The weekend after my visit to Jinjin, I ended up going back without a reservation. I was dying to eat there again, and I happened to have some free time. I showed up right at the 5 o’clock opening and was told I could have a table if I finished within an hour, so I had a light meal.
Starters
This time I treated myself to a bottle of beer, a big Tsingtao. A large bottle is a bit much to get through alone, though, and thinking back now, the Yantai kaoliang liquor might have been the better choice.
Menbosha (shrimp toast)
With so few of us, there was pressure to order only the very best of the menu, but the first dish was a no-brainer: menbosha. Unlike when I came with a big group, I could eat plenty of it all by myself, which made me happy.
Menbosha needs a delicate hand in the frying, so once the crowds grow and the kitchen gets busy, who knows what will happen to it. All the more reason to eat as much as I can while it is this good.
Ganshao daxia (king prawns in chili sauce)
Out came prawns of monstrous size. And they tasted as good as they were big. It is not on the menu, but there was a photo pinned up above the kitchen, so I asked and it turned out you can order it. I went back and forth on it since it overlaps with the shrimp in the menbosha, but there just were not many shrimp-free a la carte dishes worth ordering. From now on, whenever I crave ebi chili, I know to head to Jinjin and order the ganshao daxia.
Mapo tofu
Order mapo tofu in Korea and you usually get some odd spicy tofu stir-fry, but Jinjin serves the real thing. Back when I lived in Japan, mapo tofu at this level was an everyday dish that any Chinese place could do decently, but in Korea I had no idea where to find one made properly. It had been ages since I had a proper mapo tofu, so I was even more moved than usual.
Dessert
I have no idea where they sell these banana-milk and strawberry-milk flavored chocolates. They are surprisingly good.
Another really great meal. It is a tricky place to order at, but if you order right, I doubt there are many places better than this. That is why I ended up visiting four times in January 2015 alone. Once reservations get a bit easier, I will have to start organizing some proper impromptu meetups here.
Hongdae on the way home
Not long after the Pangyo ventilation grate collapse, and yet there was not a single safety officer in sight at a street event drawing this kind of crowd. If something happened, they would just blame the individuals, I am sure. So whenever there is a street event, I think I will take the long way around it.
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