FOOD 6 | BOROMAG.COM | JUNE 2014 Omakase Story + Images bradley hawks “Ohhhhh, you are going to love the omakase,” LuLu confidently and sweetly proclaims the very second I step past the neon blue glowing waterfall in the entryway. “It is very special, and I think the chef has created something extraordinary”. As she guides me through the bamboo partitioned tables toward a seat near the sushi counter, she continues, “May I get you something to drink like an iced green tea?” I am always astounded that the face at the hostess stand is always someone different, and yet almost always says hello, calling me by name. It is a culture that is reflective of the continent from which this food comes, but also a distinctive trait of the staff at JJ’s Asian fusion in Astoria. From the warm greeting to the line of chefs chiming goodbye in unison, it never feels fake or efforted—100% genuine. The same goes for the food at JJ’s, which has been one of my favorite sushi destinations for several years. The modest space has grown in many ways since its inception. Aptly named JJ’s Asian Fusion, this cozy restaurant unassumingly tucked on 31st Avenue features an oftentimes French culinary approach to a marriage of a multiplicity of Pan-Asian cuisines. The restaurant’s namesake, J.J. Lin, brings both her Shanghainese heritage and training at the French Culinary Institute to create an artistic array of dishes that dexterously satisfy both sushi purists and fusion enthusiasts. For several years the location was a take-out noodle shop called JJ’s Grand Tofu, but nearly a decade ago was transformed into the current restaurant by J.J. and her husband, Richard Lin. Within the past few years Phil Chen has taken over the kitchen as Executive Chef. And although my gut instinct is to order a steamer of dimsum and some koosh-ball shaped shumai—the noodles spring out from the meatballs like a sea anemone—I sigh and refrain, knowing that very soon I will be diving into a carefully and lovingly orchestrated omakase tasting with which the chef has been experimenting for a long time. Yesterday was the day he introduced it to the public, and so I wanted to be one of the first to try out his masterpiece.
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