GREAT EATS HAWAII: JIN DIN ROU

CONTEMPORARY LOOK ON KING AND KAHEKA STREETS

JIN DIN ROU
HONOLULU, HAWAII

CLEAN LOOK INSIDE

VIEWING WINDOWS TO SEE HOW XIAO LONG BAO IS MADE

We often drive by Jin Din Rou and see people waiting to get in. Just had to give this place a try. Jin Din Rou has several locations in Japan and one I think in Taiwan. They have converted an old bank building in Honolulu into a very contemporary Dim Sum or Xiao Long Bao Restaurant complete with large viewing windows where you can seen the Dim Sum being made by hand and steamed on the flat top. We did not know what to expect when we walked in the door. The place was pretty packed so we had to wait just a few minutes. The staff is young and very friendly. They all wear white shirts that say JIN DIN ROU STAFF. The menu is about six pages and has pictures of each item so you can see what you are getting. There are several set lunch menu items that have four courses for between $8 and $11. We ordered (4) pieces of the House Pork Dim Sum ($5.90). These were good. The Spicy Pork Dim Sum ($6.50) was a little red in color but had no real heat. The Dim Sum was really over seasoned with Chinese Five Spice. That is all I could taste. The Shrimp/Pork Dim Sum ($6.50) was my favorite. You could taste the shrimp and pork and the sauce inside was good. We followed the instructions on the table that showed you how to properly eat the Dim Sum. Add a little vinegar to your spoon. Drop in the Dim Sum. Pop the wrapper so all the juice fills the spoon and then eat the entire thing. Our absolute favorite dish was the Mapo Eggplant ($9.50). A beautiful dish of Eggplant served with minced pork and a really good sauce. We ordered some white rice to go with the Eggplant dish and it was awesome. Also liked the Shanghai Noodles ($9.99). Fresh noodles with cabbage, carrot, ginger, bell pepper and green onion. I liked our visit here and would return again for the Eggplant dish.

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT CLOSED DOWN JANUARY 2012.