Newly opened, Jinjin Soora is the new kid on the block in Mont Kiara. Competition is stiff in this area that’s touted to be a koreatown (a title previously held by Ampang) where Korean restaurants can be found in every available corner. Jinjin Soora offers most of the usual suspects of a typical Korean joint, namely marinated grilled meats, ramen, kimchi stew, kimbabs, and a slew of appetizing banchan. To top it off, the restaurant is run by an all-Korean team, so the food served here has a seal of authenticity to it.

The restaurant offered up a vast menu and we eventually ordered the grilled pork belly (RM28) served with lettuce and perilla leaves, kimbab, steamed egg, and dakgalbi set served with kimchi stew and rice. And not forgetting of course, the unlimited servings of banchan!

Initially, we were a bit apprehensive in wrapping our grilled pork in the perilla leaves as it smelled too minty to our liking. But upon some coaxing by the friendly restaurant owner, we each took a leaf, placed a piece of grilled meat on it, alongside a slice of raw garlic, and a dollop of ssamjang paste before neatly wrapping the ingredients into a bite-sized ball. We were pleasantly surprised by the refreshing dimensions of flavours presented by the minty perilla leaves and savoury saltiness of the marinated meat and condiments. A definite must-try!

We also tried the dakgalbi set (RM38) and it was delicious! It came with generous chunks of tender chicken meat marinated in their secret sweet-spicy sauce, cabbage, and other vegetables. The dish tasted familiar and comforting, especially with a bowl of freshly steamed rice.

The kimbap (RM8) was also nicely done using quality ingredients which gave the snack a pleasant hearty crunch. More importantly, Jinjin Soora served a nice selection of banchan (side dishes) that tasted delicious and home-made.

We had the traditional korean steamed egg (RM12) that was fluffy and silky, albeit slightly burnt at the sides. However, the kimchi stew was a miss for us as it tasted quite bland and did not contain the distinctive flavours of kimchi.

Overall, this random restaurant we decided to try did not disappoint. In fact, we barely scratched the surface of Jinjin Soora’s vast menu, so we’ll definitely return soon to try their other dishes.