Review: Indonesian and Japanese cuisines collide at Jungle Room

I was buzzing, and not from exhaustion. Jet lag aside, the food experience in Japan — where I'd just spent a month — is unlike anything else. The haunting memory of fresh sushi, yakitori and noodle soups still lingers in my mind, even now. 

I was hesitant about doing a food review the day after my flight home. It felt unfair to compare a Vancouver restaurant to the joy that was slurping back ramen noodles, sake, and crunching through chicken hearts and neck at a yakitori restaurant owned by three generations of family members.

But like with all jobs, sometimes you soldier on even as dreams of fatty tuna flash before your eyes.

Channelling my inner Guns N’ Roses, I welcomed myself to the Jungle Room located at 961 Denman St. Vancouver.

Located at the old Dover Arms pub, the spot opened up last April, serving what they call elevated Indonesian and Japanese street food incorporating French techniques. They serve both dinner and brunch, and offer a happy hour from 3 pm-6 pm and 10:30 pm onwards. 

True to form, stepping into a restaurant feels like you’ve entered a tropical forest, without the oppressive heat. Shades of dark green, billowing vines, lush plants nestled next to windows, you don’t need to fly south to experience the tropics. The accent of orange framing the well-stocked bar evoked the feeling of the setting sun as you start your evening, with the twinkling stars (lights), shining above you. 

I walked in not knowing what to expect, nor was I wanting much. Keeping my eyes open was a chore. A quiet meal, deep in the heart of the jungle, was my hope. Get in, try the food, and crawl back to bed. It was a date night with me and my partner, jet lag. Or so I thought.

From the entrance, you could’ve mistakenly thought it was a weekend night. In fact, I told the bartender it was busy for Thursday, and she ruefully explained it was actually Wednesday. That’s jet lag for you. 

The place was packed, but unlike sardines, enough space between tables and secluded booths meant no snooping neighbours. Over chatter, of what felt like a weekend vibe, was the sound of live music, as a man crooned away while playing guitar. It turns out Wednesdays are live music nights. Those of you without a Thursday morning shift take note. 

• You’d think it would be a perfect place to kick up your feet and dance, but we know how the city feels about that…

That feeling of late-night weekend vibes continued as I sat down and overheard what appeared to be a couple of people trying to convince the bartender to come out with them after dinner. Bar seats are always a people-watching experience, and Jungle Room was no exception. The entire bartending team was friendly and helpful and seemed to enjoy being there. 

Alcohol was the last thing on my mind. But, work is work, and I asked the bartender for a recommendation. In the end, I settled on the Hunny I’m Home ($17), a playful mixture of tequila, allspice, honey, lemon, orgeat syrup, and rooibos tea topped with a ginger snap.

The first sip is all you need to know you’re in the hands of an expert bartending team. The tequila wasn’t overpowering, paired perfectly with the rooibos tea and had barest whisper of allspice. Smooth, refreshing, without a hint of that dreaded tequila afterburn, and the cookie wasn’t bad either.

Creativity extends beyond their set drink menu, to a rotating set of featured spirits. My visit coincided with drinks featuring El Gllobernador Chilean Pisco. I almost ordered the Hand of Desert with the liquor washed with brown butter, but my jet lag got the better of me.

• Along with Bar Haifa, this is about as good as it gets for date nights in Vancouver. It’s a bit on the nicer side for my tastes — I was very underdressed — but if you and your partner want a fun night out, then stop by.

Vibes and drinks are great and all. For some people, it’s the most critical part of going out. But I’m all about the food. A waiter could curse at me and accidentally spill water on my head, but if the food is memorable, I’d likely still recommend you visit (caveats included of course). So did the food excel?

In one word? Yes. In two words? Spectacularly so.

The restaurant focuses on a playful combination of Japanese and Indonesian dishes and flavours. The menu pairs Indonesian dishes and flavours like aska, sambal oelek, kecap manis and sambal matah along with Japanese Hokkaido scallops, ponzu sauce, katsu and uni. 

Before getting to the food, it’s worth explaining why I enjoyed this meal so much.

Japanese food tends to prioritize simplicity, history and consistency, using tradition as a basis for the foods you eat. Perfection is decades of experience grilling yakitori over a binchotan, letting the textures and cuts of meat shine through. 

