Joon Dining, PJ - Thokohmakan

[Pork-free] It’s already August, but why does it still feel like Joon? Jokes aside, we checked out the newly-opened Joon Dining in PJ.

Opened by the fine folks behind Damansara Perdana’s Rare the Food Company – Joon serves modern European fare with a touch of Asian influence.

Joon Dining in PJ

Newly opened on 12 July, Joon Dining is located at the b.Land commercial area in Section 51a – which is fast becoming a hub for casual dining.

Joon Dining is open for dinner service daily from 6-11pm (closed on Mondays) – offering an intimate space with limited seats. Hence, reservation is highly advised.

Joon’s kitchen is helmed by chef Tyrell Joon – who trained in Les Amis and Iggy’s.

Joon Dining offers fine food

The menu here is simple. Joon mainly offers sharing plates, with a strong focus on seafood (find salmon trout, tiger prawns, Murotsu Bay Oyster, and baby geoduck among its offerings).

Joon has a very comprehensive wine list as well. However, they do not offer wine by the glass – so we settled for freshly pulled Suntory Gold beer (RM28 for half a pint) instead.

Hokkaido Scallops

We ordered five sharing dishes for the both of us – which kept us satiated by the end of the night.

We were off to an excellent start with the Hokkaido Scallop (RM78) – five plump, fresh mollusks served Escabeche-style (marinated in spicy sauce and served cold).

This was most delicious! The scallops were super fresh and lightly torched to provide some contrast.

The Escabeche sauce is mildly spicy with heat from the chilli flakes, but we particularly enjoyed the tomatoes as they were juicy and adequately tart to complement the juicy scallops. The fried garlic flakes were a lovely touch.

The dish is served with a side of sourdough bread – nicely light and toasted to dip into the sauce.

Baby Geoduck

The Baby Geoduck (RM58) was a nice contrast to the scallops as we found the dish light, sweet and refreshing. The geoduck by itself had a nice tough texture but was not rubbery or hard to chew. The lightness mainly came from the yuzu cream, and bits of citrus and beetroot.

However, we did find the portion a bit underwhelming for the price. It also paled whem compared to the other dishes we had that night.

Spring Water Izumidai

We both agreed that the Spring Water Izumidai (RM48) was the best dish of the night.

Izumidai is essentially a sushi-grade tilapia, but this fish was broiled to perfection – fresh, juicy, and slightly smoky with accents of salt of pepper.

The Parmesan espuma (foam) was buttery and smooth to elevate the dish, and we enjoyed the added texture from the ulam raja crisp and chop poh (preserved vegetables) popcorn.

Vongole Pasta

Our carbs for the evening came in the form of Vongole Pasta (RM48).

This was beautifully done as well – pasta was nicely al-dente but the gravy is given an Asian treatment with the use of Huo Tiao Wine. The Sa Bak clams were huge and incredibly juicy.

Nuri Spiced Mackarel

We ended the night with the Nuri Spiced Mackarel (RM49) – which featured the Nuri Mackarel fillet specially imported from Spain.

The wild-caught mackerel was not just served our of the can as it was pan-seared, and served with delicious salted egg gribiche and walnuts for texture.

Summary

Overall, we really enjoyed the food here at Joon – with the Izumidai, pasta, and scallops being our favourite dishes, in that order.

However, a minor feedback: while the service was attentive and efficient, we felt that it lacked a bit of warmth.

Nevertheless, we would not hesitate to return again to enjoy the wonderfully prepared seafood dishes.

RECOMMENDED!

Joon Dining
Address: LOT 1, b. Land, 2, Jalan 51a/225, Seksyen 51a, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Hours: 6pm-11pm Daily (Closed on Mondays)
Menu: rarethefoodco.store
Phone: 016-848 4257
Reservations: letsumai.com