Deep fried school prawns $10.50
Barely three months old, Hana-JuRin is a new kid on the block in Crows Nest’s restaurant strip along Pacific Highway. Not quite new actually because older sister restaurant Ju-Rin is only a few doors down the road keeping a watchful eye on its new sibling.
It is Saturday night and a late decision see us make a booking at 8.30pm with our friend Teoh.
Caeser salad $13.50
Our entree of “caeser” salad is one of my favourite Japanese paraphrase of the original Caesar salad. Fine nori shards, parmesan and a sharp wasabi mayonnaise bring the flavours of fresh salad leaves to life.
Vinaigrette octopus $14.50
The vinaigrette octopus is at its freshest where delicately sliced shallots and daikon mash soak up a tangy vinagrette. The chewy texture of the octopus ensures a prolonged taste sensation in the mouth.
Bream Creek Pinot Noir (BYO $6.50 per bottle)
Being the wine connoisseur that he is, Teoh brings a beautiful cool-climate pinot noir from Tasmania.
Overlooking Marion Bay in the south-east region of Tassie, Bream Creek is a perfect middle-of-the-road choice for the dishes we order.
Vinaigrette octopus $14.50
Each morsel of the tangy octopus have taste sensations dancing on our palettes.
Deep fried school prawns $10.50
Newer restaurants in Sydney seem to embrace deep fried school prawns on their menu and Hana-JuRin seems to have jumped onto the wagon as well. Their take is a slightly saltier version which I did not mind because it brought out the flavours of the fresh little shrimps.
Wagyu tenderloin (medium rare as recommended) $29.00
A wagyu tenderloin arrives at medium rare with grilled baby carrots and corn. We were suprised that the meat was resting on top of a thin slice of white bread. As we progressed with this dish, the white bread comes into view where it is soaked with the juices from the meat. We were later told by our friendly waiter and manager, Yuki Takai the juice ladened bread can be toasted on the teppanyaki grill for a crunchy finale to the beef.
Amuse bouche - tuna sashimi
A suprise mid-meal amuse bouche of diced tuna sashimi with julienne daikon and cucumber arrives perhaps to appease a delayed Japanese fried rice.
Teppanyaki fried rice in the making
The deft skills of the teppanyaki chefs are on full display in the open dining room of the restaurant.
Fried rice $11.00
The fried rice with egg and roasted sesame seeds has charred flavour and rounded off our meal beautifully.
Hana-JuRin
There is a minimum spend of $30.00 per person at Hana-JuRin. Although we note our wagyu tenderloin was charged $34.80 presumably to comply with this condition, we found great value in this restaurant as we felt nicely fed from the dishes we ordered. The service was hospitable and would highly recommend a return.
Related post by ChopinandMysaucepan:
Hana-JuRin
Shop 1, 300 Pacific Highway
Crows Nest 2065
New South Wales
(02) 9966 5833
Bream Creek Vineyard
Fred Peacock, Vigneron
GPO Box 2020
Hobart, Tasmania 7001
Tel: +61 419 363 719
Email: fred@breakcreekvineyards.com.au
The nori with the Caesar salad is a great idea. I’m definitely going to try adding that to my next one that I make at home.
Hi Carolyn,
Another suprise ingredient they add to the salad is corn flakes in their sister restaurant. I’m not sure why it wasn’t added in this new restaurant although the salad was still good but even better with the crispy corn flakes.
Gosh, the food does look very good. I work near the area and am always confused about where to go, so thanks for the recommendation.
Although, this would have to be a dinner place for me to justify the price.
Hi thang, another good Japanese is Sushiya on the other side of Artarmon train station and I’m pretty sure they are open for lunch. Great value!
The wagyu beef make me drool and I like the Japanised version of Caesar salad too, wasabi mayo sounds great…!
Hi Cooking gallery, both dishes were equally spectacular
Beautiful post! I especially liked the prawns :o)
Hi Kay, each prawn was a mouthful of crunchy flavour
The food looks amazing and the pictures are fantastic and mouthwatering. It is a little far from where we are, but I don’t mind driving a little bit for good quality food!
Hi Manu, time it so that you can go there for lunch and make use of the afternoon wandering around the North Sydney markets.
that caesar salad looks great…i love wasabi mayo! have visited jurin numerous times and i love it (esp for lunch when they have lunch special too)…looks like ill have to visit hana jurin when i return to sydney!!
Hi Vivienne, if you have been to Jurin, you would not be disappointed with Hana-JuRin.
Very interesting and different food!
Hi Maris, definitely worth checking out if you happen to be in Sydney
I have always been curious about the two restaurants. As everyone raves about Jurin, but I always get sided tracked by Malabar.
Hi Dumpling Girl, so far, we have had good experience in both Jurins. The manager Yuki is particularly helpful in guiding the menu.
That Caesar salad blows my mind! I want, I want!
Hi Hannah, we really enjoyed the caesar and their sister restaurant serves it with corn flakes too
Not a fan of places with a minimum price charge but the food does look delicious and your shot of the vinaigrette octopus is enough for me to take the plunge and head here some time in the future. The offerings seem a little above the generic choices of most Japanese restaurants, so perhaps the price is validated. Your photography is absolutely gorgeous, btw.
Hi Jenny, I think the $30 minimum price per head is reasonably acceptable for this particular restaurant.
If anything, it also demonstrates how competitive quality dining in Sydney is becoming where customers may get away with a great meal under $30. I will support restaurants that charge a minimum spend on condition quality and freshness are assured. It also demonstrates the restaurant’s commitment to their customers.
Hi C & MSP! You know what, if I live there, this will be my favorite restaurant. They serve everything I like, and in a new twist modern way. The vinaigrette octopus is one of my favorite. I should go get octopus sashimi in Japanese market to make this! Was it in Ponzu sauce or something different? I got craving for this!
Hi Nami, the octopus is also one of my favourites because it is so very fresh! Yes, it is in the traditional Ponzu sauce which is how it should be.
Mmmmmmmmm! Is there something better than when Japanese cooking meets haute cuisine??? I’d definitely have ordered the octopus! 😀 And I also love wakame in salads.
Wow the Caesar salad certainly looks interesting! I love the idea of having a slice of bread to soak up all the meaty juices from the wagyu, did you get them to toast it on the grill for you in the end?
Hi Kath, Japanese cuisine is one of my favourites when the restaurant is good and there are quite a few good ones in Sydney!
Hi Jacq, unfortunately we already took a few nibbles on the white bread and thought it was inappropriate if we asked for it to be toasted. They did mention they will inform customers in future about the bread.