Kate G.
Yelp
Back story: I came here the day I found out some really bad news, which also happened to be the day I was moving. I was feeling absolutely wretched. All I was capable of thinking was that I needed food, lots of it, as quickly as possible.
So, a friend and I went to Junior. Both exhausted, both heartbroken from the bad news, we sat down and could barely read the menu through our grief and shock. We noticed that the table next to us had a big pile of food that was placed on banana leaves on the table, and we asked the waiter what it was. I forget the word exactly, but he told us it was the speciality here - half the menu, laid out on banana leaves. Usually you have to pre-order it, he said, but it's quiet today, so I'll see what I can do.
I was nervous, because I developed an allergy to shrimp some years ago, and much of the menu had shrimp paste. We let the waiter know, and he said it was no problem - he'd make sure none of the dishes had shrimp. This was so unexpectedly welcoming and accommodating that I almost cried right at the table.
The food came, and it was incredible. Tender, sticky pork belly with crunchy crackling, saucy ribs, tangy salads, fried chicken, an array of amazing sauces, a fence of rice around the outside, and atop it all, a fried fish with a tomato salad in its belly.
It was just what I needed. The salty-sweet flavours, the spices, the rich fruity sauces, and the array of textures kept my mind busy and focused on the food rather than the awful day I'd been having. On top of that, the service and general experience was fantastic, friendly, and above and beyond what we expected, even though they couldn't possibly have known how much we needed it.
I will continue to take friends and family to Junior as a representation of great food and great people. It was a real comfort to me in a very rough time, and I'll never forget that.
Thank you.