Page 24 - 06_July-Aug-2025

Delish
Tastemakers
Andrew Fung’s
Second Act
Juu.Ku channels the spirit of XIX
Nineteen into something bolder
and unmistakably personal
for the Hong Kongese chef
Walking into Juu.Ku, chef Andrew
Fung’s new restaurant in Terwillegar, is
like climbing into the sleek interior of a
red-and-black lacquered bento box.
Divided into sections, Juu.Ku is designed
to offer diners several different ways to
approach its pan-Asian menu. Couples
may enjoy the side-by-side seats at one
end of the restaurant, while larger groups
might want a dim sum-style roundtable.
No matter where you sit, you’ll have a
view of three large and stunning portrait
paintings with Japanese iconography by
Tim Okamura, a Sherwood Park-born
superstar of the art world.
Juu.Ku is the Japanese word for “nine-
teen,” or rather XIX Nineteen, the name
of Fung’s flagship restaurant located next
door. While his first spot immediately
earned the Hong Kong–born chef a rep-
utation for tireless attention to food and
service when it opened in 2012, his new
venture is the restaurant that Fung, now
47, has wanted to open since culinary
school at NAIT.
Driven by a creative east-meets-west
collision of style and craft, Juu.Ku reflects
Fung’s roots, but also his evolution as a
chef. And with the success of XIX Nine-
teen tucked under his chef whites and the
backing of loyal investors for the $2.2 mil-
lion build, Fung says the time feels right
to make his dream come true. “Nineteen
was a great show,” he says. “We wondered,
can we do another great show?”
The answer is yes.
We began our night at the cozy bar,
sipping an Umeshu Sidecar. Heady with
the floral scent of plum wine, the cocktail
paired well with two appetizers: a poké
taco finished with a salty snap of Canadian
caviar and a classic NYC Chinatown pork
and shrimp eggroll with a crunchy shell.
For our next course, we moved to the sushi
bar. Munching through the signature
Juu.Ku roll, a collaboration of cream
cheese and crab meat with spicy mayo, we
marvelled as chef Jack Lee prepared sushi
with a blow torch and a razor-sharp knife
while answering numerous questions by
diners. It was impressive, and just plain
fun to watch.
Fung took several research trips to
Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong for
Juu.Ku’s menu, getting inspired by classic
Asian dishes like Peking duck and
xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). Even the
extensive cocktail list is anchored by
those traditional elements, from the
citrusy smack of yuzu in the Yuzu Sour
to the condensed milk found in the
Vietnamese-inspired coffee martini. The
deliciously tangy garlic green beans are
tossed with that Hong Kong staple, XO
sauce. The stand-out Kurobuta pork
char siu (honey-glazed and barbecued)
is served with a small dish of sawsawan, a
Filipino vinegar-based dipping sauce that
24 EDify. JULY•AUGUST.25
ABOVE: Chef Andrew Fung in his
new restaurant Juu.Ku
RIGHT: Seafood chow mein, lamb
siu ma, king prawns wonton with
Thai red curry coconut broth
balances the sweet meat. That same char
siu can be found stuffed inside a bao bun
with pickled carrots and fresh herbs
on the upscale dim sum menu, which at
eight items is much more approachable
for inexperienced dim sum diners.
Altogether the Juu.Ku experience is
curated to please patrons, down to the
tiniest detail. Each table setting is
adorned with a miniature dragon-shaped
metal sculpture. The dragon cradles a
soup spoon and a pair of chopsticks, a
tribute to Fung’s Hong Kong childhood,
when he’d fidget with similar utensil
holders at wedding banquets.
Fung recently brought 200 of the
dragons home in his bag from Hong Kong
— a small symbol of a culinary dream
realized. He says the curio is a touchstone
for Chinese people of a certain age. But
I suspect everyone will find the dragons,
along with the whole affair, no less
enchanting. ED.
–Liane Faulder
photos BLUEFISH STUDIOS