I have to admit that the decision to write about this restaurant did not come easily to me. Not least because the seating is so limited, with only three tables inside and the option of sitting at the bar. However, the great food on offer makes a table at Japanese Kitchen by J2 Sushi worthy of a wait.
So far, everything I’ve tried at J2 has been absolutely delicious and to top this off all of the lunches were under €10 total, including daily bento boxes and sashimi. An extensive list of sushi variations costs between €2.50 and €5 for four pieces, sashimi are between €6 and €12, filling sides are in the €2 and €5.95 price range and all bento boxes (apart from the daily one) are for €11.50. Daily boxes are usually €8.50 during weekdays (including meat) and only a euro more expensive during the weekend and come with fish. The quality of the product that you get is definitely worth the price and can compete with any other Japanese places in Dublin.
I had a chance to try their daily bento box with beef and their daily sashimi with marinated tuna. Both were superb, but in the case of the tuna the portion can seem too small for a hearty lunch. It was served with some sushi rice along with some small bites of avocado and cucumber. Combined with some very fresh fish it was indeed a delicious lunch but not overly filling. The bento box included rice, beans, four pieces of sushi and a main, and in my case everything was based around beef. I enjoyed the box very much – there was plenty of food and it was a great experience trying several things during the same meal. It is hard to tell precisely how the beef was cooked but overall it was very tender, very flavourful and it worked perfectly with the rest of the box.
Overall, J2, located at One Poolbeg St, is a great place for a quick lunch where you would not stay for a long time. If seated by the bar, food is prepared by staff right in front of you. Although seating is very limited and it can be difficult to sit in for lunch sometimes, the staff tend to serve the customers highly efficiently and the rotation is high. The quality of food is excellent and is definitely worth the price.
