Jun I understands the essential factor: offer high quality Japanese cuisine. Their talented chef, who uses her passion for culinary art and new trends, and the freshness and delicacy of the food leave no doubt on the reputation of Jun I. The marriage of styles harmonizes with an impressive wine list and a nice variety of saké. In addition, a tasting menu is available so you can sample a little bit of everything. Enjoy a unique experience in a warm and intimate setting at one of the largest Japanese tables in Montreal.
Overall, Jun I is described as a premier sushi destination with exceptionally fresh fish, standout uni and omakase that many reviewers rate as among the best in Montreal. The atmosphere is frequently praised as lively yet intimate, with warm and attentive service that adds to the experience, though a few reviews note slower or uneven pacing at high prices. Many guests highlight creative dishes and careful preparation, such as expertly prepared nigiri, sashimi and seasonal courses, and some call it the best sushi in the city or even Canada. A minority mention that some courses can be over spiced or overly salty and that portions or value may not fully match expectations given the price, while others report consistently excellent quality across the menu. In sum, Jun I is viewed as an impressive, high end sushi experience ideal for special occasions, with caveats about price and occasional service pacing.
Quel fabuleux festin!
L'omekase: pétoncles tendres, pieuvre un peu trop piquante, poisson blanc délicieux, palourdes tellement fraîches.
Les nigiris, sashimis & makis extraordinairement délicieux.
Nous aurions aimé un peu plus de dessert au chocolat blanc, tellement fantastique!
Service was weird I felt uncomfortable I had to ask if we had received everything as he was picking up my wine glass , & we were missing half the meal , the sashimis Wich are usually served first arrived last & were warm & cooked by the lime sliced because it stayed on the counter for so long , taste wise the makis were delicious
We ate here last night & overall enjoyed the entire meal. The kitchen staff is very talented & it is obvious in the output. They generally showed better than the front of house. We decided to order the omakase menu as the best way to try the most dishes & get a sense of the restaurant.
Here is the menu we had last night:
Asari kinoko
Palourdes, jus de palourde, tomates, fenouil, pleurottes royales, huile de poireau.
Clams, clam juice, tomatoes, fennel, king oyster mushrooms, leek oil
A fantastic little starter course served with a small bowl of marinated daikon radishes. The clams were perfectly cooked. It seems a bit weird to eat tomatoes this late in the season.
Hotate crudo
Pétoncles kobujime au gin Ungava, betteraves jaunes, vinaigrette au yuzu, huile de coriandre
Ungava gin kobujime scallops, golden beets, yuzu dressing, cilantro oil
This was my wife's favorite course. I loved it too. The scallops were delicious. The flavors complemented each other well. I felt the cilantro was a bit overbearing in the dish. (& yes, I do like cilantro)
Shiromi
Poisson blanc du jour mariné au shio koji, courge musquée, babaganoush d'aubergines asiatiques, myoga
Shio koji marinated white fish of the day, butternut squash, Asian eggplants babaganoush, myoga
I like this dish quite a bit. But I wish the wait staff had explained all the components rather than just dropping it at the table after saying it was white fish with eggplant. The chef is far more poetic in his wording & it would have enhanced the meal to see the eggplant was an Asian version of babaganoush. Reading it today, I now have a better picture of the dish & that would have added to the experience.
Tako
Pieuvre marinée au sel de Kombu & grillée, radicchio, piments shishito, pommes de terre, choux de Bruxelles, suprêmes d'orange, sauce yaki & ail noir
Kombu salt marinated & grilled octopus, radicchio, shishito peppers, potatoes, brussels sprouts, orange supreme, yaki & black garlic sauce
This is another course where the wait staff could have better explained the dish rather than simply drop at the table with only a few words. Black garlic was never mentioned & it is a key ingredient. It was a fantastic use of Fall ingredients. Bravo to the chef.
Omakase de Junichi San
Assortiment de nigiris, sashimis & makis : 15 mcx / personnel
A very nice selection of beautiful seafood presented well. We added uni & were thankful that our main server explained the difference between the taste & textures of the west coast versus east coast uni (oursin) choices. The tempura roll with a sort of salmon tartare on top was out of this world - the kind of dish I would have eaten a second plate of. The hand roll served alongside was incredible too.
