I got recommendations from someone who’d lived in Korea for some years and Jin Dal Lae was my first try. The restaurant itself is like a greasy spoon, dark wood, shabby, only a ceiling fan to chill out down on this warm evening and quite a hubbub of excitedly chatting diners, all who seemed to be Korean - this was promising, although the atmosphere for a dinner with friends was also daunting.
My friends didn’t know Korean food at all but I suggested we each order something so r could taste different things. My order was pork bone stew, another’s was mandu, and the other’s was a japchae (beef and vegetables). There were large banchan dishes, all enjoyed. The pork bone stew was slightly spicy, very savoury dish piled with bean sprouts and bubbling nicely. The mandu weren’t very exciting but my friends loved them. The japchae was tasty despite being a bit of a sticky mess. I liked the mushroom, the only vegetable and did have a piece or two of beef. The stew was the best thing - delicious. I’d not choose the other two again. The service was friendly and helpful. We’d arrived to a full house and a 15-minute wait and left to find about ten people waiting to come in.
