Restaurant Review: Ju Ju

Name: Ju Ju
Address: Kingsgate Shopping Centre, Shop 320, Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross (a short walk from the train station)
Phone: (02) 9357 7100
Type: Restaurant
Cuisine: Japanese
Opening hours: 6:30 pm-11:30 pm (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday); 6:30 pm-1:00 am (Friday, Saturday)

I’ve never been to Japan, so it’s hard for me to comment as to the authenticity of the experience I had, but Ju Ju, a Japanese restaurant a short walk from Kings Cross railway station, has certainly found a way to distinguish itself in Sydney: as you enter, you are asked to take off your shoes, and at your table, you rest your behind on the ground on cushions. It’s all a rather nice thought, but there are good reasons – for me anyway – why I might not want to expose my feet during a meal. Let’s just say it has the potential to confuse the palate.

We had heard that the sukiyaki is worth a try, so we ordered that. For $39 (serving two), the sukiyaki comes with sliced beef, noodles, tofu, two eggs and a good selection of vegetables, all of which you cook yourself hot-pot style in the soy-based broth. While the quantity of food wasn’t a problem (we had some leftovers), I was a little disappointed at the meat-vegetable ratio, and while the end result was tasty (albeit slightly too salty), I can’t say it was anything out of the ordinary to justify spending $19.50 per person. (The other mains on the menu were about $10-15 per person: we should’ve ordered those instead.)

“Kung Fu Panda” was playing silently on the flat-panel monitor next to the table – repeatedly – and combined with the extensive use of wooden decor (and the menu containing a good deal of Engrish and WordArt), I wasn’t blown away by the presentation either. Taking your shoes off might be novel for some, but it doesn’t do it for me. It’s also a karaoke bar – at $1 per song – but we didn’t give that a go. Maybe with flowing alcohol, song, dance and some other dishes, it might have been a more memorable experience.

Conclusion: Competent Japanese food, but nothing special, and out of the way if you have no other reason to be in Kings Cross.

Food: 6/10
Service: 5/10
Ambience: 6/10
Value for money: 5/10
Overall: 5/10
(what do these numbers mean?)

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