The Setting: Clear your mind of any images of izakayas you've ever had. Jua kicks the casual, traditional Japanese gastropub experience up a notch, offering indulgence and sake, plenty of it.
Designed by the Hong Kong-based Sean Dix, the shopfront is wood with plenty of green (although the entrance is a tad confusing). Keeping with Dix's minimalist modern style, the ground floor is a white affair with a long and rather profound grey terrazzo bar, which is the theme and includes the stairs leading up to the second floor, making the entire room rather spectacular. The walls are adorned with huge prints of the sake-making process taken by co-owner Jason Lang for the coffee-table book Sake: The History, Stories and Craft of Japan's Artisanal Breweries.
Seating is at the bar, where the chatty bartender, Phil, will make sure you're never thirsty, or at the three or four bar tables. The second floor, still incomplete, has a private dining room and all black walls with colourful posters and photographs, a stark contrast to the downstairs.
From left: Tomato salad; Prawn durian butter.
The Menu
Chef and co-owner Chet Adkins has been cooking Japanese food for 15 years, so his menu is dedicated to Japanese bar food. Adkins' merging international technique with local form make for a delicious integration.
Served in true izakaya style, the food is divided into skewers and sharing plates. It's always good to begin with a fierce heart and dive into the most daunting skewer -- Heart tare (B80). Grilled to perfection with lashes of three-day, house-made yakitori sauce, it only needed a touch of nanami togarashi, the Japanese seven-spice seasoning powder. The Yellowfin poke (B280) had the freshest tuna I've tasted and is beautifully presented, with a generous serving. The Asparagus smoked bacon (B100), house-smoked with tamarind wood, needs no comment because everything is better with bacon!
Chef Adkins ferments Thai plums, a process which takes three months, to make his own vinegar for the Tomato salad (B240). The tart acidity brings out the sweetness of the grape tomatoes, shiso pesto and pickled wasabi stem. Fresh tanginess with the right amount of kick is what hits the palate. All the way from the crystal-clear waters of Tasmania comes the Grilled ocean trout (B350), served with Okinawa sea salt and sake soy.
I am a huge fan of gochuchang, and my fridge is incomplete without it, so I had to order the Pork-belly gochuchang, negi (B120). Grilled over a charcoal fire and fruit wood, the pork is served in proper yakitori style with pepper scallions. The Thigh leek tare (B80) was caramelised perfectly, which make the leeks tender and crunchy at the same time. Tail shio, sake (B80), was a fatty, crispy and juicy rendition of the pope's nose.
I've saved the best for last. My favourite Jua dish is the Prawn durian butter (B220), remarkable considering that I am not a durian lover. Fermented durian is mixed with compounded butter to glaze the prawn, while being grilled. Needless to say, I am a durian devotee when it's served in this form.
From left: Yellowfin poke; Cake Ratchapataen.
Insider's Tip
Jua is named after the space it is in. Formally a gambling house, the "jua" means "turning up a card" in Thai, while playing Siamese Flapjack. As it happens, it is also the Hindi word for "gamble".
"We are two white guys doing Japanese food in Bangkok," says chef and owner Chet Adkins of Jua. In the future, Jua aims to host sake dinners and allow artists to showcase their work.
Jua doesn't take credit cards as yet, so make sure your wallet is bursting.
Not on the menu but a must-order is the dessert -- King's Cake, or Cake Ratchapataen (B280) -- a coffee raisin cake served with sake whipped cream. A favourite of King Rama IX, the original recipe comes straight from the kitchens of the palace.
Value & Verdict
Jua serves the best modern Japanese this side of Charoen Krung, if not the only modern Japanese. The drinks are good, and since it's a sake bar, you're spoilt for choices, especially since six or seven are on offer by the glass. However, the menu presentation needs work. A few tasting notes, maybe? Reasonably priced for the quantity, quality and amount of passion and work put into each dish.
Jua
Japanese
Tue-Sun 6pm-midnight, closes on Monday
672/49 Charoen Krung 28
http://juabkk.com, fb.com/juabangkok
061-558-7689
