janken

heard so many good things about janken... thus, the visit.

they do live up to their reputation - fantastic service, delicious food, and the perfect ambiance for a date night :)

kimono bowl - fresh and high quality sashimi.

hot pot - a mix of prawns, scallops and veggies in a hot pot. (a nice idea for janken if you guys could probably add a cracked egg in a small bowl for diners to put it in their hot pot, that would add a nice touch to the overall hot pot experience.)

we've also tried their special of the day; tempura prawnsushiroll... and they're stunning!

was wowed by their vegetarian and gluten free options so had to give it a try! the tahini tofu entree was spectacular, as was the vegetablesushiroll. the vegan tonkatsu ramen was huge (which you would hope for the higher price point) but the flavour tasted almost a little bit burnt. it was enjoyable but a bit more of an unusual flavour and not quite as enjoyable as the rest. would love to come back to try their lunch options or their desserts!

usually two things come to mind when speaking of japanese food. there’s the highly vinegar-ysushipacks with cold, tightly-packed rice from food courts, 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

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 salmonsushiroll and a crockpot chicken (forgot the photo) as well as a bowl of rice.
everything was really really tasty. but there wasn’t enough food for 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, vegetablesushiroll and a vegan hot pot. was such a cute little restaurant. the staff were great, offering complimentarysushiand suggesting how to mix all the ingredients on the dish so they worked together lovely. the food was quite nice, although i found the hot pot and the creamy sauce with the veggies to be kinda bland. the bao and thesushiroll were full of flavour though. the best part was definitely the fact the hot pot came out with the flame still lit and half the food raw 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 avosushiroll. 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, food came out at a good rate.

the best thing about eating here is the excellent service.  i really appreciated how attentive and friendly the staff were.  and the food was amazing.  we had the vegan tofu buns, the vegetablesushiand 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!

janken is great for veggos as there are tonnes of appetising vegetarian options. i found it hard to cull from my list after scanning the menu - i ended up ordering four different dishes. the eggplant entree, the greensushiroll, tofu buns (amazing) and the vegan chocolate cake (amazinger). customer service was great too. will be back!

have not experienced the full wonder of janken yet but oh man i was so impressed w their mangosushiroll i had last night. juicy as and good flavours but v hard to eat i gotta say. wash down w some miso soup which is one of the best i've eva had. generous serving of ginger 2 which always mean and helped to balance out the wasabi on it which coulda been lil over powering. but yup happy to have u here in herne bay eh a welcome addition to the neighborhood :')

organised a surprise birthday party for my girlfriend, booking a table and coming in earlier to preorder and pay for the menu and have them store the cake i had bought from somewhere else (dietary problems means she has to be paleo for sweets). the manager was mostly pretty accommodating at the time, though a bit short, and rude later.

basically, i ordered $150 worth of entrees and a fewsushirolls for 6 people. i had experienced most of the food i ordered already, and it was okay for what it is, though expensive. i come from a chinese family, and eat a lot of japanese too - i don't rate this place for taste or price, but girlfriend loves it as she can eat most of it. 

anyway, the manager became snippier throughout the evening until we had finished and basically ushered my girlfriend's friends out by being brusque, brushing through us to wipe down the table, not checking how they found the experience, and being short and impatient with them at the cashier for their drinks. it wasn't very busy and it's a small, chill restaurant anyway, and her friends are very kind, mild-mannered people. 

he must have been unhappy that he would have made twice as much had we each ordered a main. so although she was really touched and they brought out the cake i didn't buy from them, and the waiter was sweet and service was quick, i wouldn't otherwise go to pay more for food that isn't any better than renkon (in my opinion) or to chance having an evening tainted by a money-faced attitude.

two of my girlfriends are gf/df and one is vegetarian so we are always on the hunt for something that can meet all our needs. we found janken after one of us googled "vegan restaurant auckland" and we're so glad we found it!

menu was clearly labelled w gf/df/veg options and held a good variety. edamame to start, and then a mixture of dishes - warming hotpots and steamed fish, alongside more common dishes such assushiand steamed veg.

the (literal) icing on the cake was the "macrobiotic" dessert section - gf/df/refined sugar free dessert options! my friends often don't get to have dessert when they eat out so this was a real treat - we shared the dark chocolate and white chocolate cakes - delicious, and beautifully served with a tropical compote.

service was prompt and really friendly. i'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys fresh, tasty foods but especially for those with intolerances or allergies, i think you'd find yourself well served here. arigato!

the food here is great! went for a nice birthday dinner, shared a selection of
entrees with my husband and
a slice of the dark chocolate cake, will definitely try out thesushinext time! felt satisfied but not overful, best way to eat!

we have been twice and drive over from parnell....will go again soon. thesushiportions are very generous and filling....the food is tasty and if you want to be sure you are going to get good quality food then i highly recommend it. not chance of having an msg headache the next day. we are very fussy on what we eat and would have no problem in recommending this restaurant.