Welcome to the jungle, indeed. Kokomo's really has the most extraordinary set up, like a themed party where you should be in a safari suit. It's super busy on a Friday night, with people crowding the bar and the downstairs area for a drink, while the eating seems to mainly go on upstairs, which is divided into separate levels and areas, although quite open lest you feel you are missing out on the party.

There's tonnes of greenery, lush jungle-feel plants hanging from the ceiling, and lining the edge of the upstairs dining balcony that is enclosed tonight with gas heaters, but designed to be opened on warm evenings. The green theme is deliberately exaggerated, right down to green plates and serviettes and a big leafy green patten on the banquettes. Goodness, we're in the zone and feeling not quite youthful and upbeat enough to belong, but nevertheless we're interested in the latest offering from the Harrington brothers, who also have the equally popular Akiba across the road in the city, and Sage at Gorman House.

We're fully on board when the champagne arrives in a grandma-style glass, which they more accurately describe as a champagne saucer. It reminds me of my grandmother, who led a sophisticated life in the media between the wars and after. It's old-school, and I like it. Saucers went out of fashion in favour of stems that trap the bubbles longer, but the glass lends an excellent frothiness to the fizzy Lark Hill Roxanne sparkling rosé ($12 a glass).

The wine list, like most things here, feels a little unusual, taking a slight mindshift to comprehend, all the more so with the Clash's Rock the Casbah setting the mood. The local drops we usually gravitate towards are not here, but the Lark Hill and a Long Rail Gully pinot gris are both good options by the glass, and if you want to head into the bottles, you can have a diverting few minutes just contemplating some of the crazy expensive French champagnes (Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque, Armand de Brignac).

Kokomo's is big on service, the staff are smart and match the customers in dress, snappy and relaxed; in fact it's not easy to tell them apart. There's a couple of hosts at the door, who also fit the grown-up party feel.

All this would be merely entertaining and fun for a drink if you are up for it. Except it turns out Kokomo's is also a place to go for food – the food is very good, really good.

The diners beside us are eating flatbreads, which look roughly naan-like in shape and size, and are like little pizzas, covered in a mix of mushrooms, raisins and capers; or ricotta, spinach and cured meat.

They look good, but since we have three courses ahead we think better of an entire flatbread. Instead, we order a mini chicken burger. The soft bun ($7), is deliciously messy, with little chunks of fried chicken, pickles and a very hot sauce inside, all homemade and great.

Lobster "lollipops" ($18 for four) with kombu and bonito sesame mayo are delicious also, four sticks each with a big chunk of lobster meat on the end, deep-fried, but not heavy, and crunchy outside, with an umami sauce. The lobster is plentiful and fresh, and they're good enough to make you feel selfish about sharing.

Salmon poke ($15) is a dish that will be familiar to people who have visited Hawaii – and from what I can gather Hawaii is a key part of the Kokomo's theme (you'll find it in the beers list, also). Kokomo's has no one allegiance; it seems quite deliberately eclectic, joyfully incoherent even.

Poke is a rice bowl, here with little chunks of cured salmon, with pickled cucumber and heat from green chillies, plus crunch from fried, spiced broad beans, and lots of pop from salmon roe. It's served cold, and is an odd dish for a restaurant menu, more like an excellent lunch, but we really like it – the freshness, simplicity, heat, crunch and vinegar filling every textural niche.

Another dish we wouldn't automatically think to order is udon noodles ($19), but we are encouraged by the guy serving us, who promises it's great. And it is. It's a made-up dish, topped with a raw egg like steak tartare. The noodles are super rich and sticky, with chunks of "beef rump cap" and "kombu butter". The richness reminds you of marrow, but perhaps that's the creaminess of egg yolk and fattiness of the butter. It's super mouthfilling and lip-sticking, highly satisfying, and finished with salty fried eschallot.

The smoked beef rib ($36) is beautifully presented and the meat very well handled, although by now we have drowned in food, richness and flavour and the rich cuts of meat defeat us. The rib, in a "molasses glaze", is sliced and served on top of its bone very prettily. I wish it didn't have that smoked flavour, but it is subtle, and evidence of a very sure hand in the kitchen. The roast eggplant puree is overwhelming with smoke, for us so much so that we can't eat it, but it is thankfully served on the side so we can avoid it. Another puree on this plate is, I think, pineapple, and we like that a lot, along with more pickled cucumber that the kitchen makes use of through the menu.

The key lime pie ($10) is bright green, like much of the decor, with a meringue topping and a spicy biscuit base and a dollop of thick cream. Pecan pie ($10) is a bold version, with a rich burnt-butter ice cream alongside, although its saltiness makes for some difficult eating.

All in all, there's a proper subtlety and surety in the food that either enhances or makes up for, depending on your viewpoint and life stage, the intensely energetic atmosphere and unusual set-up and menu of Kokomo's. It's a fascinating place.