Ju Ge Mu & Shimbashi

By Franz Scheurer

Japanese tradition dictates that chefs concentrate on doing one thing perfectly, instead of being average at many things. This is why restaurateur Yunosuki Murai recently opened two separate, restaurants producing widely differing Japanese cuisines, side by side (but under two different names) on Military Road in Neutral Bay. They have different décor and separate entrances, but you can dine in either one and choose from the menu of both restaurants, and chefs, Koji Sano (Ju Ge Mu) and Masahiko Tojo (Shimbashi), are masters of their respective crafts. At Ju Ge Mu, Sano-san oversees the Okonomi-yaki (savoury pancakes) and Teppan-yaki kitchen, preparing grilled foods and including a Teppan-yaki table that diners can sit around to get close to the action. Tojo-san is a master at making the delicate buckwheat soba noodles served at Shimbashi, which also offers traditional Japanese seating and a window display where you can catch the master at work earlier in the day.

The specialisation obviously works, as the food from both kitchens is excellent, each dish honouring Japanese aesthetics in looking like a work of art as well as smelling tantalizing and tasting great. Salty, addictive Edamame (soy beans in their pods) and Soba Chips (crunchy deep-fried noodles) make a great start while you peruse the extensive menu. Traditional dishes like the Agadashi Tofu are superb and the tempura is fresh and crisp. I adore the Oshinko (assortment of Japanese pickles) and the Kimchi (classic Korean pickles). Wagyu beef is served thinly sliced with a dipping sauce, while Aburi Sushi (lightly seared sushi) is one of the best in this city. The Japanese savoury pancake (Okonomi-yaki) is a very pretty dish and although the taste might be a touch on the sweet side for most non-Japanese it paired very well with some of the more savoury dishes and the pickles.

But for me, it’s the perfect soba noodles that are most exciting. It’s hard to go past the delicate flavours of the Kamo Serrio Soba (cold soba served in warm duck broth). I am impressed by the fact that the soba noodles are made on the premises from whole buckwheat, ground in the stone grinder displayed in the window. These perfect noodles are fragile, yet full of flavour. Walk past the restaurant a couple of hours before lunch or dinner and admire chef Tojo-san in full noodle-making flight. It’s a glorious sight. There’s also a page at the back of the menu explaining the virtues of soba and how to eat the noodles correctly.

Sommelier Michiko Kimura has assembled a terrific sake and shochu list, and I think the wine list is exemplary (but then she did consult me on its contents). It’s boutique yet approachable and there’s something there to match all of the widely diverse flavours produced by these two kitchens. Value for money is excellent, especially for the wines and Kimura-san also knows a thing or two about Japanese teas.

Service is deferential, polite and efficient. Some of the staff might be a touch English-challenged but they do know their stuff and if communication is a problem then they know who to ask. This is a restaurant (I mean two restaurants) that is far more than a place to fill your tummy, rather a place to see, smell, taste and enjoy. In one word: superb!

Score: 7.5/10

For more information or bookings:

Jugemu & Shimbashi

246 Military Road

Neutral Bay

Tel.: 02 9904 3011