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| - When you walk into Nejibee Izakaya you will notice the minimalist approach to their decor. It's no Guu, Fin, or the over ostentatious Don Don Izakaya so it's not a particularly rustic feeling. In a segment that is increasingly dominated by heavy weight name brand Izakaya's who can throw their financial might into investing for a rustic end to end experience I'm not sure why Nejibee choose the minimalist styling. But few people I would gather come to marvel at decor so let's talk about the food.
The kindest thing I can say about my experience tonight was that the food was decidedly uninspiring and in some cases downright sloppy. After a 20 minute wait for a table my dinner partner and I were presented with a very small menu. In total there were around 15 items you could choose from. We ordered an Okonomiyaki, Croquette, Onigiri rice ball with seasoned pork, and deep fried and salted chicken wings (2).
The disorganization amongst the staff was very apparent as they often would need to consult with each other while holding multiple dishes before delivering them to their respective tables. After what seemed like a 10 minute wait we received our first dish which was the Jalapeño Chicken... Of which neither myself or my dinner partner had ordered. Unlike other Izakaya restaurants I've visited before there was no "Thank you for waiting" or a quick announcement of what the dish was. It was hastily plopped onto our table before the server walked away. We both poked at it for a bit wondering if they were the chicken wings we had ordered before I finally flagged down another server who looked at it and then told us to wait a minute while she walked back to the kitchen and ask. The server came back after a few consultations and announced what it was; the jalapeno chicken, to which we replied that we hadn't ordered it... So away goes out first dish which was brought back to the kitchen and immediately brought back out to the right table behind us.
Another 5 minutes later our Onigiri rice ball arrived. A 15 minute wait for literally rice made into a triangle on a sheet of seaweed with some seasoned pork on the side. Ok. After taking a quick bite, it did indeed taste good however I can't really give them points for that because even grocery store Onigiri can taste good. It's very difficult to butcher a dish as simple as Onigiri. While eating, our second dish came which was the croquette. It came with the standard teriyaki sauce. It was hot, fresh, and tasted as one would expect. Nothing mind blowing but not disappointing either.
Another 10 minutes passed as we waited for our chicken wings and Okonomiyaki. We watched in angst as a random server delivered our chicken wings to another table that hadn't ordered anything in quite a while, watched them poke at it and eat one before alerting the server that it wasn't there's. The server picks up the dish and then comes round my back and drops the dish onto our table.... With 1 chicken wing missing and walks away. We ordered 2.
Then another server delivers a dish of 4 chicken thighs over to our table (of which we did not order) and she left just as quickly. I had to flag yet another server down to ask what it was to which I was told it was our order of chicken wings. Alright. They weren't but whatever.
After another 5 minutes I finally flagged the original server down and inquired as to where my Okonomiyaki was to which she reassured me that it was coming soon. In fairness it looked like all people who ordered sizzling plates were waiting for their order so the kitchen was obviously backed up. Our neighbors also asked where their order was. So we continued to wait.
Finally it came and was by far and large the absolute worst Okonomiyaki I have ever had. The bottom was so burnt it was welded to the plate. The seasoning on the bottom was so strong and salty it was hard to eat. The katsuobushi (bonito flakes) was very sparingly scattered in patches over the so called Okonomiyaki. It looked like what I would describe as the Bermuda Triangle on a plate. 3 points. I couldn't even tell what was inside the Okonomiyaki. Fish? Cabbage? Crispy burnt on the outside watery on the inside. Not creamy like you would find at other quality restaurants.
Conclusion is that Nejibee has a lot of work to do. I am truly and honestly hoping that the poor quality of the food was due to the opening weekend and that they will figure out what works and doesn't work. I really want to like them but based on my experience tonight I would have to say that they are not yet ready for the demanding tastes of Toronto. With top quality established Izakaya restaurants in Toronto grooming people to expect a higher standard for Izakaya, Nejibee is a relatively unimaginative and lacklustre performer. If you are looking for a good Izakaya experience, go back to Guu for now while Nejibee sorts out their growing pains.
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