Izakaya Ju

Steph and I decided to check out Izakaya Ju for dinner last night:
Handmade Hiyayakko
Takoyaki
For those who've never eaten at an izakaya, it's essentially Japanese-style tapas where you order a bunch of different small dishes to share. The menu isn't huge here, but it's streamlined. Steph and I decided to order five dishes to share. We started off with the handmade hiyayakko, which is their cold house-made tofu with green onions, ground ginger, and bonito flakes. Simple and tasty, though the tofu was on the firmer side, and I personally prefer a softer, silkier tofu. I would also have preferred some light sweet soy sauce with it, which would've given it some more flavour contrast. Next up was the takoyaki, a standard Japanese snack food and something I always order if it's on the menu. They were decent and satisfied our craving, but I would have liked a higher octopus ratio, since these ones were on the starchier side. Good flavour, though, and a good portion size, too. 
Osaka Cha-Han
Binchou Maguro Sashimi with Ponzu
We wanted more carbs to round out our meal, so we ordered the Osaka cha-han, which is Osaka-style fried rice with octopus. This was quite exceptional — it's like the fried rice version of takoyaki, with very similar ingredients (takoyaki sauce, mayo, green onions, pickled ginger, bonito flakes) and a good amount of octopus, which provides a good chewy textural contrast with the fluffy rice. Steph and I both loved this; a definite re-order. And just look at that presentation! I didn't know fried rice could be cute, but I was proved wrong. Then came our sashimi dish, the Binchou maguro sashimi, which is British Columbia white tuna that's lightly seared on the outside, and served with ponzu, pickled ginger, and onions. Simple, tasty flavours that work well together. The fish was fresh with a soft, fleshy texture, and was cut in generously thick slabs. They have other options, but if you like tuna, this is a good one.
Teba Gyoza
And, finally, Ju's signature dish, the Teba gyoza. Three pieces of deep-fried chicken wing "dumplings" stuffed with pork, scallion, and ginger. The pork stuffing was plush and flavourful, like what you'd expect in a good dumpling, but instead of a typical dumpling wrapper, it's stuffed in a delightfully crispy chicken wing. Sort of like a Japanese snack version of turducken! Can't really go wrong with this one, really. I mean, it's a pork-stuffed chicken wing. A must-order, in my opinion. The restaurant itself is quite small, with room for maybe 12 small tables and a larger one for bigger groups, so it's probably a good idea to make reservations, especially on weekends. Steph and I managed to get a table right away, but it was the last available one at the time, and we went fairly late (around 8:00). The service was really nice and polite, though a bit slow and could have been a bit more attentive — whether this was due to understaffing or due to a busy Friday night, I don't know. Food-wise, it doesn't really compare with more established izakayas in the city like Guu, but it's decent (way less rowdy, and cheaper, too) and a great option for those who don't want to make the trek downtown.

Izakaya Ju 3160 Steeles Avenue East Markham, ON L3R 4G9 (905) 474-1058