JC Sakura , the Japanese/Thai flavour restaurant opened recently and you know Sault Review had to be there to find out what the buzz is.
First off, hate the location. It's far in the East End and should be downtown or uptown, close to tourism and more customers. But there it is stuck in the East, there is no other accommodation nearby in the revamped Roger's Video building. Secondly, parking sucks because they are sharing with the Metro lot.
The Review
When you first walk in, the restaurant is clean with clear sight lines and new decor. Unlike Shogun, you're not crammed into small tables; this restaurant is spacious and airy. A perfect combination for enjoying an all-you-can-eat Sushi joint. And the dishes aren't plastic, they're porcelain.
Their menu is simple; however, it isn't small. What JC Sakura offers that differs from Shogun are more entrees, a variety of soups and salads as well as sushi. If you've never eaten at Shogun, I'll enlighten you. Shogun offers personalized and bite size rolls, easy to eat and not just sushi either. JC Sakura also offers the same style of ordering: they provide you with a paper to write in the codes for each item on the menu and as soon as you're done creating a mouth watering feeding frenzy, a waiter/waitress snatches up your menu items and in five minutes, your feast begins. A word to the not-so-wise: do NOT just start ordering. Even though the portions are small, ordering five or six of them can be extremely filling. My advice is to try three dishes this time, try three next time and three more the next time until you've had their entire menu, which is absolutely delicious...I already know what I'm going to try next time.
Taste! Mmmmm, their salmon maki is succulent; spicy butterfish is to die for! They also offer larger rice bowls, pad thai with your choice of chicken, beef or shrimp and salads. The tempura pieces are larger, and they also offer a variety tempura platter as well, so if you're not sure which one to settle for you can try that - contains 8 pieces. True to form, the Maitre'd monitors your every bite to see your facial expressions when you've tasted his food.
The price is very reasonable, $12.95 for lunch and worth every penny. If you've never been, do visit JC Sakura and enjoy the taste of the Orient coast today!
Sault Review gives two thumbs up and 4 stars.
