Ju

Black Rice Izakaya used to be one of my favourite little hidden gems.  It consistently put out fresh sushi & sashimi as well as creative dishes for a fair price (especially given it was in Downtown).  However, they always got unfairly criticized for being a Korean-run Japanese Izakaya.  Let me make this very clear: food is food and if it is good, it doesn't matter who makes it.  By judging who makes it is prejudice in my books.  Well, Black Rice is only a memory now and the same people have brought a new concept in Ju.  Consider it Westcoast/French cuisine with Korean influences.  We visited the place for a menu tasting recently.

To start things off, we had a selection of 4 Canapés including Angus Bulgogi Toast, Yuk-Hwei, Poached Oyster and Botan Ebi.  These beautiful little bites were so precious, I didn't want to eat them.  But really, I did eat them and my favourite was the botan ebi with horseradish mayo on brioche.  It was buttery soft with a slight sweet snap.  The yuk-hwei featured CAB tartare with doen-jang powder, miso aioli and aged gan-jang.  Beyond the buttery morsels of beef, the fermented soybeans came through with a rich savouriness.  I found the bulgogi to be super tender and seasoned just enough that it was neither too salty nor too sweet.  Lastly, the poached oyster was buttery and creamy with an aromatic garlic mushroom sauce and a crunchy togarashi crumble.

We moved onto the actual appetizers next with the Crudo featuring shima-aji, hibiscus sauce, soy gel, orange gel, grapefruit gel and avocado puree.  The slices of fish were supremely fresh with a bright essence and on point texture.  Buttery with a slight snap texture, the shima-aji was sweet and had the aroma of the sea.  It was complimented beautifully by the hibiscus that was fruity and a bit tangy.  Combined with the different gels, we found some sweetness that didn't overshadow the fish.

Stunningly plated, the Hokkaido Scallops were nicely seared while still being buttery soft and sweet.  Underneath, we found cauliflower puree and a yellow pepper puree.  Both were smooth with the cauliflower being creamy.  The sweetness of the yellow pepper was evident while the dashi milk foam was more than just for visuals.  The background umaminess did come through while still allowing the natural flavour of the scallop shine.

The next dish was certainly one of the most Korean items on the menu being the Mandu.  These dumplings were filled with tender and juicy pork while the dumpling skin was a bit too thick.  Compliments included king oyster mushroom, micro cilantro, shaved green courgette, mandu jus, sesame oil and perilla panko. I really enjoyed the jus as it was concentrated and full of umaminess.  Naturally, sesame oil added nutty pungency while the perilla panko was effective with texture and a bit of licorice.

Looking very much like a version of headcheese, the Pyun-Yuk was pressed pork belly and ear that had been thinly sliced.  Served flat on a plate, this was garnished with Korean chive, ssam-jang mayo, jjang-a-chi and pickled pearl onion.  This partly melted in my mouth since it was fatty pork belly, but it also had texture due to the cartilage from the pig's ear.  Nice contrast with each bite and plenty of natural pork essence and sweetness.  This was complimented by the slightly spice mayo and the sharpness from the onions.

Onto the mains, we had the Chicken that featured chicken breast with offal mousse sandwiched in between.  This was sous-vide and then finished off by a hard sear skin down. The result was super crispy skin (that was well-seasoned) giving way to juicy and tender chicken.  There was a lemongrass sauce that was creamy and aromatic.  We also found some micro cilantro, baby carrots, brussels sprouts and cherry tomato confit.  

So we thought the chicken was super delicious, but the Galbi levelled up from that.  The pieces of CAB short rib literally melted-in-our-mouths.  This was also sous-vide and then finished off on the grill.  Combined with the reduced jus, there was some natural meatiness and umaminess.  Now, before you think what you see on the plate is a potato pavé, it was a variation.  You see, the chef layered it with daikon and potato, which meant there was certain lightness in texture and flavour.  I enjoyed it and the carrot puree on top added even more sweetness.  I combined the puree with the short rib.  It seemed to go well.

So the hits kept coming with the Sablefish with gochu oil, Korean radish, yau choy and potato confit.  The roasted sablefish was perfectly prepared being flaky and fatty.  It was already somewhat seasoned, but the gochu oil helped amp things up in an aromatic, nutty and smoky way but being only slightly spicy.  The accompaniments were also cooked up perfectly where the potato was delicate and the yau choy had crunch. 

Onto another fish, we had the Halibut atop risotto, celeriac puree, shiitake, clam, pearl onions and topped with sweet potato chips.  Although lacking in colour, the dish was executed perfectly.  The risotto underneath was creamy with al dente rice.  Nice addition of clams as it provided some brininess.  The piece of halibut was cooked just right being flaky and buttery (as only fresh halibut can be).  On top, we found 2 crispy chips that added some texture.

If the mains aren't appealing to you (not sure why they wouldn't be!), there are some starches to choose from including the White Ragu with fresh pasta.  Made of various meats, the ragu was definitely meaty with a rich creaminess.  Lots of umami and natural meat flavour.  There was enough of it to coat each strand of al dente pasta (which was properly salted while cooking).  This was a truly addictive dish and we could've eaten more of this if we didn't have so many dishes already!

Something that was probably the most interesting dish was the Mara Ong-Simee.  These "sticks" were like potato gnocchi in texture, but acted like Korean rice cakes in spirit.  Hence, it was no surprise to find the spicy mara cream sauce with this as well as a mara crumble.  We found an onsen egg in the middle and a bit of parm too.  When mixed together, the flavours were spicy and slightly sweet with the silkiness of the egg yolk.  The potato ong simee were somewhere in between fluffy and firm.

Somewhat controversial amongst us, the vegan Bibimbop was one of my favourites.  Yes really...  So this was made with barley and buckwheat, hence the "rice" had a chewier and more robust texture.  On top, we found spinach puree, carrot puree and red cabbage puree with tofu sauce.  If I closed my eyes, the flavours of a bibimbop were really there!  Some thought I was nuts liking this dish over the galbi or scallops, but I stand behind my opinion!

So for dessert, we were served the semi-frozen Chocolate mousse and the Lemon curd in puff pastry.  Almost like a semi-freddo, the mousse was creamy but more sturdy.  It was chocolatey and semi-sweet.  It came with some mouth-pleasing honeycomb as well as vanilla coffee espuma, caramel gel and black sesame cake.  As for the lemon curd, it was pleasingly tangy and smooth.  The crispy puff pastry added texture while the kong garu powder provided some nuttiness.  As you can see, the food at Ju stays true to their theme of French/Westcoast with Asian influences.  I feel that they have succeeded even though this is their first version of the menu (to the public).  I would say this is definitely worth a try since it is quite different in a sea of the same in the GVRD.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Flawless execution with the proteins
- Successful marriage of Korean flavours with French techniques
- Some dishes are too beautiful to eat (but eat it anyways)

The Bad:
- Mandu skin can be less thick