Izakaya Ju is a a Japanese restaurant located inside J-Town located on Steeles Avenue just east of Woodbine Avenue. At night they tend to serve dinner menu and alcohol while during the day they have some set lunches in a menu and on a board. When we got in they had a long table for my family and our fellow friends. Since it was my first time there, we decided to go with a split menu in that we would share all the food that was there. We went with four different dishes which included: Takitori Don, Takisakana Black Cod Lunch, Gyu Dan, Deep Fried Chicken Knuckle Bones and Osaka Fried Rice with Octopus.
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| Osaka Fried Rice with Octopus |
All the meals all arrived at once. A couple of the dishes also came with miso soup and salads which we divided amongst ourselves. The first thing we tried was the Deep Fried Chicken Knuckle Bones. This dish was only $5.00 and it came with about 12 pieces. It was basically the ends of the chicken drumstick breaded and battered in oil. The pieces were soft and not overly greasy. It was pretty tasty, with the outer portion crunchy and the inner part soft. Interesting appetizer to start off the lunch.
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| Gyu Dan |
Next we tried the Takisakana Black Cod. There wasn't anything too impressive with this fish. Basically it was a cod then was cooked in a butter like sauce and serve with white rice. This was of the meals that came with a miso soup and salad. The fish was de-boned and was mixed well with the white rice.
My favorite of the afternoon was the Gyu Dan. This rice mixed with shredded ginger and marinated raw tuna was very very good. The tuna was freshed and tasted very good. Despite the marination, the true taste of tuna remained throughout each bite. There was a gingerly sauce mixed with the rice which gave the rice "life". It was definitely something worth trying if you are planning to go into this restaurant.
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| Takitori Don |
The next best dish I thought was the Osaka Fried Rice with Octopus. The octopus was shredded into small pieces but one can still make it out in the rice. The only difference between this rice and the last one was that it was just a tad drier. Otherwise this one would have earned equal marks compared to the Gyu Dan. It also had some shredded vegetables in it. The dish was not greasy and was something also worth trying for if you are planning to go to this restaurant.
The last one was the Takitori Don which basically was chicken teriyaki mixed with its rice. Some of the pieces of the chicken was slightly burnt. Personally looking at the five pieces of the chicken, I would have to say if the chicken was not as dry as it was, it would have been better. I understand that it is a teriyaki however, the meat was a tad too dry and chewy as a result of the searing and cooking of it. Even my daughter with all her might had a difficult time chewing on it.
Overall it was a pretty good experience. The two rices I would highly recommend and try again. The staff was pretty courteous and with all the food, it was approximately 15 dollars per person tax and tip included. With plenty of free parking on the outside, it is definitely a restaurant worth trying. I would give this place a 3.75 out of 5.
Izakaya Ju
3160 Steeles Avenue East Markham, ON L3R
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