I forget all the components of the dessert. Overall it had a very beautiful fall feel to it. The apples & salted caramels were great. My only complaint would have been to have fewer flavors competing for attention by my palate. I like fewer flavors & allow the ones present to shine more brightly. But I am nitpicking.
PROS: great food, beautiful dining room, good staff.
CONS: I mean this as constructive criticism to the dining room manager. The service does not match the quality level of the food. Service was done a bit too fast with plates being brought the second after we finished one course. I hate being rushed through a tasting menu. I want to savor every flavor & relax. I wish they had printed a copy of the omakase menu & left it at the table if the wait staff is unable to describe all the nuances of the dish when presenting it to us. So many descriptions were left out. I also wish the server would pour less when refilling our glasses - but that is a personal preference.
Jun I had a nice ambiance & the cocktails were very well made! The staff was courteous & understood the menu well enough to make good recommendations while being considerate of the prices.
The appetizers were okay, but the real stars of the show were the maki rolls. The fish was high quality & you can tell they took good care in preparing each piece.
The pace that each course was brought was great & it allowed us enough time enjoy each course without having to rush through it!
Overall, a nice experience & would recommend for a date or for some good quality Japanese cuisine.
We had the omakase & was really underwhelmed by the experience. I have had omakase around the world & this was the first time I've had to share dishes with my dining partner. The portion sizes were small but ok for omakase I guess, but for 2 people to share a tiny 2 oz portion of black cod was both awkward & comical. I rather you charge me a little more & give me a proper dish on my own. Very weird plating choice, especially coming out of a pandemic. I dined here today with my cousin, but if I was taking a client out it would have been really weird to share those tiny dishes. The flavour & actual dishes were pretty good. The whelks with apples had a nice balance of acid & sweet. We really enjoyed the grilled octopus & nori paste. Smokey & full of umami. The black cod was well cooked but really tiny. The dessert was delicious, seasonal strawberry & rhubarb with a nice light sabayon. But the worst part of the meal was the sushi. Really disappointed. Aside from a pretty good tuna roll, everything else was just blah. First of all, I would not expect Maki rolls & creamy stuff on a omakase menu. I was expecting high quality sushi nigiri. Some of the creamy mayo stuff crab & scallop & some fried sushi roll was just gross. The fish was not sliced uniformly. Service was ok, friendly but not very intuitive. I had finished my beer after second course & was going to order more saké. But server didn't ask about another drink until we were halfway done the sushi course, by then I said forget it, not spending more money here. I had high hopes for this place & there were definitely some winners but overall was underwhelming & would not go back or recommend.
C'est un immense plaisir de déguster les plats de ces chefs. Les makis sont tous délicieux. On peut tout essayer, c'est frais & plein de goût.
Le service est rapide & très chaleureux.
J'y retournerai avec un grand plaisir.
Les mets à emporter, tout aussi délicieux.
MERCI!
May 25, 2022
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Y a de bons restos de sushi. Y en a d’excellents. Mais ici, on côtoie le firmament. La salade d’algues en entrée est une harmonie de saveurs délicates merveilleusement présentée. J’ai fait suivre du saumon épicé & du « Funny maki », qui furent tout aussi remarquables. Le service est cordial & efficace, malgré une salle bondée, & on sait suggérer le saké approprié pour accompagner le tout. L’ambiance était chaleureuse & aucunement snobinarde, malgré que l’on fût dans un coin très BCBG de la ville.
Bref, une adresse à retenir quand on veut se dorloter.
For me, Jun I is simply Montreal’s #1 sushiya. They master their textures far better than any of their local peers, the knife skills as well as the sourcing is simply a cut above anyone else in town. Even the rice, an aspect that is usually an afterthought at many local sushiyas is, of course, treated with care here. Many sushiyas I liked, in Montreal, are now either closed or have opted for the more popular Americanized type of sushis, which makes of Jun I one of the very rare places where you’ll get some genuinely crafted sushis. BUT you can also enjoy the fun of their East/West fusion fares as well as their few makis which won’t fail to please the ‘not too traditionalist’ sushi fans.
