By now I have been to Jinjin so often that it could easily have gotten old, but while I have been many times, some people still had not, so I deliberately picked it as our meeting spot. This time’s members were coming from all over the city, so we ended up starting at 8:30. Thanks for making the trip, everyone.

The kitchen

It is running at a frantic pace.

The starters

We gathered so late that we ate quite a lot of peanuts before the food came out.

Five-spice braised pork (ohyang jangyuk)

Not everyone had arrived yet, but we went ahead and ordered it.

Stir-fried snow crab meat

Maybe it was just that day, but it was a bit spicy. Everyone enjoyed it a lot, though.

Menbosha (shrimp toast)

As expected, everyone said it was delicious. It is a bit far, but choosing Jinjin was absolutely the right call.

Quanjiafu (mixed seafood stir-fry)

The ingredients were really fresh, but again it felt like there was a bit too much chili oil in it.

Red-braised whole fish

It is a huge portion, but everyone said it was tasty and dug in.

There were four of us that day, and since they are regular folks, they were full after this much and we could not order anything else. This is normal, and the gourmet gatherings I usually hold are the abnormal ones. We ate well and the bill came to about 33,000 won, so it really is a place with outstanding value for money.

That said, whether it is because of the fervent public love it gets or not, I get the feeling the food is gradually getting spicier. The masses are drawn to bold flavors, but the more that happens, the harder it gets to enjoy the natural taste of the ingredients. The dilemma of popularity. Next time I visit, I will have to ask them to make it as mild as possible when ordering.

For round two we had a relaxed drink at a bar and chatted for a while. A Friday night in Hongdae means The Lion’s Den, of course. Bars are popping up everywhere these days, but there are not many spaces this calm and comfortable. I do not know how long the bar boom will last, but I hope places like this stick around for a long, long time.

The complimentary snacks

Why so much..

I cannot remember what this was..

The service is always great.

Probably a Jack and Coke

Not the one I ordered.

Hennessy

Cognac has less body than a single malt, but the aroma is soft, so it is nice for a light drink. I have gotten interested in it lately and ordered one, and strangely enough I was surprised to find Hennessy VSOP tasted worse than Remy Martin VSOP. Given the price and the brand value, that should not happen. I wondered if my palate was off, but apparently only the Hennessy VSOP sold in Korea tastes a bit different. Oh well.. Anyway, I think I will be drinking cognac for a while. No telling when the prices will go up, so I had better drink it soon.

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