, tapas-style plates designed for sharing. The setting is deliberately casual, an open-air pavilion surrounded by gardens, which belies the technical sophistication of the cooking.
The menu changes with the seasons, but the approach is consistent: Indonesian and Asian ingredients treated with modernist technique and presented with playful precision. Recent dishes have included smoked duck with black garlic and young jackfruit, prawn crackers reimagined as a delicate tuile with crab and avocado, and a pandan crème brûlée with coconut sorbet that was quietly extraordinary.
Four to five plates per person is about right, which brings dinner to around USD 40 to USD 60 with drinks, exceptional value for this level of cooking. The cocktail list is inventive, built around Indonesian spirits and local ingredients. Book ahead for dinner, particularly at weekends; the restaurant is small and word has spread.
Guest Reviews
One of the best restaurants in Bali. Tasting menu is amazing. I've tried almost everything. It's always as good and never has it disappointed. I've been there almost every trip I'm in Bali. If you're in Bali and want a modern fusion meal using local produce, this is the place to go. Chili sauce is amazing.
The restaurant is modern with a huge garden. Quite a pretty setting. The server explained the sharing concept and not meant to be fine dining. We ordered a mix of appetizers and mains. I wasn’t expecting the food to be served one at a time. The menu is indeed inventive and beautifully presented. You can’t envision how the food will taste by reading the description or looking at the pictures. The combination of flavors and texture are unique and tasted good. It may not suit everyone’s palate. It comes down to personal taste. It’s a restaurant you eat with your imagination and taste buds not your stomach.
Enjoyed the food here, and love the portion (which is not big) as I want to taste dishes but don't want to feel stuffed. They also allowed me to order half portion for some dishes, as 1 portion are 2 pieces for some dishes, while I was eating just by myself. Love the lobster roll and octopus. Super tender octopus and very flavorful lobster roll. Service was great. Atmosphere was fine, but maybe because the kitchen was near to the entrance, I did get a strong "oily" smell when I entered the place, but nothing too off putting. The mocktail was pre-made, not sure about the cocktails. Overall, enjoyed my lunch here.
We went as a team of around forty people and we couldn’t fault our dining experience here. The service is impeccable with a team brimming with smiles and eager to help. As soon as my glass was empty or near empty, it was being replaced or topped up. The food is a contemporary fusion delight with amazingly presented dishes and incredible variety. My favourite was the octopus. It’s an intimate dining experience and overall a welcome change from the rest of the meals that we had during the week. Thank you
Absolutely amazing. My friend and I stayed in Jimbaran for about 5 days and this is the best restaurant that we have visited. The food of course was on the top and the service delivery was amazing. We absolutely enjoyed every dish and would definitely come back again. It is the place that you must try the chef menu and you know you won’t be disappointed at all! We went with 9 different options and added oysters on top of that. Oysters were so fresh and it was one of the best ones we have tried all across the world. My absolute favorite was their scallop and my friend’s favorite was the bao. We both loved their special on that day, which was the oyster. I have been recommending to all my friends who are visiting Bali soon and especially whoever is visiting the Jimbaran area! With the horrible Bali traffic and a closure of the road the day we were visiting, we had a major delay. However, the staffs were very understanding and friendly. No reason to not visit this restaurant. The price is extremely reasonable as well.
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