Junz Teriyaki & BBQ

This one is for TanyaS who is always nice enough to let me know when She sees something "new".

It looks like North Park now has a plate lunch shop. Junz Teriyaki & BBQ opened in the beginning of July, and all it took was the mention of the word "Loco Moco" courtesy of an email from Tanya to get me in the front door of Junz.

If I recall, this was a Gyros & Fried Chicken Shop. But man, it's sure been "prettied up"(is there such a phrase?).

And, if you really need it, you can still get a Gyros or Falafel Sandwich...with a side order of Spam Musubi.

So what did I get? Well, being the consistent (a nice way of saying predictable) guy I am, I got the Loco Moco ($5.95). On the menu it's the "Loco Moco Hawaiian" which I think is kinda, well insulting...perhaps it should be the Hawaiian Style Loco Moco? This was the first of many signs that perhaps this was just another attempt at cashing in on "Hawaiian BBQ". The next indicator was when the Loco Moco arrived:

What the heck? I had not read the part that said, "Gravy Teriyaki Sauce".....actually it was just teriyaki sauce. I did enjoy the egg, which was a very Bi-Bim-Bap-ish perfect, and for the price expected the preformed hamburger patty, which was unexpectedly cut into 4 pieces. But the rest of this was a train wreck. From the teriyaki sauce to the mixed peas, corn, and carrots mixed into the rice...to the soggy iceberg lettuce, to the mushy rice, this wasn't very good.

At least the Teriyaki Sauce wasn't overly sweet. This was just a bit strange. Just one more thing, on the menu it says "Hamburger Patties" and "Eggs". Last time I checked, those are plurals, as in "more than one".

Not that I need to do any additional damage to my cholesterol level......but perhaps this should be fixed in future editions of the menu? I'm still trying to figure out which "Island" this "Style" of Loco Moco is from. And here I thought that the Loco Moco that Kat posted about was a bit odd!

Still, that egg was mighty good, and in some very strange way I really wanted to like this place. I liked the decor, and the ladies are very nice. So I decided to give it another go. This time, because of the that egg, I thought perhaps there was some Korean roots to the food, and thought that perhaps the Spicy Chicken Teriyaki($6.95) would be a good item to try. I mean, a nice Dak Bulgogi style chicken with Kochujang for a tad of heat.

It was not to be, it was just "spiked" teriyaki sauce, on top of fast-foodish, food courtish, chicken. The 1 scoop of rice, was cooked perfectly this time, and the macaroni salad was a bit too runny, but tasted fine.

There was very little to separate this stuff from what you'd get at generic shopping mall food court...you know, the "same chicken, different sauce" syndrome. Perhaps I should have had a Spam Onigiri (Falafel Sandwich?).

It's kind of a bummer. Like I said, the ladies working here are really nice, and the place is sparkling clean and bright. As I looked at the take-out menu, I noticed that this place is run by the folks who own North Park Sushi & Grill across the street, and Hanaoka Japanese Restaurant, which I understand has been in National City forever. The menu has items like Saimin, Gyoza, Hummus(!), and Teriyaki in several forms. Maybe someone can tell me what I need to order from Junz!

Junz Teriyaki & BBQ
3010 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am - 9pm

Thanks for letting me know when you see something you think I'd be interested in Tanya!

Comments

[kat]

eew, mushy rice and teriyaki sauce...too bad it wasn't the real deal.

[Kathy]

Oh man, that sounds like a loco moco disaster, mushy peas, teriyaki sauce and all...but for all it's worth, plates like this make you appreciate home all the more! ^_^

[sharon]

Sounds like it has potential but they're trying to tackle a lot of cuisines at once....gyros, Hawaiian, Mediterranean...I do want a bowl of saimin though!

[janfrederick]

Bummer about the loco moco. Iceberg?

[Bri]

Meh. That's too bad. Sorry Kirk. I wonder why its so hard for places to make good Loco Moco?

In any case, Hanaoka used to make good Tonkatsu. Maybe this place makes a good chicken katsu plate lunch?

[foodhoe]

I missed something - what was it about the egg that made you think Korean? I admire your perseverence too!

[Pat]

This place is owned by the same folks that own North Park Sushi across the street...you're dead on with your review -- I WANT it to be good, but it just isn't. The gyoza here are among the worst I've ever had. The fact that I could have had Dao Son's gyoza for just another 3 minutes in the car makes the experience almost criminal...

Have you tried Vo's Cafe a little further west on University? It's a hole in the wall, but it's CH-E-E-E-E-A-P and decent.

[rodry]

That patty doesn't look too good. Magic meat. Need a big juicy grilled one.

[Busby SEO challenge]

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[Kirk]

Hi Kat - It was not very good....

Hi Kathy - Yes, it does make me miss home.

Hi Sharon - I think they decided to keep some of the dishes from the previous restaurant in that location. Not necessarily a good thing.

Hi Jan - Yes, iceberg lettuce.....

Hi Bri - Thanks for the suggestion, they do have katsu on their menu.

Hi FH - That egg looked like it belonged in Bi Bim Bap...and the two ladies that work there.

Hi Pat - Still haven't made it to Vo's yet, but I will, soon.

Hi Rodry - LOL! For that price I did expect what you called "magic meat" (I love it!) But it was not a very good dish.

Hi KFP - I'm glad that food blogs have added to your enjoyment of life.

[jyuichi]

I went there today, the tonkatsu was pretty mediocre and I couldn't figure out what the theme was either.