Review of 'J2 Grill & Sushi'

I was in Dublin to attend an event at the Dublin convention centre and, as you might expect, looking for somewhere in the area to have dinner rather than the somewhat basic options available in the convention centre itself. On my way in in the morning I spotted the rather funky glass structure of “J2 Grill & Sushi” so, hoping for the best, I decided to give it a try for lunch.

Interior

The small interior of J2 is jammed with tables and early in the evening (just after 6 pm) it was very busy though many looked to be from the convention. There are a number of fairly colourful menus and options written on the walls that did cause a bit of confusion even when ordering. The menu(s) are divided into typical Japanese sections: Bento Box, Udon (fried and soup), Sides, Sushi and various set menus for both lunch (sushi combo €9.50) and dinner (2 courses €15.95, 3 courses €19.95).

Crispy Spider

It did take some time to get the attention of anyone on the staff throughout my visit but eventually I chose the “Daily Deluxe Bento” (€15.50; when I visited featuring teriyaki pork and squid) which included miso soup as well as the “Crispy Spider” (€6.95). My soup eventually arrived (well ahead of my meal) and was quite disappointing - Very little flavour and tasted like something out of a packet. The “Crispy Spider”, which arrived about 15 minutes later, turned out to be a single tempura soft shell crab on a small bed of rocket though with a delicious topping - Fresh and perfectly crispy though perhaps a bit over-priced.

Daily Deluxe Bento

The bento, when it did arrive, was quite disappointing - Four small pieces of maki (sushi), two with tuna and two with crab; a small serving of deep-fried squid rings (seriously, are we in a pub?); a few pieces of pork drowned in teriyaki sauce, though, to be honest, it could have been any meat so powerful was the sauce; and a small number of edamame still in their shell (hardly something to be eating as part of a meal – better as a starter or something to eat with a drink). Oddly I had to even request wasabi. In any case, seriously disappointing for a “daily deluxe” meal and also seriously overpriced.

After another 15 minutes I was brought my bill which came to €22.45 which did not include a service charge.

So, despite a somewhat promising menu I found the visit quite disappointing. Service was atrocious - Yes it was busy but I counted at least three people serving the 20-ish tables so surely they can handle that number of tables? Food was OK but I would not order off of the a-la-carte but go with the special menus which are a far better bargain. Having said that, I suspect there are far better options for Japanese food in Dublin…

Rating: “Average, but who wants to be average?”

Review Date: 2019-08-15


Cuisine: Japanese

Address: Unit A, The Campshires North Wall Quay, IFSC Dublin, Ireland

Location: Dublin (Ireland)

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Telephone: +353 1 791 9759

URL: http://www.j2sushi.com/