Restaurants

Jin is hidden behind a sleek rendered façade on a side-street just south of Soho Square. Inside, groups of friends and couples on dates talk animatedly while slices of bulgogi sizzle on the square grills set into the tops of the granite tables. This is definitely the sophisticated end of the Soho Korean spectrum; the menu extends well beyond the usual stews, barbecues and hotpots to rare and expensive dishes containing sea cucumber, abalone and pine mushrooms. Even familiar dishes come with a twist. Our hot battered chicken was served in a refreshingly savoury chilli sauce with black-ear fungus, bamboo shoots and sliced shiitake mushrooms. For the barbecue, we mixed dak bulgogi (marinated chicken) and beef tenderloin, rolled into lettuce leaf parcels with some of the tastiest pa muchim (tangy shredded spring onions) we’ve found in London. The service also marks Jin out from the competition; the black-clad waitresses are constantly communicating with each other to ensure that nothing on the barbecue singes and nobody waits too long for a table.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009