Story by Iman Hidajat | Photos by Lobo & Juno
With cosy and warm ambiance, revamped restaurant, Lobo & Juno, offers diverse menu choices and culinary rituals to enhance the experience for the valued guests.
Located in the lobby of The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan, Jakarta has a new establishment with a combination of excellent menu choices and sound design. Lobo & Juno is not entirely new, but this time, the restaurant got a new concept inspired by the name of Lobo and Juno, two main characters with opposite characteristics.
The restaurant was first named ‘Lobo Italian Bistro,’ focusing solely on classic Italian food, drinks, and ambiance. The name ‘Lobo’ originated from the Latin word for ‘Beast’ or ‘Wolf’ but is also a character that personifies a well-fortuned gentleman who is bold, a wanderlust, and is very much passionate in Negroni and the world cuisine.
On the other hand, ‘Juno’ personifies a character who is the ‘it’ girl. She is the trendsetter of the city, passionate about all things interior design, music, and fine wine, and embraces local wisdom. With this new ensemble of qualities, called ‘an unexpected pairing,’ the outlet’s name eventually inspired what would be launched simply as ‘Lobo & Juno.’
The name Lobo & Juno brings a fresher idea of what a modern bistro sounds like. It makes the customers curious about what this new restaurant can offer compared to the previous Lobo Italian Bistro, which carried a different persona of ambiance and menu selection.
To get with the changing times, the hotel partnered with a modern-contemporary home furnishing company – ‘Juno Home’ to give off a much cozy and warmer ambiance that makes the local and international guests feel at home, something that’s familiar but forward to them.
‘Juno Home’ has been well regarded for mixing modern and traditional elements into its craftsmanship. The brand delivers a complete seating variety from upholstery, leather, solid wood constructions, natural fibres, dining and bedroom sets; wooden cabinets; and various lighting products. As for decorations, Juno Home has brought in trendy items with a lovely vintage feel to blend with any style seamlessly, ultimately completing every corner at Lobo & Juno.
One of the things that are genuinely appreciated from ‘Juno Home’ is their keen eye for timeless quality, comfort, value, and timeless artisanship, which was the missing puzzle piece and the perfect fit to our globe-trotter concept as well.
The intention was to also bring more character, diversity, and personality into all aspects of the outlet, which is how the name ‘Juno’ was brought into the jive. ‘Juno’ is to bring in the feminine touch through vibrant, eye-catching interior decorations and furnishings of high quality, which gives an outstanding balance despite the unexpected pairing of both worlds.
Essentially, the aim is to make ‘Lobo & Juno’ not just another place in a 5-star luxury hotel with a fine-dining ambiance. Instead, this revamped outlet is to exude something more fresh, comfortable, and carefree for the market.
The menu at Lobo & Juno offers various dishes and drinks rooted in diverse elements of Europe, India, Japan, and Southeast Asia. The culinary experts behind the menu have created twists and renditions of the classics to reach a wider audience and appeal to the younger crowd. For instance, our signature ‘Lobo & Juno Burger’ is a new, up-leveled version of the usual westernized beef burger consisting of Angus beef, foie-gras, aged comté cheese, tomato chutney, and our house-made brioche buns.
Lobo & Juno offers more than just exciting dishes, cocktails, and ambiance. It brings live music performances weekly, a walk-in wine cellar tour, and rituals to enhance the experience for the valued guests, such as branded ice-block stamping, salt guru, knife guru, tableside flambé, smoke cocktails, tomahawk steak presentation, and many more. On top of the above-stated service rituals and ‘Instagram-able’ spots, the restaurant aims to entice the crowd to pull out their phones and take photos or videos to be shared on social media.
One of the aspects that Lobo & Juno are proud of and that have been mentioned repeatedly is the diversity inside, including the culinary magicians in the kitchen. The restaurant has local artists onboard and a chef from Europe, Japan, India, and one of Malaysian and Chinese descent.
Together, each chef has their input for the layout based on their background, which creates a unification of experiences and represents a culmination of their shared passions, which can be seen when one enters Lobo & Juno.