Jun’s: A Gastronomical Fanfare

The newly launched brand in Dubai under the wings of Chef Kelvin Cheung boasts of tasty, trendy, unique and no-flair experience

The Boulevard in Downtown Dubai is no ordinary address. Flaunty and exquisite in appearance, some of the city’s best restaurants are perched on its walkway. When I heard of Jun’s opening earlier this month there, I was intrigued to have a look-see at the menu. Described as Asian and North American in its profile, would it be any different from the dishes we see in this gastronomical capital of the world?

We landed at the restaurant a little later than expected and were glad because the buzz began then with people arriving for dinner and the DJ playing on the background. The first thing that I noticed was the noir interior – bold and classy. High brown and black polished ceilings with wood, marble and white brick walls interiors resonate a very chic effect, and soft yellow lamp pendants suspending from the ceilings play a very effective role in creating a vibrant décor.

The restaurant is divided into two seating areas; one that has open tables, and the other part is for big gatherings and more private in nature. In between these two areas is the open kitchen and a small chef’s table nestled next to it on a higher area for an interactive private experience with the chef.

We were seated in the open area and were soon greeted by Head Chef Kelvin Cheung. We chatted for a while about Jun’s opening in Dubai. ‘It’s been just two months,’ he quips. And it was amazing to see the crowd flowing in in just this time since opening.

Award-winning chef Cheung is a renowned name in Canada, Chicago and India (where he spent a decade in Mumbai), and I believe I heard Vietnam too. He described that each dish in the curated menu was his journey from places he lived in and the experience he had since childhood. Without much ado, he started to personally bring dishes to the table. And it wasn’t just us. Chef Cheung was doing the same with each table at the restaurant. Personalisation is the key and everyone at Jun’s understands this.

‘Scallop and Corn’ is an entrée and the first dish of the day. Made with Hokkaido scallop, corn puree, yuzu kosho and crispy rice, the warm starter was influenced by the concept of peaches and cream. Crispy, creamy and flavourful.

For the next dish, Chef Cheung leveraged on the influence Mexican food had during his college days. This dish at Jun’s is called ‘Salmon Tartar’. Served with charred avocado, agua de chile, sesame and salmon on nori crackers, its crackling to say the least. Very zesty and fresh, and perfectly complements a summer evening.

Chef Cheung is North American, but his ancestry is Chinese. And there is a defining Asian influence in most of his dishes. With the ‘Rainbow Heirloom Carrots’, he tells us how the dish is influenced by cream cheese and bagels and discovered by his mum in Canada and what he ate for most part of his life. This dish is a healthy alternative to that. The bagels have been replaced with carrots, and the cheese with labneh and walnut spread. Served on toasted bread and you get a winner.

There are cute little side dishes that you can likely miss out because you may want to try more ‘exotic’ food, but I definitely suggest the bread and hot honey butter combo. It’s a plate of Vietnamese Banh Mi filled with fermented garlic and served with hot honey chilli butter. This is my version of ‘no one can eat just one’.

But this is not all. The swanky ambience, excellent service, healthy and tasty food, great options for vegans and vegetarians makes Jun’s a definite place to try out. Chef Kelvin Cheung firmly believes in preserving nature’s bounty for future generations and is committed to sustainable seafood and seasonal products.