In this post we will be visiting Jinjuu, a modern Korean restaurant in the hearth of the lively and fashionable Soho. Read more to discover world famous celebrity chef, Judy Joo, amazing creations.
What is Jinjuu?
Jinjuu is London’s premier modern Korean food restaurant with world famous celebrity chef Judy Joo at the helm. Jinjuu, which means “PEARL”, has a menu encompassing both traditional and contemporary food. On select evenings, a DJ hits the decks from 9.30pm onwards, transforming Jinjuu into a vibrant late-night venue. In the main dining room, the restaurant’s open kitchen and Korean graffiti artwork provides theatre, and it’s a great place to have a sophisticated dinner with friends.
Our experience
After a pleasant walk in the vibrant Soho, we decided to stop by this Korean restaurant close to Carnaby Street.
We were greeted by their lovely manager , who showed us to our table and offered us a nice glass of champagne. There was really a lot to choose from, but we decided to start with some Jinjuu prawn crackers and with Kong Bowl, made of steamed soybeans topped with Jinjuu chili.
We started with a Mandoo selection with soy souce made of four dumplings: two beef & pork dumplings and two vegetable dumplings made of tofu, vegetables and sweet potato noodles. We wanted to try both vegetarian and meat option, and we weren’t disappointed at all as they were both delicious. So yes, if you get the dumplings be sure to try both options!
We then tried the Korean fried tofu mini burgers, made of golden fried crispy tofu, mayo & crispy lettuce. Look how cute these are! Perfect for a nice picture on Instagram.
We also thought it was worth trying the Korean Fried chicken sliders, made of golden fried chicken thighs, mayo & crispy iceberg, tossed in a brioche bun. Yummy!
Here you can see some lovely crispy fried round prawn cakes served on sticks with creamy mayo on the side!
We then continued with two tacos, one with Bulgogi beef, marinated in Korean spices and one with Atlantic tuna served with lettuce, mayo and vinagrette. Also, we tried the noodles Bibimbap, served in a traditional stone bowl, filled with white rice & seasonal vegetables. Topped with a small fried egg.
Time for mains, time for Jap Chae, traditional stir-fried potato noodles with vegetables, king prawns and egg. We highly recommend this plate as it has the right mixture of taste and texture.
We were almost full, but we really couldn’t say no to the JinJuu Dessest plate, which is a selection of four desserts to share. You can see by the pictures what we mean!
This is the Korean Mocha. Baked chocolate & boricha ganache, cocoa nibs and hazelnuts, milk ice cream.
What you are looking at now is the Snickers Hotteok. Flat Korean doughnut stuffed with salted caramel & roasted peanuts, chocolate ganache, praline and Nutella powder.
This colourful beauty is the Yuzu Creme Brulee. Blackberry sorbet & blackberries.
And last but not least, the Makgeolli and White Chocolate Panna Cotta . Mango compote, passion fruit, lychee sorbet and sesame raspberry tuille. Everything was absolutely amazing!
Our view
Everyone loves going out in Soho because of its vibrant atmosphere and amazing pubs. What is often hard is to find a place where to try some lovely food while still being part of this ambience. If this is your case Jinjuu is definitely the right place for you. If you love Asian food and spicy taste we definitely recommend this lovely Korean restaurant in the heart of Soho. Also, no matter how full you are, you must not forget to try the Jinjuu dessert plate!
