One of Parnell’s pioneer Asian restaurants is winding back the clock to prices of 1995 to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
Java Room, known for its Indonesian and pan-Asian menu, will also be offering 30% off its food menu until the 7 June as part of the commemorations.
The price rollback on a dozen items that have been on the menu since day one will see its famous “Grand Tour of Asia” entree featuring siomay, grilled mussel, springroll, raw snapper in coconut dressing, chicken satay and corn fritters priced at just $12.90, and bakmi goreng, nasi goreng and “Far East Chicken” priced at just $14.90.
The special menu will be available for lunch and dinner on the day of the anniversary itself, which falls on Friday, 23 May 2025, co-owner and head chef Yati Samadian says.
The gesture was a way of thanking the community for their continued support over the years, and jolting memories of old customers of the good times they have had at Java Room, Yati said.
“I have regulars who have been coming for the last 30 years, and these are truly my valued customers,” she said.
“Many of them have had everything from birthdays, graduation and anniversary celebrations at the restaurants, and we are happy and proud that we have been a part of their lives.”
Java Room was set up in 1995, and Yati’s involvement was from the very start when she first started working there as a kitchen hand and a junior cook.
“I had just arrived, and was only three months in New Zealand, when I started working here,” she said.
“I never imagined that I would one day own the business and continue to run it to this day.”
Java Room was among the first restaurants in Auckland offering Indonesian speciality dishes, although it has a menu that it calls pan-Asian.
Yati bought over the business in 2012, and today jointly owns it with her husband Amir Samadian.
“We had thought of turning it into a fully Indonesian restaurant, but decided to keep it pan-Asian because the feedback we got from our regulars was that it is how they like it,” Yati said.
From its elevated, covered veranda with twinkly fairy lights at the back, diners get a fantastic view of the city and the Sky Tower.
The interior still retains the original look of the building, but with Indonesian decorations added.
A popular starter is the krupuk udang, or crispy prawn fritters with two dips of satay peanut sauce and sambal chilli. This will be priced at $5 for two large pieces on the anniversary day.
Best sellers include the chilli prawns, which are stir-fried with sambal chilli, ginger, garlic, capsicum and a tomato-based sauce, and the dragon and phoenix Szechuan, a wok-fried prawn and chicken dish with tangy garlic chilli and vegetables.
During the border closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, when Indonesian customers couldn’t travel back home and craved for comfort food, Yati started serving dishes from her West Javanese province of Bandung.
Today, Yati still continues to serve empal gepuk, karedok and siomay komplit when advance orders are made.
Siomay komplit is a popular dish from Bandung which features steamed fish dumplings with egg, tofu and vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces and topped with peanut sauce, kecap manis, sweet soy sauce, chilli and lime juice.
Empal gepuk is an aromatic fried beef dish, and karedok is a raw vegetable salad that is a Sudanese signature dish comprising long beans, cabbage, bean sprouts, basil, cucumber and green eggplant in peanut sauce dressing.
Over the years, the restaurant has remained popular and served several notable political leaders, including former Prime Ministers John Key and Jenny Shipley.
JAVA ROOM is located at 317 Parnell Road, Parnell. Ph 09 3661606. Business Hours. 12-10pm (Tue to Fri), 4-10pm (Sat and Mon), closed on Sunday.
30th BIRTHDAY DEALS: Special price rollback menu on Fri 23 May 2025, and 30% discount off the food menu (excludes drinks and beverages) from Sat 24 May until 7 June.
