Editor's Rating
Last weekend, we visited Lobbyn Kitchen & Bar, which is quite popular among youngsters for its rooftop bar (or sky terrace) in the hip Kemang area. Located inside Fave Hotel Kemang, it’s actually owned by the same owner of the hotel (franchise of ASTON Group) so Lobbyn also functions as the main F&B center for the hotel.
Although Lobbyn is more popularly known for its sky terrace or rooftop bar, it actually has 2 sections: a restaurant on the lobby floor, and the sky terrace on 7th floor of the building.
The first one on the lobby floor is located at the right side of the entrance, separated into indoor and outdoor area. There is a long buffet table, which was empty during our visit (because it was already around 6PM) but I suppose that’s where the breakfast buffet is usually prepared. The restaurant itself is not big, I think the indoor seating capacity is about 30+ person and 15+ for outdoor. Actually the restaurant is not bad, but I think the lighting is a bit weird, making the ambience not so pleasant. Sitting there was almost feeling like I was in abandoned place, despite the fact that we know there is some effort put to design and decorate it.
For the food and beverages, Lobbyn offers quite large number of selection, from Breakfast, Asian, Western, until desserts. To be honest, before my visit this time, both I & Mr. K had ever been here before separately, and both of us had the same impression about the food and drinks, which is not so good. However, since this time Lobbyn also released some new menu, we decided to give it another try.
Prices range from IDR 18,500 to 125,000 for food & beverages.
Chicken Salad Lobbyn IDR 35,000
The salad uses lettuce as the veggies, topped with slices of onions and green bell pepper, which can’t be any simpler. Served with breaded fried chicken, the salad is definitely not something I would order when I opt for a salad. I mean, it would have been better if the salad is accompanied with healthier choice, such as grilled chicken or something other than fried stuffs. Dressing tasted a bit weird like it was mixed with handful of peanut.
Gindara Steak with Mash Potato IDR 85,000
One of the new (and limited) menu, which is available from 2 May to 3 June only.
I really like the plating, as it looks beautiful and colorful from the first glance. The steak was thick and good looking with all the grill line marks, so appetizing!
There are choices of sauce, such as Orange, BBQ, Mushroom, and Black Pepper. As recommended, we tried the Orange sauce, and we also think it would be the best for fish steak as citrus fruits usually help neutralizing the smell and fishiness. I like the soft and smooth texture of the gindara despite its thickness, but I noticed there was a slight fishy smell when eaten. The orange sauce was thick and a bit too sweet for a steak companion. Other than that, it was actually good.
Oxtail Soup IDR 79,900
Indonesian oxtail soup with tomato, potato, and carrot, served with steamed rice.
Oxtail soup or Sop Buntut is a very popular Indonesian dish but it had never been my favorite. In the last few years, I have tried many versions of it and I kind of like it more now.
First of all, the soup was super delicious! A strong combination of herbs and spices, dominated by aromatic anise seed flavor, the soup already won my heart from the beginning. The oxtails were given generously, 2 big pieces in a bowl, although not much meat were found (LOL!) but I had great time slurping that tasty big chunks.
Lobbyn Roasted Ribs IDR 85,500
Calling all ribs lovers, this is a MUST TRY! The 2 pieces of thick ribs meat were served already separately from the bone, making it way simple to eat. Really love the consistency and texture of the meat, soft and juicy without leaving anything between the teeth. XD It was also very well-seasoned and I didn’t even need to add the prepared sauce to enhance anything else.
Panna Cotta IDR 30,500
It was strawberry panna cotta with fresh strawberry fruit on top, strawberry jam, decorated with whipped cream and chocolate chips. The panna cotta itself has a texture more like pudding, less jiggly and more dense. Nevertheless, it was still a very enjoyable dessert to end our dinner.
Beside the restaurant on the lobby floor, Lobbyn also has the rooftop bar or sky terrace on 7th floor. The area is quite spacious and unlike other rooftop bar/lounges in Jakarta, this one is pretty windy and not too humid. We came during night time and it wasn’t really pleasant to take photos when the lighting is minimal, but at least here is what it looks like!
Lemon Squash IDR 40,000
A simple drink like lemon squash says a lot about a restaurant, with or without a bar installed. The lemon squash was bland, a bit surprising to us. It was not okay to serve a drink like this, especially when the restaurant has the concept of bar where people mostly hang out and have some drinks, IMHO. Of course there are many other drinks available, but we think that the basic ones have to be good first to make people order more advanced ones.
Red Russian IDR 55,000
A version of their mocktails, I don’t remember the ingredients used inside, but one thing for sure, the drink was also bland from the first sip. I think there was cranberry involved, but I barely tasted any fruit, syrup whatsoever in the drink. As much as I tried to mix anything (just in case they put syrup or anything else which stuck in the bottom), the taste was pretty much the same.
Our overall experience in Lobbyn wasn’t really impressive. Don’t get me wrong, some of the food were totally good, some are great. The drinks were disaster (please, I am just being honest here), and seriously they need to improve those drinks BIG TIME to be able to gain more visitors. Even the place, the only thing that attracted me was the wall mural in the restaurant. The sky terrace has a nice concept but something was off and it is not a place I want to spend hours in, that was why I chose to sit in the restaurant instead.
Service-wise, Lobbyn failed in a lot of factors from lacking of staffs, the attitude of staffs who always looked bored and responded slowly, it “perfectly” added to the already-dark ambience of the place and successfully made us feel “abandoned”, LOL!
We mean no harm to Lobbyn in any way, we just write what we experienced. Perhaps some points can be made better and hereby we wish the best of luck for Lobbyn.
*All prices are subject to 21% service charge & government tax
*The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.
** This review is written based on our visit on 16 May 2015.
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LOBBYN KITCHEN & BAR
Fave Hotel Kemang
Jl. Kemang I No. 6
South Jakarta 11740
Phone. +62 21 295 290 35
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun 7AM – 1AM
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