One of the benefits of having a part Korean roommate is the great introduction that I received to Korean Food. After Monica completed her dissertation (she's a doctor now..yaay!) her parents asked her where she wanted to go and she chose a cute Korean restaurant in Andersonville called Jin Ju (
http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurants/jin-ju/). The atmosphere is very dark as though they want complete focus on the meal and table in front of you, which could provide for a great romantic setting. But that night we were actually one among a few other groups gathering for dinner
Because everyone was starving we decided to get a few appetizers to start us off before deciding on entrees. I was appreciative of this as I was allowed to taste more foods that I wasn't quite sure I would like. The barbeque pork option was an automatic hit, as it didn't taste too different from spare ribs that I could order from the southside except that it was marinated in a much sweeter sauce. I tried to want the pancake like appetizer, but the scallions proved to be too much for me. My favorite appetizer of the evening was actual the Kim Bap, which looked very much like a japanese sushi roll. As I usually stick to california rolls, the taste of the beef within the roll was a great change of pace.
 |
| Daeji Kalbi barbeque pork spare ribs marinated in a spicy-sweet red pepper sauce served with sweet pickled onion |
 |
| Pajun lightly fried scallion pancake served with a soy sauce vinaigrette dipping sauce |
 |
| Kim Bap seaweed roll filled with rice, bulgogi, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, yellow pickled radish, fishcake and egg |
During the entree selection Monica and her parents all ordered the Dol Sut Bi Bim Bap, which is regular Bi Bim Bap that is prepared in a sizzling hot stone that keeps the meal hotter for longer. The rest of us tried to order different things so we could get a better feel of the menu. In the end we ordered a fish, chicken, and beef entree. The chicken entree was mine and I would definitely go back and order it again, the red pepper sauce gave the chicken just the right amount of flavor with a touch of spice. But I also enjoyed picking the lettuce off Erica's beef entree. She was in the mood for barbecue and her marinated short ribs seemed to fit the bill. Everything is served with chopsticks, which I eventually managed well, but eating Brandi's tilapia with chopsticks proved to be a challenge and I think she ended up converting to a fork.
 |
| Dol Sut Bi Bim Bap bi bim bap served in a sizzling hot stone pot with sesame oil. soybean paste soup served on the side |
 |
| Domi lightly battered pan-fried tilapia fillet served with marinated eggplant, portobello mushrooms and baby carrots in a mild ginger-hot mustard soy sauce |
 |
| Dak Bulgogi boneless chicken marinated and sauteed in a spicy red pepper sauce with onions, green chili peppers and scallions. served with pan-fried potatoes |
 |
| Kalbi beef short ribs marinated in a sweet soy sauce grilled and served with a scallion and red leaf lettuce salad with a soy bean paste dressing |
 |
| Sides |
Overall it was a great meal with great company. The ambiance is nice and the food is unique to the Chicago area Andersonville neighborhood. So if you're on the northside in search for Asian food, but Japanese doesn't quite seem to be what you want I'd highly recommend a stop at Jin Ju.
