Kiju's Restaurant

KIJU'S RESTAURANT

50 Maillard Street

Sydney, NS

Entrance seating area 

Kiju's. You have just sucked in your breath, haven't you? Yes, Kiju's, known as the "Hit or Miss" restaurant; if you asked twelve people what they thought of their visit to Kiju's, six would tell you that it was a delightful experience and six will tell you that they would never return. Funnily enough, there are two Google reviews, and only two reviews, online and they illustrate exactly this split in opinion. Some of the UAG members that attended this month's outing had been before - and yes, one had had a very nice time and one was going to give it one more try.  So what is the problem at Kiju's?

One of the spectacular views from this building

Kiju's is located in the very centre of things; it is easily accessible from town or from the highway, with excellent signage, appropriate for a restaurant that sits in a well-designed conference centre just next to the Hampton Inn. And may I say, the Hampton has had rave reviews from the day it opened its doors. It's a pleasure to visit the conference centre, but the first thing we noticed that given this was a Friday night, just prior to a well-advertised Blues concert on the same floor as the restaurant, we had no problem finding a parking spot. Our first words were "Oh, oh." 

We chose this restaurant based on their ad in the Cape Breton Post for their "Italian Night" and that's where things began to go amiss. Our expectations were high - where we were picturing a fun buffet of tasty Italian dishes, the restaurant was simply offering a small selection of Italian dishes on that night's menu. By this time however, we were comfortably seated by the fireplace, the lights of the city were twinkling below us and we were catching up with UAG members that we hadn't seen since before Christmas.

Homemade bread

The first item to arrive at the table was a bread board with sliced homemade bread.  And heavens, but the bread was good!  We all had one piece, commented on the flavours, and then reached for more.

But what you notice is what we found throughout the evening and what one of the Google reviewers noticed as well. 

We'll chat below.

Lobster and Goat Cheese Dip with Flatbreads

One of the UAG members spotted this item being carried by our table and immediately asked one of the servers what was that?

That is a warm lobster and goat cheese dip with soft flatbreads and again, what a lovely blend of flavours. Originally, just a couple of us were going to split on the tray but after hearing our comments, the group of six were soon all enjoying dipping.

What a lovely start to our meal!

One of the Italian Night Specials

Garlic Bread

Two of the members ordered this Special and here it is in full: Penne pollo pasta with grilled chicken and sauteed peppers and green onion tossed in a garlic white wine sauce, finished with asiago cheese. And how was it? Heavenly, simply wonderful to that last bite.

However, yes, there is a however. One of us had to wait some time for her meal, due to a mix-up in orders. We have seen this before at restaurants, but in the case of our server, there was no attempt to write down any of our orders, so mix-ups were bound to happen. When her dish did arrive, it was piping hot and very pleasing, and due to yet another mix-up at our table, she did not have to eat alone. Both members were offered apologies and a free dessert, which almost, but did not, make up for what could have been an easily corrected problem.  Because yes, we were not the only table experiencing mix-ups in orders that evening - pencil and paper, the best servers we've seen use them.

While talking about service, I don't think that it is appropriate for the server to pick up my coffee cup which I am drinking from to illustrate the size of servings. I have just passed my cold virus to the server and I can only hope that my flu shot protects me from the viruses I've just met. More about the coffee cups below.

Here's what we ordered - all the dishes were thoroughly enjoyed; they were tasty and well presented. Members especially commented on the flavours of the sauces that accompanied each meal.

A Membertou Club (yes, that's a watermelon)

Another Italian Special - Spaghetti and Meatballs

Fish Cakes and Beans

Fish'n Chips (yes, again, that's a watermelon)

And now comes the part of the blog that you regular readers have been waiting for - it is time to discuss the tea service. 

You can see the problem immediately, can't you? It's the same as the bread board above - the presentation is designed to allow your food to quickly chill. Although you think you are sitting in an upscale restaurant, cozy and inviting, you are not expected to linger over your meal.  The bread pieces should have been served in a linen-lined basket, the tea/coffee cups should not be the cheap wide-rimmed hotel cups, and the teapot should have a top. Although the teapot did not allow spills, it was heavy and again, quick to chill. To make matters worse, and you know we care about our tea, three of our teapots were sent back because we received tepid water. Imagine!

Dining at Kiju's takes alot of work, but we were determined to continue. So, now you are asking...how were the desserts?  Each and every one of the desserts was rich and tasty! The Chef even adjusted the Lemon Bomb for our UAG member who suffers with an allergy to lactose, so we all enjoyed our desserts. So much so, that two of us found it difficult to watch the last bite of our dessert go back to the kitchen, but we honestly had no room left in our tummies. We were full to the brim!

Warm Apple Tart

The Chocolate Tower

The Italian Classic Tiramisu

The Lemon Bomb

Coconut Cream Pie

 So there you have it - the problem with Kiju's. Just when you think things are going well, they don't.

This is a very difficult time to run a restaurant and the mathematics to determining a profit must be excruciating.  We have seen restaurants close and others cut their hours - what is a restaurant to do? Especially one that is struggling with the Ghosts of Restaurants Past, that variety of sometimes very bad chefs, failed menu make-overs, and renovations that haunt this beautiful location.  Those will disappear in time, but only if the restaurant invests in its staff and ensures consistently good meals.