janken

visited the place for lunch today with wife. ordered the set menu, one with tofu and the other with salmon. both were beautifully presented and thefoodwas delightful. it felt like homemade japanese food. the staff lady were very kind, and happily accepted the entertainment card. will definitely return.

came in for lunch a few days ago on a sunday. wasn't too busy. thefoodwas alright but the drinks were a bit pricey for a $10 portion. the environment was clean andfoodwas presented nicely. they gave us a free small slice of vegan dessert with the wagyu beef set.

my favourite thing about the restaurant is the friendly staff - they refill your water jug as soon as it's empty and they bring out 3 spoons along with a scoop of ice-cream for us to share - it is the little touches that make all the difference. they are also smiling all the time. the only complaint i would have is that they only have 3 mains to choose from (besides its vegan and salad choices) and one of them was unavailable so i had to choose from hotpot and fish of the day (which was sashimi) of which i wasn't keen on either and for once in my life ordered a salad due to the lack for choices. however thefooditself was of high quality and quite frankly, quite delicious - but would've loved it more of i got to choose a dish i wanted.

usually two things come to mind when speaking of japanese food. there’s the highly vinegar-y sushi packs with cold, tightly-packed rice fromfoodcourts, or there’s the delicate degustation-like eating experiences with ice sculptures and micro-greenery. janken (pronounced jaang-kehn) is neither of those things. this jervois road resident delivers healthy, homemade japanese cuisine; their delicate selection of gozen (or set meals) are a sight to behold, with the crockpot chicken steaming under a tiny flame, the broth clear with a perfect balance of sweet-savouriness which you can scoop out with wooden spoons. the staff are chirpy and helpful with their explanations of homemade pickles and macrobiotic desserts. did we mention that nearly everything’s gluten-free, and there’s more than one vegan option? shocking we know. we’re also a fan of how they can bring an aura of warmth and character to the industrial interiors (spot the felt blankets and a hiding godzilla). the huskies left feeling like they’ve made a friend in this cozy janken home. reserve your seat (there ain’t a lot) today, and make sure you stay for their desserts.

check out our individual reviews here: husk.co.nz/lunches/janken-july-2019

what a lovely little gem. we made a booking last minute and got a table on a friday night. for entrees, we had steamed buns with eggplant and beef tataki. then we ordered the kimono bowl and lamb steak for dinner. delicious. every single bite. we even ventured out to try their sugar free lemon cake for dessert. overall, thefoodis fresh and yummy. and the staff were friendly and attentive. will be coming back again.

came here for dinner. it’s a small place so probably have been better if we had booked but as we came when they opened there was space.
we ordered a chicken salad, their famous salmon sushi roll and a crockpot chicken (forgot the photo) as well as a bowl of rice.
everything was really really tasty. but there wasn’t enoughfoodfor the price we paid. the salmon roll was $19.50 but the salmon was very thin as well as the avocado slices and most of the inside of the roll was cheap vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage.
overall it was a good experience , just probably would have to order more next time and be prepared to spend over $70 for two people. maybe around $100 would be able to get us full. definitely a special night dinner, not a casual dinner.

got a few of the vegan options. a steamed vegetable dish with a hot creamy (tofu?) sauce under a flame to keep warm, tofu bao, vegetable sushi roll and a vegan hot pot. was such a cute little restaurant. the staff were great, offering complimentary sushi and suggesting how to mix all the ingredients on the dish so they worked together lovely. thefoodwas quite nice, although i found the hot pot and the creamy sauce with the veggies to be kinda bland. the bao and the sushi roll were full of flavour though. the best part was definitely the fact the hot pot came out with the flame still lit and half thefoodraw so once we had dished our first serving we could cook the rest of the meal, literally couldnt be fresher. my favourite japanese restaurant by far

had a lovely casual dinner here on a weeknight. even for a wednesday it was full by around 7.30, some tables reserved. there were a few walk ins wanting a table that had to be turned away so if you definitely want a table make sure to come early or book in advance.

me and my friend shared some starters and entrees and he also got a shabu shabu main. the beef tataki was my personal fave, lots of flavour and had a wasabi kick to it. eggplant and mushroom cold entree was ok but nothing special. i was looking forward to the miso salmon entree but it didn't actually have a lot of miso taste to it. we got the pork belly bun as well which was nice and soft. after all that we still didn't feel quite satisfied so we ordered the full salmon and avo sushi roll. it was absolutely huge but nothing extra about it that made it different to say st pierres sushi, aside from presentation.

service was warm and friendly and very efficient,foodcame out at a good rate.

the service was good andfoodis alright. however, for the price paid, i would say that the portion is a bit too small and thefooddid not deliver the wow factor.

a lovely restaurant run by very friendly japanese people, offering authentic japanesefoodwith the fresh and organic ingredients! it's sooo good we almost go there every week.
miso salmon and crockpot chicken are to die for, i also like the beef curry as the beef is so tender and the curry sauce has the right amount of zing to it!

the best thing about eating here is the excellent service.  i really appreciated how attentive and friendly the staff were.  and thefoodwas amazing.  we had the vegan tofu buns, the vegetable sushi and the creamy vegan hotpot.  and topped the night off with the tofu panna cotta, the green tea cake and the chocolate cake.  we had a wonderful night and can't wait to come back!

enjoyed a delicious dinner here! thefoodwas fresh and presented well, and the service was great. cannot wait to go back and try the rest of their menu.

one of the best vegan restaurants i've ever been to in my life. a good portion of the menu is vegan and all the desserts are vegan and don't contain white sugar. the staff were extremely helpful and attentive. they always made sure that we were comfortable and looked after us- including opening the door for us. thefoodwas amazing and healthy. full of flavour and contained a variety of vegetables. would recommend to everyone who wants healthy, good japanese food. some of these photos were taken by chris tan.

greatfood
great service!
must try their lunch set menu. its delicious.
i will definitely go back to try dinner menu.
be in mind that they open 12pm for lunch not 11:30am.

came here with a group of friends who liked the chilled modern jap ambience. thefoodwas great however i have to say that it is a little steep compared to other japanese restaurants. the main dishes here at at a minimum of $26 and the portions are not generous to say the least. 

their desserts are delicious though!