Jamjar
2280 Commercial | 604-252-3957 | JamJarOnTheDrive.com
Open daily, 11:30am-4pm, 5pm-10pm
The cuisine of the Middle East can often seem interchangeable between regions, but within every country and ethnic group, there are distinct culinary traditions that serve as cultural markers. In Morocco, one of those markers is the use of preserved lemons. In Lebanon, there is the making of jam.
Thanks to the country’s gentle climes, fresh fruit is available year-round. Families take the excess and preserve it, which they then share with other friends and neighbours. It’s a wonderful expression of the generosity for which the Lebanese are famous.
Jamjar on Commercial has taken that homey concept and expanded it to a menu of earthy and rustic dishes, with some innovative touches that seem to owe their inspiration more to the East Side than to the Middle East. Classic hummus gets reinvented with unusual flavours, like the beet and agave version I tried one night. This particular iteration was almost too sweet and could have used more beet in the flavour profile. Plain chickpea hummus was an improvement, and tasted like it had been made to order. You can get individual plates for $7 (add a dollar for seasonal varieties) or try the original and two seasonal variations as a trio for $9. The saj (a Lebanese flatbread, perfect for scooping up the hummus) is baked in-house and comes in a large round for a buck.
There are so many cold and hot mezze (appetizers) to try (all around $4-$9.50), that it makes sense to take advantage of their combo plates, which give you smaller portions for $2-$4 when you order three or more. Falafel was a bit hard and dry, but makali (deep-fried cauliflower and zucchini) was excellent, as were the potatoes tossed in garlic and cilantro (batata harra). You can include salads in the combo deal, including the decent tabbouli ($10), with parsley, bulgur, tomatoes and onions, or the much better tomato and artichoke salad ($9) with cumin and sumac.
The mains are good value here. Lamb shank ($18) was outstanding and just melted away from the bone at the touch of the tines. The large side of yogurt-onion sauce was lovely, laced with garlic and mint, perfectly complementing and cutting the richness of the meat, and excellent for drizzling over the aromatic rice. Stewed and grilled chicken breast ($16), from Rossdown Farms, was another winner, tender and well-flavoured with tomatoes, chickpeas, cumin and coriander.
Don’t forget the cocktail list here. It’s a surprising and welcome addition. The Tabbouleh Caesar ($11) was tarted up with parsley and cucumber, while the Hibiscus Bloom ($10) was a palate refresher that reminded me of a Pimm’s Cup, with organic hibiscus, gin, tonic, lime and cucumber.
I only tried dessert once, a tiny bite of baklava for two dollars, but it was a pleasant finish to a rich meal; not sickeningly sweet, but light and fresh, with a crispy phyllo covering and good interior chew.
Portion sizes can be a bit precious here in some dishes, which is slightly at odds with the concept of Lebanese hospitality, but when you factor in the quality of the ingredients (almost all locally and sustainably sourced) and the care taken in the dishes, it seems a reasonable trade-off.
All ratings out of five stars:
Food: ★★1/2
Service: ★★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Value: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★
Hear Anya Levykh every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
