There are a lot of ramen bars in Atlanta. In fact, there might be too many. That said, it’s always been what’s on the menu that counts. At JINYA Ramen Bar, an established brand throughout metro Atlanta and across the country, the new chef’s menu might be the thing that sets it apart from the hundreds of ramen options available in the city.
JINYA Ramen Bar General Manager Steven Shin and Assistant General Manager Hubert Chon were onsite to greet me when I arrived on Friday night. The goal was to try the two dishes on the new chef’s menu, which is available till March 31. The pair of JINYA veteran employees explained the new menu to me before I tried the food.
The two items on the chef’s menu are the chicken salad and the birria ramen.
This isn’t your auntie’s chicken salad, ladies and gentlemen. Starting with the shredded white meat chicken breast, this chicken salad is good enough to be an entree unto itself. The dish is served with house-made crispy wonton chips and includes diced red onions, cucumber, and is topped with cherry tomatoes.
The chicken salad was juicy without being too creamy. It was easy to use the wonton chips when dipping them into the chicken salad. The serving was just enough to be a starter, but enough to combine with sushi (NOTE: try the salmon Aburi Oshi sushi. Trust me.), a drink (NOTE: try the dragon fruit fizz) and make it an entire meal.
Now for the star of the show: the ramen. One’s true purpose for visiting a ramen bar is for the ramen and the birria ramen at JINYA did not disappoint.
The addition of birria, which is spicy marinated beef and a staple of Mexican dining, into ramen with thick noodles and chicken broth was a great idea. The ramen is also served with red onions, cilantro, and lime. The flavor combination of the birria beef and the chicken broth allows the diner to enjoy both flavors. The dish isn’t overpowered by either flavor and that makes it a fun dish to eat.
