Japanese Cafe Janken

Usually two things come to mind when speaking of Japanese food. There’s the highly vinegar-y sushi packs with cold, tightly-packed rice from food courts, or there’s the delicate degustation-like eating experiences with ice sculptures and micro-greenery. Janken (pronounced jaang-kehn) is neither of those things. This Jervois Road resident delivers healthy, homemade japanese cuisine; their delicate selection of gozen (or set meals) are a sight to behold, with the crockpot chicken steaming under a tiny flame, the broth clear with a perfect balance of sweet-savouriness which you can scoop out with wooden spoons. The staff are chirpy and helpful with their explanations of homemade pickles and macrobiotic desserts. Did we mention that nearly everything’s gluten-free, and there’s more than one vegan option? Shocking we know. We’re also a fan of how they can bring an aura of warmth and character to the industrial interiors (spot the felt blankets and a hiding Godzilla). The huskies left feeling like they’ve made a friend in this cozy Janken home. Reserve your seat (there ain’t a lot) today, and make sure you stay for their desserts.<br/ <br/ Check out our individual reviews here: husk.co.nz/lunches/janken-july-2019

Booked for 10 people earlier in October for a birthday dinner. Excellent vegan options meant that everyone, including myself could be catered for. Staff were very friendly. Myself and my partner ordered the eggplant steam buns as a starter which were divine and then I ordered the vegan hotpot for a main. Apart from burning myself once it was a delicious meal with a mild broth and delicious vegetables and tofu and I think some kind of dumpling. Only possible gripe I can think of is we had to sit at two tables (6&4) which were positioned slightly apart

What a lovely little gem. We made a booking last minute and got a table on a Friday night. For entrees, we had steamed buns with eggplant and beef tataki. Then we ordered the kimono bowl and lamb steak for dinner. Delicious. Every single bite. We even ventured out to try their sugar free lemon cake for dessert. Overall, the food is fresh and yummy. And the staff were friendly and attentive. Will be coming back again.

Vegan Japanese food. Is there anything better?! We ordered the teriyaki savoury mochi, tofu bao, kumara noodles, soy brûlée and praline ice cream. What a delicious feast. The restaurant is intimate with an outstanding level of service. I want to come here again so I can try the other vegan options available!!!

My favourite thing about the restaurant is the friendly staff they refill your water jug as soon as it's empty and they bring out 3 spoons along with a scoop of ice cream for us to share it is the little touches that make all the difference. They are also smiling all the time. The only complaint I would have is that they only have 3 mains to choose from (besides its vegan and salad choices) and one of them was unavailable so I had to choose from hotpot and fish of the day (which was sashimi) of which I wasn't keen on either and for once in my life ordered a salad due to the lack for choices. However the food itself was of high quality and quite frankly, quite delicious but would've loved it more of I got to choose a dish I wanted.