At this point in my food writing career, it’s safe to say that I’ve been to a hell of a lot of restaurants. Most of them are special in their own little ways, some of them will never be spoken of, and only a select few have resonated with me on a cosmic level. This resonance has happened a handful of times, and it usually makes me feel a sense of instant comradery with the person who has prepared such emotionally powerful food.
My most recent experience with cosmic resonance came during dinner at Junah, Central Ninth’s cozy Japanese-Italian fusion spot that opened earlier this year. I simply cannot get this place off my mind.
Junah is owned and operated by Chefs Felipe Oliveira and Hiro Tagai, who previously gifted North Salt Lake with Koyote. For my money, Koyote is serving up the best local ramen you can get at the moment, so these two chefs are making all kinds of moves. The chefs based the concept of Junah on the Japanese culinary genre of itameshi, which translates to “Italian food.” It’s a trend that saw Japanese chefs apply local flavor to traditionally Italian dishes, and today, itameshi restaurants continue to be popular.
The menu at Junah is arranged in a way that encourages a three-course meal, which I would definitely recommend. My friend and I started with the buffalo burrata arancini ($11) and the tartare di manzo ($18). I’ve never met an arancini that I didn’t like, and this opulent orb of risotto surrounding a decadent buffalo burrata was glorious.
Like so much of the menu at Junah, the contrasting Italian and Japanese references are plated perfectly together. The arancini was topped with ponzu ikura, which is salmon roe in a citrusy sauce, and plated on top of a dark nori cream. Arancini have a tendency to lean into the richness of their starchy, cheesy filling, but the ikura and nori cream added a fresh, briny acidity to the dish that enhanced the core flavors.
Tartare di manzo is beef tartare, a dish that I have been thoroughly enjoying as of late—Utah has some excellent beef providers, and the beef tenderloin at Junah is quite lovely. It’s served atop cubes of potato pavé, which are created from thin slices of potato stacked into a block and then fried to a light crisp on the exterior. The dish also comes with a light, airy parmigiano foam that adds just a whisper of salinity to the beef, thus enhancing its natural flavors.
The primi courses are where you’ll find Junah’s pasta dishes, and it’s here that you get to see that fusion between Japanese and Italian flavors deepen a bit. A good example of this is the tonnarelli al mentaiko ($23), which tops a tangle of firm, slightly chewy tonnarelli noodles with mentaiko, a pollock roe that is blended into the sauce. It’s accompanied by a few plump sun-dried tomatoes, and it’s a singular experience. The roe imparts a rich, briny flavor to the sauce that contrasts nicely with the acidic tomato. I could see this perhaps not being for everyone, but it was one of the most memorable and delicious pasta dishes I’ve had in a long time.
My friend ordered the gnocchi alla aragosta ($31), which was prepared with lobster bisque. What you realize when the dish arrives is that the lobster bisque has been baked into a fine-mesh crisp and served over a moderately huge pile of gnocchi and lobster chunks. When you shatter the crisp into the gnocchi, it adds the creamy lobster bisque flavors to the pasta. I am always a sucker for gnocchi, and this was very much up my alley.
Options for secondi are few, which typically means they’ve all been given some loving attention in the kitchen. I went with the merluzzo Atlantico al miso ($36), Atlantic cod served with baby bok choy and cauliflower cream; my friend ordered the pancetta al brasato con polenta ($35), which is braised pork belly served on polenta. Each dish occupies a polar opposite position within Junah’s flavor spectrum. On one end, you have the light, flaky cod with a caramelized miso crust, its delicate flavor and texture bolstered by the surprisingly rich cauliflower cream and a dollop of mujjol caviar. It’s a breezy, summery dish that is perfect for our recent scorching evenings.
The autumnal, stick-to-your-bones vibes of the pork belly, meanwhile, can be found at the opposite end of the spectrum. One look at that gorgeously braised pork belly with its red wine glaze and an enormous helping of polenta, and you know you’re going to need a nap later. Though it’s a rich, comforting plate of food, nothing about it was overly heavy. Indeed, the balance on both of the entrees was impeccable.
The menu at Junah is definitely worth further study, as it’s taking some ballsy risks that are thus far paying off very nicely. I’ve also got to say that the service, ambiance and prices were excellent complements to such a hot little menu. Junah feels like a watershed moment in Utah’s dining scene, and fans of bold local restaurants should definitely have this spot on their radar.
Dining and Cooking