CASE #026: Jin Joo Korean Grill Review
Jin Joo is a Korean restaurant which opened its Eastwood City
branch last February. It also has another branch at SM Aura in Taguig City, but
I still must check this out.
My best friend had long been urging me to try out this
restaurant because of the discount deals she was able to snag from MetroDeal.
However, you need to make reservations to avail of the promo. I have tried
calling the contact number indicated in the voucher but to no avail. The only next
logical thing to do is to drop by the restaurant myself. Hubby tagged along
with me and we ended up trying their food first before making the reservations.
Ambiance ★★★★
You can find Jin Joo squeezed in between McDonald’s and
Yellow Cab right in the heart of Eastwood City, Libis. It has two green entrance
doors: the main one facing the front façade at Eastwood Ave., and the other
facing the drive thru side of McDonald's.
The place is well lit with all its LED lights and the glass
windows that allows light from the outside to shine right through the whole
store. Just like a typical Korean barbecue, there are stainless metal exhaust
cylinders dangling on each table which are custom-built to accommodate a griller
in its center. The only difference is that the exhaust cylinders are wrapped in
a cone-shaped metal that makes it look like a hanging lamp shade than an exhaust.
There are also tables outside for an al fresco dining
experience, but the tables here do not have the grillers and exhaust cylinders.
As per their crew, they can provide portable electric grillers should we prefer
to eat outside.
The color theme inside is a combination of orange, brown and
mint green. There are orange couches conveniently placed beside the walls. There
are rectangular wooden tables accentuated by the mint green chairs which tones
down the fiery orange couches. There are also round wooden tables with light
orange upholstered chairs for big groups. The silver glint of their stainless
grillers and cylinders provide some highlight in their interiors.
The distance between tables are more than enough to
accommodate their crew of servers that provide grilling assistance per table. This is a breath of fresh air from the cramped
and dimmed feel of the usual Korean barbecue places around the Metro.
The ambiance captures a higher end of the Korean barbecue
market.
Food ★★★
They offer unlimited Samgyeopsal for Php499 excluding taxes
and service charge during weekdays. Regular prices are observed on weekends and
holidays. We have tried their Samgyeopsal, Chadolbegi, and Cheese Deung Galbi. Their
serving includes side dishes like fish cakes, kimchi, raddish kimchi, some
seaweeds, salad, etc. The side dishes vary each day depending on their
availability except for the kimchi which is their main side dish. Fresh lettuce
is also included.
Side dishes and bean pastes are unlimited, so you can always
ask for more when your plate runs out. Rice is sold separately and will be charged
as an additional order. But since we already ordered Cheese Deung Galbi which
includes a large serving of rice, we no longer placed a separate order.
The side dishes are good. It has this rich Korean flavor in
it. If this is your first time eating Korean food, it may taste a little
stronger for you (as per my best friend who was a first timer). I enjoyed the
salad and its dressing, the fish cake, and the raddish kimchi. I did not like
their cabbage kimchi because they serve mostly the stalk parts, which I hate.
Unlike with other kimchi servings that I’ve tried where there is a balance of the
leaf and the stalk.
Their serving of Samgyeopsal totals to around 180 grams and
is kinda bitin for two hungry people
like us. It also tastes like other samgyeopsal that I have tried before.
Nothing new. Nothing fancy. So is the
case with their chadolbegi. Although this thin strip of beef tastes savorier
than their samgyeopsal, it remains to be ordinary.
I enjoyed the Cheese Deung Galbi, on the other hand. The
dish is served in a partitioned hot metal plate with rice, kimchi, marinated pork
ribs, and mozzarella cheese. It was heated right in front of us using a portable
electric stove. The staff first heated up the mozzarella cheese until it melted.
Once melted, he dipped in the marinated pork ribs and wrapped it with thick
layers of oozing mozzarella. It is such a mouth-watering sight.
The crew served our Cheese Deung Galbi on a separate plate. He
then proceeded in heating up the rice. He asked us if we wanted to mix up the
rice with kimchi. We said yes, and voila! It turned into a spicy kimchi fried
rice. You can also choose the level of spiciness depending on how much you can
tolerate. Just tell the crew how spicy you want it to be.
The Cheese Deung Galbi can serve 2-4 persons depending on
the level of your appetite and mixed with other order as well. Make sure to eat this while it is still hot and the cheese is still melted. Once it get colder, the cheese becomes too thick and can be nakakaumay to eat.
Service ★★★★
Service is excellent. There are a lot of crew members that
can attend to all your needs. They will also do the grilling for you which for
me is a plus. I would rather my already grilled meat than stir up the griller
to have it cooked.
You will readily be served of side dishes once you settled
in your table. Refills of the side dishes are fast and efficient. Sometimes,
you need not to ask. Once they see your empty plate, they will refill it. The
staff are also approachable and engages in friendly chat with customers. They can
help you out in choosing your order and provides description that are not
written in the menu.
Both cash and credit cards are accepted which is a plus for people who would rather go cashless than carry a stash of money in their wallets all the time. I am just not quire sure though if they accept debit cards as well. The only marked down is the part where we cannot reach them for reservations. They launched the promo, they should have been prepared to accommodate the reservations of all voucher holders. They should have also provided other contact details or means for customers to reserve.
Pricing ★★
I’d say this is kinda on the higher end. Based on the amount
of serving and the food I have tried, I find it a little pricier than others. I
do have other much cheaper options, but I must go all the way to Malate for it.
But since Jin Joo is just in Eastwood, the fare expenses level up the playing
field.
However, there are other cheaper priced options that offers
unlimited servings of all their meat dishes. You might consider checking these
restaurants out, so you can fully enjoy the Korean barbecue mania without
blowing out your pocket.
Overall Rating: 3 ★
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