Ju Contempory Cuisine (New Menu)

The original menu at Ju when it first opened was quite ambitious due to the many options of canapes, appetizers, entrees and desserts.  Although most of the dishes were delicious, there was a lack of focus.  Now hitting its stride, they have streamlined the menu so that it prominently features a tasting menu for $88.00 (which is a steal).  To compliment this, there are a select few a la carte dishes available.  This post will feature the other dishes we had in addition to the tasting menu (featured in the previous blog post).

One of the most interesting items was the Teriyaki Chicken.  Yes really.  It was an oven-roasted chicken leg that was super tender and juicy.  The teriyaki was quite balanced with sweet, savoury and tanginess.  To compliment this, there was a mildly spice serrano aioli.  To provide a bit more acidity and bite, we had some pickled ginger.  Lastly, some katsuobushi (or bonito flakes) provided the usual combination of salty umaminess.

Something a bit more conventional but with a twist, we had the Gochujang Yook Hwei.  This was essentially a beef tartare but with the quintessential Korean condiment in the sweet & spicy gochujang.  The CAB was soft and tender while the use of gochujang showed restraint.  That ensured that the meat flavours were still present and the subtle sweetness of the Asian pear was noticeable.  The seaweed on the side served as a vessel for the beef.  However, I would've personally liked some tapioca chips for more crunch.

Looking like merely a slaw of some sort, the Creamy Green was actually quite good.  Sure, it wasn't anything complex or super amazing, but at the same time, very welcomed.  Something so fresh, crunchy and light acted like a palate cleanser and also made us feel just a bit healthier.  It was comprised of shredded cabbage and field greens dressed in a creamy coconut dressing.  Naturally, it was aromatic and sweet, but there was a balancing tanginess as well. 

Trying to stay with the Korean influence on the menu, the Miso Jjajang-Myun was their take on the classic dish.  Rather than a black bean sauce, we found a fermented soybean, which gave similar salty richness, but in a more subtle manner.  Naturally, this dish would be incomplete without the onion and they were sweet and well, oniony.  There was also tender zucchini, cabbage and mushrooms which added both texture and a bit of extra earthy sweetness.  Noodles were perfectly al dente.

Off to another noodle, the Vongole Kal-Guksu was another interpretation of the Korean dish.  I very much enjoyed this as the knife cut noodles had so much bite and rebound.  Very nice mouth feel and chew.  The ample clams afforded sweetness and a bit of brininess.  The addition of garlic and shallots upped the aromatics and overall flavour profile.  Some zucchini provided soft textures and just a tiniest bit of bitterness.  So unassuming, but delicious.

For reference only, I will refer to a previous time I visited Ju and talk about another item that is still currently on the menu.  It is the Poached Oyster with roasted garlic mushroom espuma, rosemary oil and togarashi crunch.  This is particularly great for people who don't eat raw oysters.  However, it was poached just enough, so that all of the butteriness and brininess was still present.  It was not obscured since the espuma was subtle.  Loved the crunch on top.

They also have an array of unique cocktails including the Rose-Merry, Maple Cinnamon, Snowy Battle Field and Rice Punch.  Despite my love for fruity drinks, my favourite of the bunch was the Maple Cinnamon with its milky "eggnog" like vibes.  Just sweet enough and Fall-tasting.  With the rosemary being torched, there was some definite woodsy aroma going around.  But then, the actual cocktail was fruity with pomegranate and vodka.  The Rice Punch had some vodka and sik-hye (which is a sweet rice drink), hence this was lightly sweet and plenty nutty from the rice.  Lastly, the Snowy Battle Field consisted of Calpico, gin, vodka and red wine.  This looked quite Halloween-like, but was went down easy due to the addition of sweet and tangy Calpico.  There is one more item on the menu that I didn't feature, which is the Galbi.  However, it is in the tasting menu, so you can refer to it in the previous post.  I would say that these items were good, but the tasting menu is still the best bet.  You get all of the highlights and it is only $88.00.

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

The Good:

- Overall tasty

- Reasonably-priced

- Unique cocktails

The Bad:

- Theses dishes can supplement your meal, but the highlight is the tasting menu

- Noodles may need more colour