Wajan — Restaurant in Portland

I visited Wajan twice, recently, on the recommendation of an acquaintance.

What she recommended, and what was my favorite dish, was the Bakmie, which, as a frame of reference, I would say was generally similar to ramen, but with a bit different flavor profile. I opted for the spicy version (with the spice coming primarily from bird's eye chilis), so, after the chicken bone broth was mixed in, the dish, overall, was lightly salty and fairly spicy. The noodles were just perfect, the shittake mushrooms were notably, (I would even say surprisingly) flavorful; I am generally not a mushroom person, but these could convert me! The boiled egg was seasoned, the fried shallots were almost caramelized, for a nice, savory, aromatic bump, and the fresh, crisp bean sprouts gave it some pleasant texture. Every ingredient has purpose, and adds complexity to the flavor. I really loved this absolutely brilliant dish!

The other item that was recommended was Es Cendol, the pretty, green, shaved ice beverage with pandan tapioca strings, coconut milk, and added jackfruit. The jackfruit was chewy and mildly sweet, and the drink, itself, is very sweet from the palm sugar syrup. Definitely a very different kind of sweetness, and if you particularly like boba teas, I would say it's worth a try.

The Acar Kuning side dish (vegan?) of pickled long beans, carrots and cucumber, in a turmeric peanut sauce, was a good, healthy option.

The Martabak Telor Mini (ovo-lacto vegetarian) is a set of two thin, flaky, square-shaped, deep-fried wrappers, that contain lightly salty and very mildly spicy egg, ground chili, onions and green onions. As a frame of reference, I would compare them to egg rolls, but their flavor was just wonderful without the need of any dipping sauce, and they held their heat, well.

The Bubur Ayam was good. It is a sweet rice porridge with shredded chicken, flavored with turmeric broth and kecap manis (a sweet soy sauce). The krupuk bawang (colorful, onion-flavored tapioca crackers) were delightful, in flavor, texture, and appearance, but I didn't personally like the crunchy, fried soy nuts (I generally dislike textural disruptions, such as pickles on burgers), and it was one of the rare instances in which I preferred the flavor of the dish, before I added the spice, which was offered, on the side. Just personal preference. If I order this dish again, I may ask for no soy nuts and no spice, but the Bakmie and Martabak Telor Mini will probably be my mainstays.

Also, notably, the Bakmie and Bubur Ayam were served in what appeared to be recycled or compostable packaging, which is cool; every little bit helps!

At the time of my visits, the seating was entirely outdoors, and on both of my visits, the weather was windy, wet, and a bit chilly, but both times, they offered heat lamps, and roughly half of their seating is in an area that is generally enclosed.

Service was good on both occasions. Fast, friendly, accommodating. I will be back to try other menu items!

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To say Wajan is charming is a total understatement, it is the definition of the word. It is welcoming, fun, approachable, and above all delish! I loved the murals in the main room (next week they reopen the interior for seating!) and I loved the relaxed outdoor enclosed eating area. The waitress was stellar! Friendly patient, and attentive and the menu was interesting and unique. That settles it! Before I die, I will have to make the journey to Indonesia. I suspect I could go there and die happy, stuffed to the gills with this wonderful fare. Forgive me for not remembering the name of the dish, but the curry I got hit my mouth like a party of Tumeric acrobats doing triple handsprings! The spice was perfect, my nose ran, my eyes watered, I broke into a sweat... My mouth lit up like a decorated house on Christmas eve, shimmering in the dark. Not too hot, but a good solid bite. The Chicken skewers were the best ever, loaded with flavor and spice and the curry had so many layers I thought I might have fallen down the proverbial rabbit hole. Everything was spot on, from the decor to the Tempeh to the perfectly done bits of carrot. If this place were in Vancouver, I'd eat here at least once a week. They'd have to adopt me and take me home with them. We felt welcomed, we felt cared for and fed. For me at least, it was one of the best experiences dining out I've had. You know, that feeling as you stagger out to the car that everything was perfect, that feeling of satisfaction that nothing could have gone better. Good food, good service, good atmosphere, not too fancy, not too complicated, and not too expensive. I'd die for cooking...

I was born and raised in the Philippines and have been curious about experiencing Indonesian food for the first time, to taste the difference between the two neighboring countries' cuisines. For starters, I tried the appetizer on special... which was the otak-otak, fish cakes wrapped in banana leaves. It looks exactly like a dessert or "meryenda"in the Philippines called "suman"... except, otak-otak is described as fish cake. It was ok... I was expecting to eat & taste more fish in the cakes but, it was mostly sticky rice. 'Dipped in the accompanying spicy peanut sauce, it was very tasty. For my main course, I ordered Nasi Campur adding fried chicken. I liked it a lot... mostly because the variety of dishes on the plate, much like a sampler. I especially liked the hard-boiled egg and Chinese eggplant with the sweet & spicy sauce, it was delicious. The fried tempe and jackfruit were not favorites but, tasty nonetheless. I am glad I added the fried chicken to my dish because it was so scrumptious. The crispness was exemplary. My girlfriend ordered the Gado-Gado with the tofu addition and when it arrived on the table, I tasted it and was blown away by the flavor of the garlic peanut sauce, I sampled it with the sautéed tofu. We loved it and will...