Jū-Ni | Sushi

Jū-Ni is a fairly young one-Michelin-starred Omakase style sushi restaurant located in San Francisco’s busy Divisadero corridor. Founded by Chef Geoffrey Lee and business partner Tan Truong, the restaurant has won several awards including the San Francisco Rising Star Chef of the Year, and one Michelin star since it opened in 2016.

“Jū-Ni”, which means twelve in Japanese, is named after the number of seats in this bistro. Its segmented, L-shaped sushi bar is designed so that every 4 guests get personalized attention from the chef to meticulously craft and guide them through each course. Their 18-course omakase menu, features fish imported from the famous Tsukiji Market in Japan, is priced at $155, with the opportunity to indulge in extra courses (extra-cost).

We visited Jū-Ni on a Saturday evening with an early seating reservation at 6:00pm.

Once we seated, the chef began his preparation on the first nigiri course of tonight’s menu. He gently brought out the fish from the wooden box stored in the refrigerator below the counter. Then sliced the fish and put to the side, one by one, four at a time.

A tasting of seasonal vegetables with creamy cauliflower puree was served as appetizer, before proceeding to an array of nigiri.

Jaedin Markus Cellars | Sauvignon Blanc | Katana | Ju-Ni Special Barrel

Kinmedai was one of my favorite nigiri of the night. The chef lightly seared the skin side with a butane torch right before serving to bring out the fatty flavor and add some crispy texture.

Spring is Hotaru Ika season. In-season juicy Hotaru Ika topped with green onion and mustard miso sauce… Absolutely delicious!

Ikura topped with shaved frozen Monkfish Paté was another one of my favorites.

**Ikura w/ Ankimo** | *Salmon Roe/ Monkfish Paté*

The Chu Toro was simply delicious.

Lightly torch-seared Zuke Toro topped with Caviar. The presentation of this piece was beautiful. However, I don’t know how much I like the Caviar here as the delicate flavor of the fish was overpowered by the saltiness of the Caviar.

**Zuke Toro w/ Caviar** | *Soy Cured Toro & Caviar*

Unagi was the last fish nigiri on the Omakase menu. The chef carefully topped with the gold leaf flakes before placing it in front of us.

**Shirayaki** | *Fresh Unagi w/ Gold Flake*

We added 2 more pieces from the À la carte menu (extra cost) before moving on to the sweet courses.

**À la carte | Hokkaido Uni** | *Hokkaido Sea Urchin*

**À la carte | Wagyu** | *A5 BM6 12 Kagoshima Beef*

The Tamago nigiri was a bit of disappointment. It was a little too firm and lacked the silky-smooth texture of what I would look for in a good Tamagoyaki.

**Genmaicha Ice Cream with Chocolate Shaving**

At Jū-Ni, every nigiri was served with a glaze of nikiri shoyu/sauce choose by the chef, which was a slightly disappointment. While the sauce is designed to enhance the flavor of the fish, personally I believe that in some cases it’s best to serve the nigiri as it is, without any condiments, to allow the delicate flavors of the fish to stand out.

After all, Jū-Ni was not just about the food. The chef showcased his culinary techniques and finesse in every serving of nigiri throughout the night. Great attention to detail was needed in creating such stunning presentation of each nigiri. We enjoyed the Omakase experience at Jū-Ni.