East Japanese Annex is one of my favourite restaurants to go to for a late lunch or early dinner. It’s located just off Lady Musgrave Road at Courtyard. I’ve been to this particular location more times than I can count and have had a fairly consistent experience each time.
I usually get the same thing each time, steamed chicken dumplings and a sushi box. When I went in mid July I decided to finally post a review.
I can’t find the menu online so the names and ingredients in the dishes may not be as comprehensive as I want them to be- I’m taking most of this information from my twitter review.
East Japanese actually has several locations around Jamaica, with a more upscale restaurant located in Stony Hill, under a different name ‘Majestic Sushi and Grill’ where as East Japanese Annex is much more suited for casual dining. I love the property that Majestic located on, absolutely gorgeous. Just know that when you go to this location you won’t have access to any of the bento box specials offered at the other locations- which are my favourite things to order.
Let’s see what we had.
Appetizers
Steam Chicken dumpling ($940/ 6USD)
My all time favourite. I prefer the steamed to the fried version but both are good. The chicken is flavourful and not dry and the sauce adds a little bit of salt- but not too much.
Fish Cake Salad ($510/ 3USD)
I swore by the steam chicken dumplings but when I tried this delicious and refreshing salad I was blown away. Everything is thinly sliced like noodles and the vegetables have a fantastic juicy, crunch. The flavour is very light and fresh. My new favourite starter!
Entres
Lobster Ramen ($2700/ 17USD)
This dish was very disappointing, I’ve had their beef ramen before which was okay. If you don’t like the taste of a seafood soup you will not like this. Everything was underwhelming and there was a strange after taste that left a film like coating in your mouth.
. This box is a combination of seafood and sushi, I got sweet and sour shrimp which was crisp and sticky. The sauce is nothing like what you get at our Chinese restaurants, it was lighter and absolutely delicious. Also Teriyaki fish, though I’m not a huge fan. It comes with a huge serving of the fish cake salad, five California roll pieces and 3 pieces of nigiri.
This is my new favourite bento box, I usually get the sushi box that comes with this fried potato hash brown (absolutely delicious) a regular side salad, nigiri and some pieces of California roll. Not pictured here, but all boxes also come with miso soup. This box was really filling and I wasn’t able to finish it. I have been back to East Japanese since July and I ordered this box again and switched my starter to the potato hash brown that they have (I’m sure that’s not what it’s called) and I think that may be my new go to order.
The “crispies” or fried rice paper you see on the side used to come complimentary but now you have order it ($100/ 64cUSD), I love having them to top my salad and was surprised when I didn’t get any. However, when I went back a few weeks ago they said it was complimentary again… maybe people were complaining about not getting the fried rice paper to top their salads anymore lol.
Tell me if you get yours complimentary or at a cost the next time you go.
In total we paid $10,511/ 67USD
Score
Covid Protocols: 4.5/10
Do not go here unless it’s empty. The place is very small and yes they do have outside seating. If the restaurant is even half full you will be sharing a small air conditioned space with others. I try to aim for when it just opens.
Service: 6.5/10
The service is up and down. I’ve never had terrible service but I have had the wrong food brought to me before (btw it comes out of the employees pay if you send it back apparently) and very slow service, especially if you’re seated on the outside.
Ambience: 7/10
Nice location, I like sitting outside now, you can people watch and get some breeze. Because the location is small, there is no privacy and people will be able to hear your conversations and vice versa.
Food: 8.5/10
Maybe because I know what I like, there has been very few times I’ve ordered outside of my comfort zone and not enjoyed the food. I also like the selection of food they offer.
Price: 8/10
I mean it’s sushi it is going to be on the pricier side, Sora is cheaper overall I believe and Oceano is either around the same price or more expensive. At the time of this article I don’t have a review here on Oceano but you can check out my experience on TikTok and on Twitter.
Overall: 6.5/10
Maybe a few years ago I would have rated them higher but now, I know I simply go because of the food and generally just for lunch. I know what I want, so when I go, I order, eat and leave. I rarely go with other people to this location. I think it’s nice for solo dining or with one or two other persons.
And yes I’ll be going back.
Check them out on Instagram and let me know if you plan to go or if I missed anything.
With Love,
Samantha
Please note USD prices are estimated based on exchange rate at the time of writing this article.
