LOBO at The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan welcomes their new Chef de Cuisine Jan Schwitalla. And I went there just a few days ago to experience what the Michelin Star Chef might offer to the 5 star hotel dining scene in Jakarta.
The German born, classic French-trained, Chef Jan Schwittala, has just debuted, for the first time in his professional career, in Asia. Putting myself in his shoes, this might be a scary even career-defining decision. I hope Chef Jan would enlighten us Indonesian gourmands, what it's like, to dine in award-winning, Michelin starred establishments.
It was my very first time setting foot at LOBO (I know, it's outrageous haha), and I would expect nothing less from the interior of a Ritz-Carlton establishment. To put it in a few words, LOBO can be said to be lavish and classy, although it could use some rejuvenation, to look and feel updated with the latest interior trend.
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| the bar |
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| the lounge |
So, without further ado, let's discover Chef Jan's 6 course Tasting Menu, or Decouverte Menu in French. Allons-y!
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| Amuse Bouche: "mushroom hollandaise" in egg shell, on spoon edamame & truffle foam. The green edamame seeds popped with sweet Terran-scented juice that taste like newly rain soaked earth! |
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| 1st Course: Gazpacho, tomato sorbet & caramel pepper |
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| A very interesting peach hued sphere appeared before us. Its hard & shiny surface looks like plastic, but it's actually tomato flavoured candy. So without further ado, we cracked the sphere with the back of the spoon. Thus revealing a greenish mousse like surface inside. |
Curious? Wait until you scoop all the way to the bottom. Turns out it's gazpacho, but served as a sorbet. Tasted delightfully light, sweet & fresh, it's actually the avocado-based mousse that provides the freshness, kinda like avocado sour cream. But the surprise doesn't stop there because when you dig into the few crouton buried inside, it's like childhood easter egg hunting all over again! I found a total of 3 croutons, ideally i'd wish there is more (at least 5), but then that would steal our attention from the main attraction: the delightfully fresh combo of sweet and sour.
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| 2nd Course: Egg truffle porcini duxelles, fried potato "tube", slow cooked egg, porcini chunks, truffle porcini cream. This one didn't quite surprise me as much as the gazpacho, but that didn't stop me from cleaning the plate until the last drop |
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| Sturia caviar |
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| Vegetarian version, made with black lentils and micro herbs |
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| Scooped to reveal the treasure underneath: fresh cucumber cream salsa |
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| 3rd course: Langoustine bisque with bell pepper & langoustine chunks inside A platter of black sturia caviar, generously spread on top of creamy cucumber salsa & cucumber jelly. The taste may be unfamiliar for some, but the harmony of the flavours become apparent when all of them are consumed together. |
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| 4th Course: Grilled chilean sea bass, olive and mussel emulsion sauce | Jelly dome made with tomato, chives & bell pepper |
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| Delightfully plump and fat sea bass! |
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| 5th Course: Slow red-wine braised beef cheek with red wine sauce and caramelized onion | Oxtail ragout with onion bone marrow cream. |
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| Look at the cross section, this is one delectably decadent, very meaty and tender beef cheek. Slightly gleatinous, must be from a fat and well fed cow. |
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| Palate cleanser: Passionfruit mousse ball, quite unusual for a palate cleanser, which usually comes in something lighter, but still pleasantly sour. |
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| 6th Course / Dessert: Mango lime cream with coconut and passion fruit |
From the first course to dessert, I have little to no critics at all, Chef Jan has executed each dishes perfectly in terms of taste and presentation. Although a few of the dishes tend to venture in familiar combinations (like the amuse bouche and the 2nd Course of egg potato duxelles). The Tasting Menu shall be well received by Indonesian gourmands. And lastly, welcome to Jakarta, Chef Jan! Hope you'll get used to the traffic jams here.
Dress code:
Smart casual / Business casual
Open Hours:
- Lounge: 8 am to 1 am
- Restaurant: Lunch 12 noon to 2.30 pm | Dinner 6 to 10.30 pm
Prices:
A la carte: ISR 120,000++ up to IDR 640,000++ / dish
Jan's Tasting Menu:
- 4 course IDR 661,000++/person (wine pairing additional IDR 439,000++ /person)
- 6 course IDR 824,000++/person (wine pairing additional IDR 646,000++ /person)
*) Prices are subject to 21% Government Tax & Service Charge
LOBO
The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan
Jl. DR. Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung Kav.E.1.1 no.1
Mega Kuningan
South Jakarta - 12950
Ph: +6221 2551 8321
Ph: +6221 2551 8321
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