JU JU, Kings Cross

I can pretty much count the number of times I’ve ever been to Kings Cross (for those who are wondering, it’s less than ten times). From a young age I’ve always been warned by my parents to steer clear of the area, scaring me with stories about drugs, drunks, and anything else you would find associated with red light districts. But I think on a weeknight or early weekend evening you can actually havey a relatively relaxed and leisurely experience. This year alone I have been more than three times! And I definately intend to explore the area a bit more – just by walking to JU JU, I noticed a vast array of dining locations that I would love to try out!

The interior of Ju Ju is very traditional Japanese style requiring you to take off your shoes and sit at ground level tables. The place is nice and cosy and clearly designed for group bookings and a casual atmosphere. There are TVs along the walls (nothing fancy though, old school box TVs) playing animations such as “Kung Fu Panda” during the night.

I didn’t find the menu unique or spectacular but the variety was incredible! Ranging from fresh sashimi to grilled dishes and shabu shabu (Japanese hot pot) to BBQ. What I love about dining in groups is the quantity of dishes you can order. Being the glutton I am, it’s the perfect scenario – unfortunately with the sukiyaki and shabu shabu sets, we quickly ran out of space on the table!Now onto the food!

Agedashi Tofu – deep fried tofu in a stock soup

I’m not a huge fan of tofu – normally when I have a choice I wouldn’t order it but the bf loves it so I compromise (just a little haha) but I really liked the agedashi tofu here. I think the abundance of sauce and flavour and firmness of the tofu really made this interest popular with the table as we ordered seconds!

Soft Shell Crab Salad

Yummy yummy soft shell crab salad! There was light mayonnaise dressing but a huge combination of ingredients which were nicely diced. Nothing better than a nice salad without too much lettuce!

Yukke – fresh raw beef & egg yolk with special ginger sauce

The dish was nice and if those of you have never had it before, definately worth a try! Remember to mix the meat and egg before serving though. Also worth a mention, looking back, I don’t recall tasting any ginger at all in this dish (which was perfect because I hate ginger!)

Tofu Steak – fresh tofu, japanese mushrooms & shallot with teriyaki sauce

To me this dish actually tasted really really similar to the agedashi tofu – not that there’s anything wrong with it. Actually, I prefer this dish because of all the extra shallots and mushrooms which have been thrown in. 

Nattou – fermented soy beans with egg yolk & dry BANITTE

This dish was met with a lot of protest when ordered and but I wasn’t dare enough to try it! Hopefully the picture does it some justice…

Tansio – Grilled ox tongue with salted seasoning

This particular dish didn’t really tickle my fancy because I found it a bit too oily for a grilled dish and personally, ox toungue is a bit rough and too chewy for my liking. Though give me beef tongue any day of the week and I couldn’t ask for more! But please try it for yourself =)

Okonomiyaki – Japanese pancake with pork calamari, cabbage, spring onion, egg, bbq sauce, & mayonnaise topped with dried bonito & dry seaweed

Ginger Pork Set – BBQ pork with ginger soy sauce

As I established earlier – do not like ginger! The green tea soba on the otherhand was much better. The taste is a bit lighter and not as salty as the usual buckwheat noodles.

Fried chicken skin

Deep fried chicken skin. The taste was a bit bland but nothing some soya sauce can’t fix. The texture was all there; super crispy!

Takoyaki – octopus wheat dumpling

We ordered so much food that couldn’t fit in any of the takoyaki but I was so tempted… Look at that big fat pile of mayonnaise at the back! *drools again*

Grilled salmon sushi with salmon roe

Sukiyaki – hot pot of thin sliced beef, veges & noodles cooked with sweet soy sauce

This dish is great for a large group of people because everyone can cook their food to their own tastes. Apart from the soup being overly sweet, the beef was nice tender thick and juicy. They were definately generous on this aspect!

Unfortunately our group didn’t get a chance to try out the dessert due to time constraints – luckily it didn’t seem like we missed out on much as there was only an offer of your typical Japanese ice cream (i.e. green tea, black sesame, vanilla). There’s two sessions for dinner and if you’re fortunate enough to book the later session, you may even enjoy a kararoke session from 10:30pm onwards! Bookings essential!

JU JU
Shop 301, Kings Cross Centre,
82-94 Darlinghurst Rd
Kings Cross
T: (02) 9357 7100