Last Sunday was another one of those days where the weather can't make its mind up - and neither could we in terms of where to go and have lunch. J was convinced this was the perfect day to go an indulge in some Korean - which made me shudder as I quickly had flashbacks to our drunken 3 am feast in Korea Town NYC a few months back. At the time it sounded like a good idea, and it was absolutely delicious - but the next day it did leave my tummy feeling a little rough.
But after much umming and ahhing the decision was made, and we were jumping in the number 38 bus en route to Soho to test out
Jin Juu. First impression, there was a lot of Korean people which is always a good sign. The industrial decor was well executed, aside from some fabrics hanging down the walls, which made it look like someone was trying to decide what pattern to choose for their curtains. Service was friendly and quick (made you realize this wasn't east london). We started off with some drinks and followed to pick out some dishes from the Anju menu, which according to the menu means "dishes you eat when you drink".
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| Pear and Pineapple Colada |
Highlight of the dishes was the Korean Fried Chicken Sliders - little bights of chickeny heaven. And they are the perfect size, any bigger and the flavors in that signature sauce would become too much. What a great way to start a meal! We then moved on to the Pork Belly Tacos - which just felt like they were more Asian Slaw tacos garnished with pork. I can't wait for this "slaw" obsession to fade out. I understand its a cheap way to make a dish fuller, but seriously, enough with the cabbage! Another must order dish are the Sae-woo Pops, which are again a perfect size and tasty little fried prawn morsels. The least stand out dish was the Gochu Bomb... what can I say? It reads better than it tastes. But then again, we shouldn't have ordered it. Neither one of us is keen on stuffed jalapeño peppers and can now say with certainty not fans of bulgogi beef. But all was not lost, as the French Fries are right up there with a famous Scottish fast food chain. Crispy, fluffy and salty. But korean aioli which was recommended is a future miss... it has a weird flavor. Or lets put it this way, it just didn't agree with my palate.
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| Sae Woo Pop, Gochu Bombs, Fried Chicken Sliders |
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| Pork Belly Tacos |
I probably should have mentioned that when we were first seated, we were sat opposite a very kissy kissy couple - they looked like they were about 16. Not really what you need to see when you are tucking into your bulgogi stuffed jalapeño. But at least they were useful in ordering what looked like an amazing dessert. Thankfully we didn't have to witness them playing tonsil tennis for long and when we were finished with our savory dishes, we decided to tuck in to the Chocolate, Gochugaru & Hazelnut Gianduja Brownie. This is up there with some of the best desserts I've had. The combination of that salty miso ice cream with the crunch that the puffed rice gives, with the chocolaty brownie, filled with soft hazelnut gianduja in the middle and the warmth it leaves you with from that chilli was just a killer combination.
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| Chocolate, Gochugaru & Hazelnut Gianduja Brownie (a.k.a. heaven on a plate) |
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| Industrial decor and specially commissioned wall art |
Overall, I would definitely come back on a night out. You can tell this place has a good vibe on a Friday night. On top of that you have great service and very tasty food. This has certainly changed my mind on Korean food, and I'm ready to tackle on Bo Drake. But please, hold the kimchi and slaw.
