You are currently browsing the THE CHINATOWN BLOG weblog archives for the day January 29, 2008.
- AROUND C-TOWN (25)
- CHINATOWN CALENDAR (41)
- LIFE AND STORIES OF ASIAN AMERICANS (8)
- THE CHINATOWN BEAT (5)
- The PU PU CHATTER (1)
- WORD ON THE STREET (82)
- August 27, 2008: Selling Public Infrastructure and Privatized Chinatown?
- August 26, 2008: Reflections on Chinatown’s Former Movie Theaters
- August 26, 2008: Parcel 24: Draft Project Impact Report
- August 26, 2008: Hudson Street Gallery Grand Opening
- August 25, 2008: Films at the Gate and Fundraising Dinner
- August 25, 2008: Boston Herald: BRA Weighs Time-Limit for Projects
- August 21, 2008: Hudson Street Gallery
- August 19, 2008: Forum on 2nd Suffolk Senate Race
- August 18, 2008: Pictures of August Moon Festival, 2008
- August 13, 2008: Boston Globe: Voter registration drive takes multilingual feel
Archive for January 29, 2008
Jin = Buffet + Hot Pot?
January 29, 2008 by willng24.
That is right. The once popular Saugus Chinese Buffet restaurant has added the hot pot cuisine to their menu. I was there last night and was actually impressed by the number of people dining on a Monday night. My group of 4 had to wait 30 minutes for a table. During this time I got a drink at the bar. However, it was so dark I could hardly see what I had ordered. A Bud Light and a red wine ran $11.50. Rather high for a Chinese Restaurant, but about right for a buffet joint.
Once seated the feasting began. The hot pot set up at Jin isn’t as nice as Shabu Zen. Actually, it is the exact cookware I use at home (portable burners). However, everyone is here for the food, not the cookware. It is still buffet style as you had to go to each station to get the items you’d like to cook. This was a bit of a hassle, but allowed me to move around as you wait for things to cook. The variety of ingredients were great. Everything from Prime Rib Eye to Sushi to that great Sesame Oil sauce. Jin definitely did a great job on the variety.
The only downside to this dining experience was the lack of sweet treats. Usually Jin has a whole section of cookies and pastries to ease your meal. However, this time there were only a few preserved fruits and some cookies. Additionally, the lack of the fishing net spoons made it difficult for me to scoop out the scallops I had cooking for much too long.
All in all the hot pot experience at Jin was great. A little too far of a drive for my taste, but for $19 and all you can eat..it is surely a winner. Ohh I forgot to mention, this has become so popular that Jin is raising their prices from $19 to $23. I recommend you call ahead so you aren’t surprised.
The Chinatown Blogger had mentioned labor disputes in a past entry, but I surely didn’t see a hint of it while I was at Jin. This location has always had trouble surviving because of the massive size of the restaurant, but I hope Jin is around for a little longer.
Posted in AROUND C-TOWN | Print | 2 Comments »