Hai guys, couldn't miss our annual Friday night catch up could I ^^
This post was meant to be up aaaaaages ago but it got lost amongst the epitome of photos that have accumulated in my library. So after stumbling across photos of juicy fried chicken and kimchi, my priorities changed and I just had to make a post about this restaurant- which has actually now become one of my favourite restaurants. eva. korean food. oh my gurrrd.
I had never tried korean before but I hear so many people rave about it and I get more than my fair share of the cuisine popping up on my instagram feed. Ironically around this time, there was a celebrity chef featured on Sunday Brunch (a cooking and talk show for sunday morning basically for those of you outside the UK) called Judy Joo who specialises in modern korean cooking. In the programme it was mentioned that she was opening up a restaurant in Soho and well, they had us at fried chicken. Thus we booked a table asap.
Couldn't resist taking some shots of Chinatown though because I could just spend forever hanging around here...staring at the bread and cakes through the bakery windows and buying cute and amazingly cheap clothing from the market.
A quick rundown of JINJUU~ situated in Carnaby district in Soho and offers two different casual dining concepts. The ground floor menu involves small dishes called 'anju' which are foods mainly eaten when you drink, here they also offer the famous Korean fried chicken, bulgogi style burgers and savoury dumplings. (Don't miss out on the cocktails and beer too!)
Mum and her 'Umeshu' (Japanese plum wine)- just a heads up, it's a good compliment to fried foods 
This type of food is best ordered with multiple small dishes (for me personally anyway because that means you get to try more)
These were first up- 'Mandoo' (meat dumplings) with beef and pork seasoned with korean spices. Served with a soy dipping sauce. The meat was juicy and tender and I loved the presentation of the dumplings served on the spoons, the dipping sauce was also fragrant and spicy.
If I was going to a Korean restaurant, it was a necessity that I tried kimchi since apparently you base a good korean restaurant on this. This was my first time trying it so I have nothing to compare it to or if it tastes authentic. But I can say was that it was vinegary, spiced, crispy cabbage that left a fiery spicy feeling on your tongue. I liked the taste but I found too much of it a bit overwhelming for me.
This was a complimentary dish with the Korean fried chicken, it is pickled Daikon (Japanese radish) sprinkled with black sesame seeds. This is so simple but absolutely amazing, it makes a great palette cleanser between courses.
And the MAIN ATTRACTION.
'The Jin Chick'. Korean fried chicken (a choice of thigh or wings- always thighs! they are the most juicy!) served with their signature sauces "Gochujang Red" or "Umami Black Soy." The Gochujang was my favourite because I love all things spicy, if your into more milder and sweet salty go with the Umami Soy.
The chicken was everything I hoped it would be- super crispy light batter and succulent juicy chicken that just melts in the mouth. We ordered to plates of this.
And after you think we have ate enough chicken, the waiter convinced us to try the 'Korean Fried Chicken Sliders'. These were small brioche burger buns with lettuce, a little bit of mayo and the Korean chicken. I love brioche buns because they are slightly sweet which I think pairs well with the savoury chicken but mum wasn't too keen.
DESSRT. YES.
I was having major dessert choice problems. I was faced with 'Miso Créme brulee' which sounded creative and amazing but maybe a bit too adventurous for me that day, so I went for the safe option of chocolate and after the waiter's description I was pretty convinced.
This is 'Snickers Hotteok', a flat korean doughnut stuffed with salted caramel and served with roasted peanuts, peanut parfait, chocolate ganache, praline and Nutella powder. This was incredible because pancake, peanuts and chocolate are a killer combo. This was more of a heavier dessert option on the stomach compared to their lighter choices but if you have the room just go for it. You will love it...unless you have a peanut allergy then it's not so good.
If your interested in a lighter option, my mum chose the Yuzu ( a Japanese citrus fruit) dessert (sadly not on the menu anymore sad face). It had a Yuzu curd with green tea sponge and caramelised nuts with a sesame seed brittle and Yuzu ice cream. The verdict was "This is the best dessert I have eaten"- mum's words exactly haha. She said it was light and refreshing with a strong citrus flavour, shame I didn't get in there and try some...
Overall, we came out of JINJUU full, happy and satisfied. The interior downstairs was modern and funky with graffiti style art walls and they had an open kitchen where you can see chefs cooking the dishes. You can also sit at a bench where you can see the chefs cook directly in front of you. The staff were talkative and friendly and gave great advice about the menu, I would definitely recommend this place if you are a current Korean food lover or interested to try it. The food and atmosphere is a fantastic culinary experience and would be great for any occasion- trying to convince mum to go there tomorrow...these pictures are making me hungry.
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