A limited three-night residency brings Ginza’s finest sleight of hand and a bespoke Japanese menu to an audience of just eighteen guests per night.
Finding a seat at Bar Monroe is usually a matter of timing, but for three nights in May, it became a matter of luck. With only six stools available per session, Table to Trick, an exclusive dining programme at The Cutler Prime Rib and Bar Monroe, turned an ordinary evening into a private audience with Takamiya Muneo. The Ginza-based magician brought a level of intimacy to Jakarta that most large-scale venues cannot match.
The event, which ran from 8-10 May 2026, saw Muneo travel from the renowned Aseem in Japan to take over the Bar Monroe at Pacific Place. He does not perform from behind a velvet rope or on a raised platform. Instead, he sits directly across from his guests, blurring the lines between mixology and mystery. Muneo prepares cocktails with the same fluid dexterity he uses to manipulate a deck of cards, making the performance feel like a conversation rather than a show.
To keep the experience personal, the evenings were split into three strict sessions at 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm. Each twenty-minute window allowed the small group to engage with the magic at eye level. This format ensured that every guest witnessed the impossible at just inches away, creating an atmosphere of genuine disbelief hard to find in more commercial settings.
The kitchen at The Cutler Prime Rib provided the weight to the evening’s whimsy. Chef Mandira Isman curated a special menu exclusively for the residency, focusing on textures and flavours that complemented the room’s sharp focus. The meal opened with Nori Focaccia and a King Crab and Uni Custard Chawanmushi, followed by a series of precise Japanese plates.
The progression moved through Wagyu Ox Tongue, Miso-Glazed Sea Trout, and a signature Wagyu Rump Cap. Chef Isman’s menu anchored the evening in substance, ensuring the culinary side of the collaboration was as memorable as the illusions. Between the arrival of the Surf and Turf and the final cards being dealt, the pace of the evening remained steady and engaging.
The night concluded with a Crepe Suzette Japonais, a dessert that tied the residency’s cross-cultural themes together. As the final session wrapped up on May 10, the brief window to see Muneo in such a setting closed. It was a rare occasion where the food, the drinks, and the magic were all given equal space to breathe in a very small room.
The Cutler Prime Rib
at Pacific Place Mall
Jalan Jendral Sudirman
South Jakarta 12190, Indonesia
T: (+62) 2157973207
IG: @thecutlerjkt
