Food Review: South Elgin’s JuRin still hot and sizzling
Chef Juan of Ju Rin prepares savory Japanese Teppanyaki style dishes on a Hibachi grill. “I’m a little nervous about this food review,” said Chef Juan.
March 8, 2016
Leave the takeout behind. JuRin is much, much more than your typical Japanese restaurant
Since its opening in South Elgin in 2004, JuRin Sushi and Teppan has been serving traditional Japanese cuisine with just the right touch of modern flair. With an expansive sushi bar and a dining room full of family seating and Hibachi-style grill tables, this Randall Road classic will leave you happy and wanting more if you are looking for a higher end meal.
When we were first sat down at a table, we had to wait for the rest of our party to arrive before we could order dinner; while we waited, we decided to order an appetizer and drinks so that we would just be taking up seating.
We decided to whet our appetites with a plate of Kakiage, or as the menu calls them, “Japanese pancakes.” Do not be fooled, however; these are battered and fried clusters of vegetables served with a sweet and sour sauce. The saltiness coupled with the sweet sauce made this a great, light start to our experience.
This amazing beginning to our meal did not keep us from noticing that our first waitress was showing us very passive aggressive service for the first fifteen minutes that we waited. She barely spoke to us and stared us down from a “safe” distance. Though we were moved out of her section once the rest of our group arrived, I will not lie and say that I did not find this initially service unnecessary and, to be blunt, unprofessional.
Lucky for us, our service only improved as the night went on. Our Hibachi chef, Juan, handled his grilling like a professional using his utensils to flip, fling, sizzle and slide our food from his grill to our plates quickly and cleanly.
In addition, the waitress assisting us was on point in her service, bringing out drinks as quickly as they would go.
Our meal began with a bowl of miso soup, salad with ginger dressing, a California roll and a shrimp sushi piece for each of us. The soup arrived at a perfect temperature and was immediately enjoyable, with a light savory quality about it. To counter it, the ginger dressing on the salad provided a unique sweetness that cooled us down for the California roll and shrimp sushi, both of which were rather typical sushi fare.
Chef Juan prepared the rest of the meal on the Hibachi grill at our table with flourish. Between the three of us in our party we shared fried rice, seared vegetables, teriyaki sesame chicken, teppan shrimp and grilled filet mignon with lobster tail served with spicy mustard and ginger sauce.
Being served to us fresh and hot, it came as no surprise that the rice and vegetable mix was prepared excellently. To sweeten the deal, each of us had enough of both to last us throughout the entire meal.
The teriyaki sauce on the sesame chicken provided a sweet glaze, but overall the meat was just a tad dry. We recommend using the ginger sauce provided to enhance the sweetness and give the meat some juice.
The tappan shrimp was available in three varieties: hibachi, garlic and egg yolk. Our party decided to get the garlic version and was not disappointed. The shrimp was coated with some kind of batter, and the hint of garlic helped bring the rice and the vegetables together on the plate.
Above all, the stars of our meal were the filet and lobster tail, both of which were cooked and seasoned perfectly. The steak hit a perfect middle ground between chewiness and juiciness and the lobster managed to keep a good bite to it without being too buttery. Eating the two side-by-side was more than we could have hoped for in a meal.
After all our plates had been cleared, we cleansed our palates with a bit of JuRin’s mango ice cream, which made for a lovely cool down at the end of a well-enjoyed meal.
JuRin Sushi and Teppan restaurant receives 4.75 out of 5 stars from us. The quality of the food and atmosphere, as well as the overall entertaining service, makes it well worth the price of a meal, even if it can be on the expensive side for your typical college student. It comes with our highest recommendation.
JuRin in South Elgin at 588 Randall Rd and can be contacted at 847-488-1290. For the Geneva restaurant, head to 17720 S. Randall Rd or call 630-262-9590. Happy eating!