I would never say it’s boring. But we in the West tend to enjoy more flavourful, eccentric dishes. Going from Japan to Jungle Room, a place serving cumin and miso mussels, nasi goreng aranchini, prawn and truffle dumplings in laska sauce and beef carpaccio on top of an agadashi tofu salad… It’s hard to imagine a more Vancouver place to visit after a long trip in Japan.

I started with the tempura eggplant ($9) topped with ponzu glaze and roasted garlic puree. The tempura was fried in a more Western way than your traditional Japanese version, more like an onion ring than flaky tempura. Crispy but soft on the inside, it paired well with the sweet ponzu sauce. 

Am I adventurous? Yes and no. Sometimes it’s good to try new things. My dislike of congee extends to my teenage years, and it’s stuck with me ever since. It’s not fair, I know. But I’m always interested in trying something new, and the server recommended I try the wild mushroom burbur ($14), an Indonesian congee.

Oof. Smooth like porridge and topped with sticky sweet kecap manis, XO sauce, walnuts, burnt scallion oil and crispy yams, in one bite I forgot everything I disliked about congee.

The kecap manis added a sweetness, along with the burnt scallion sauce, that made it by far the most memorable dish of the night. Like when I ended my hatred of olives in Sicily, sometimes it takes perfection to overcome your tastebuds.  

Many of you commented in our reader survey you wished for more vegetarian dishes. Ask you shall receive. The miso braised squash ($19) with charred shallots, roasted hakurei turnips, sauteed greens which in this case was bok choi, a Sumatran salsa verde and curried squash puree will make even the most ardent meat eater at least consider going vegetarian. 

• When I went there were around nine dishes with no meat, though only one of the bigger dishes was vegetarian.

My jet-lagged mind said it was time to leave. Same with my full stomach. But my damn eyes couldn’t stop looking at the cumin and miso mussels ($26). You can only eat so many mussels in white wine sauce before you start craving something new. 

Ironically it wasn’t the mussels that made the dish, but the Japanese milk bread made in-house by pastry chef Mariko Foster. Pillowy soft, with a spongy texture that soaked up the sauce like a high-powered Dyson vacuum, there was a level of expertise embedded in the block of bread that made me wonder what else Foster has up her sleeve.

• The answer is plenty. The server recommended I try the dessert, but I was too full. This is a good reason to visit again, which I plan on doing. 

What began as a night of dreading a restaurant review, and concern about how I could judge a restaurant after so long in Japan, became a memorable evening highlighting what makes Vancouver’s food scene so special. 

Lately it feels like historically lesser popular cuisine like Korean, Filipino and Indonesian — in contrast to the overwhelming popularity of Japan — are finally getting their due in the city. I think back to a meal I had a year ago at Zoomak. It was an epiphany, moving me beyond my baseline understanding of what Korean food could be. 

Jungle Room does the same. I am no Indonesian food expert, and probably never will be. But you don’t need to be a foodie or have an encyclopedic knowledge of the cuisine to know the team here is doing something special. A place this busy on a Wednesday night bodes well for the future. 

Atmosphere: Dark, sexy, fun, the vibes are on point. A perfect fun date night. 

Noise Level: It’s loud, but even I could still hear the bartender through the music. A perfect place to bring that loud-talking friend who always embarrasses you, since their loud voice will be drowned out. 

Recommended: Wild mushroom bubur, Mario’s homemade milk bread, miso braised squash

What I wish I had ordered: Where to start… Agedashi tofu salad, hiramasa kingfish, Indonesian chicken taliwang, the desserts.

Drinks: $15-$22, but this is a high-quality place serving unique flavours.

Price: $$-$$$, smaller dishes were between $12-$22 but a sizable portion. Larger dishes were around the $26+ range. You’ll leave feeling like you got your money’s worth.

Other details: Vegetarian options, many celiac options, 40+ seats, sharing plates, booking available online.

Even more details: The server mentioned the brunch is worth visiting. I tend to avoid brunch spots, but with a pastry chef like Mariko and dishes that experiment with traditional brunch items, it may be worth a visit.japan