New Restaurant : Jun I

[Fatty Tuna]

i went to Jun I in July (...sadly didn't get around to posting until today... so am a bit fuzzy on the details now) and i have to say i was less impressed than you guys seem to be. after reading these posts, i had high expectations of the sashimi, but i found the 5 sashimi plate was so-so - though the trout had an interesting flavour.

one memorable dish was the avocado risotto with... eel? duck? ack. can't remember. as i said, details are fuzzy. anyway this dish was a stand-out and worth going back for.

i don't know what it is with this town and japanese. i've yet to have a decent sunomono (let alone one with real crab) and enough with the oily salmon sashimi.

(on a positive note, i'm delighted it's October, because i think i recall it was about this time last year that Isakaya had their 3-salmon sashimi special: atlantic, king and sockeye -- which was beyond brilliant. seasonal, so indulge while we can. also November is when they brought hamachi from new Brunswick which too was excellent)

[Shaya]

My husband and I had a great meal here last night. The presentation was beautiful, the fish fresh and varied, the service courteous.

We started with the duck appetizer; thin slices of pink duck meat were placed atop a green-onion "flan". Admittedly these were difficult to eat, as the flan was extremely delicate, but once we figured out how to pick them up we delighted in the buttery texture and the contrasting flavors.

Next was the sashimi platter for my husband and various nigiri selections for me. The sashimi was a great deal and so original. Five different varieties of fish were presented on a narrow platter that was at least two feet long: giant scallop, arctic char, bio salmon, sea bass and yellowtail tuna. Each was served atop a bed of some finely shredded vegetable, from radish to daikon and carrot, and the scallop was seated on a thinly sliced orange which was on turn laying on a cucumber round. This was the standout for my husband. As a bonus, each offering was served with its own sauce.

I loved my nigiri. Arctic char was particularly memorable; it was so tender and flavorful, virtually melted in your mouth.

We also had a selection of two maki rolls: spicy tuna - which was so tender and delicate in both flavor and texture; and shrimp which had been fried in finely shredded filo and then rolled in rice and nori - crispy, slightly warm, so original, a nice change from the ever-popular tempura rolls.

Of course we could not stop here - when our waiter approached us he asked, "So, was it enough?" I felt as though it was common for people to order more and more, as if they become intoxicated by the offerings. So we opted to share another sashimi sampler, and the chef presented octopus in place of the scallop, and lumberjack fish instead of the yellowtail tuna.

We sipped saki with our meal.

We left happy, sated, and certain to return.

[phedre]

Two weeks ago I made a reservation for eight people at 8PM at Jun-I. By yesterday I'd had two cancellations, so I called ahead at 11 this morning and let them know that we'd be six instead of eight. Good, right?

Wrong.

Our first dinner member showed up at 7:55; I showed up at 8:05 - our table wasn't ready yet. No problem, we were early, so we brushed off the rather cool attitude of our hosts. Our final members arrived at about 8:10. Still no table.

Twenty minutes later, not only were we still waiting for a table, but the sheer rudeness and dismissive attitude of the staff had us walking out the door. I've been seated late before, but at least the restaurant staff acknowledged us and kept us aprised of the situation - no such luck at Jun-I, where the wait staff seemed to think we were imposing on their time to even ask for our reserved table.

I'd heard poor things about the service at Jun-I before, but was willing to give it a try despite these reports. Given that another member of our group had experienced similar treatment before, I will not be returning. I've never written off a restaurant before I've even tasted the food, but Jun-I is the first due to sheer poor organization and ignoring us for the entire half hour we sat waiting for our table.

Our group walked over to Bouchonne, where they quickly made room for us despite how busy they were; we were welcomed with open arms, friendly service, and delicious food. I certainly know which spot I'll recommend to others!

[Lesley C]

Were there any free tables at 8? Or had they overbooked?

I lunched at Jun-i a few months ago and found the service, by two young guys, to be both friendly and excellent.

Question: did you speak to the manager or Juni himself?

[phedre]

Were there any free tables at 8? Or had they overbooked?

I lunched at Jun-i a few months ago and found the service, by two young guys, to be both friendly and excellent.

Question: did you speak to the manager or Juni himself?

←

They'd overbooked. We tried speaking to a few of the people working, I tried walking over to find someone who might be in charge, but by that point the rudeness of the staff on the floor had gotten to everyone in our party.

[Lesley C]

I'd call them on Tuesday and ask to speak to the owner, then calmly (calm always works well in situations like this) tell them what happened and how disappointed you were and how you had booked in advance etc. Restaurants shouldn't get away with this kind of neglect.

If you do end up calling, please tell us their response.

[sf&m]

Hmm, never had those vibes at Juni. I have taken several people there and never had any problems like what you experienced.

It's a small space... what... maybe 30-40 seats, with 6 people to seat....if anything goes wrong.. it's hard to recover quickly. I wonder if the reservation person got your cancellation of the 2 people wrong and cancelled your whole party?

Obviously not a reason why you should be treated rudely!

I would not write them off, because Juni's skills are unique in Montreal.

Edited June 1, 2008 by sf&m (log)