Tucked away in shopping center awaits tasty Chinese Muslim food
Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 1/25/2009
Rating: 8
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The previous occupants was a restaurant called Salwa Gilani Cuisine. Not sure why they closed, they had good spicy Pakistani food. A new restaurant has picked up the torch in the form of another cuisine and continues to bring up on the spice.
My first visit to Chin Jin Eastern House was with Terry a couple of months ago. We ordered a fairly standard meal and enjoyed much of it.
shrimp with broccoli - about 7-8 shrimps cooked in a light garlic sauce over broccoli. I'm guessing the sauce is chicken stock, corn starch, and chopped garlic. Decent tasting dish.
shrimp with garlic sauce - this dish caught me off guard. I had no idea it was going to be spicy and filled with a water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and lots of hot peppers. Probably the most flavorful dish of the lunch and plenty of servings of shrimps.
dumplings - We had finished the previous 2 dishes and forget we ordered the dumplings. We were stuffed at this point but there was no way we were going to take this to go. The serving is gigantic and it should be considered a full meal instead of an appetizer. Terry and I powered 6 of the 8 steamed grenades. The skins were thicker, pork mixture was pinkish, and dumplings yielded little broth. These dumplings were folded like potstickers and larger than the norm. At $5.50, it's a steal.
For a first visit, I'd say it's an easy 8. I talked to Ne00 a couple of weeks later and he had told me I didn't even order their specialty which is the Chinese Hamburger.
Weeks later, I visited with Mike to try the Chinese Hamburgers. Not sure how small these burgers were going to be, I placed an order for the special shrimps. The special shrimps were wrapped in a foil and dropped off like a giant tootsie roll. Inside the roll was a surprise.....spicy stuff again. Red peppers, onions, green onions, and shrimps. I see a recurring theme with spice at Chin Jin and love it.
Chinese hamburgers (picture 7 and 8) - I love trying new things and never seen this item on any menus. They are about $1.85 each and worth it. I'd be happy visiting this place and placing an order 2 of these with a side of rice and veggies. If you've ever had pan fried shanghai dumplings, Chinese burgers are similar but the skins aren't as crunchy. They are basically the same pork mixture from the dumplings, placed in a super-sized ding dong and pan fried on both sides. Extremely greasy and scalding hot on the inside so take your time to eat these and you'll prevent first degree burns.
With both visits under my stomach, I'm happy returning to Chin Jin Eastern House. They serve spicy food and prices are very good considering the portion size in relation to the price. If you're visiting for the first time, I'd recommend Chinese Hamburgers, veggies, and side of rice.
Reviewer: ne00
Total Reviews: 187
Reviewed: 12/12/2008
Rating: 7.5
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The restaurant was half full for dinner on a Friday night. Most people seemed to order the noodles with the sesame bread and some tables had the Chinese hamburger. My friend and I went with three items and the Chinese hamburger, which proved to be too much as the portions here for dinner is huge. We would have been fine with just two dishes and the appetizer. We decided to go with the Peking Shrimp, Tofu in brown sauce, House fried rice, and the Chinese hamburger.
Food took some time to arrive but the first item served was the Peking Shrimp. It’s basically half stir fried shrimp and half spicy shrimp. The dish would have been better had they not used so much salt. Next to arrive was the House fried rice, which contained shrimp, beef, and squid. The dish was nothing special, but it was a good solid dish. The tofu in brown sauce came a few minutes later. I was expecting the braised type of tofu but this is the standard tofu in brown sauce with beef. The best dish was probably the Chinese hamburger.
When it came time to paying the bill, it was a little hard finding a waiter. Overall the service was on par. The meal rang in at 30 something dollars with tip and could have easily been shared among three to four people. Good tasting food at low affordable prices.
Accepts Visa or Master Card.
Reviewer: wchane
Total Reviews: 148
Reviewed: 1/26/2009
Rating: 8
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funny, we just ate here last evening - and actually, quite regularly.
our usual dinners revolve around the chinese hamburgers, house chow mein, seafood claypot, and sesame bread - the variables being lamb with garlic sprouts, mixed veggies, one of the shrimp dishes and onion pancakes.
it's always way too much food, and a shock at how little the bill is.
service varies with who your waiter is, there is two brothers i believe. the taller is much more attentive, the shorter/squatter one is kind of just all over the place. regardless just expect them to get to you a little later then you'd expect.
fantastic food at more then reasonable places. i'd pick chin jin over fatima anyday.
“Hot and Sour soup was spicy hot :) best I have had in awhile, the onion bread was also really good, but I did get a bit of the MSG high!!”
4/24/2009 11:25:45 AM
mcaprile ate...
SPECIAL LAMB, BEEF WITH GREEN ONION, SESAME BREAD
“and GREEN ONION PANCAKE, FIVE SPICED CRISPY CHICKEN. Portions huge, friendly service, delicious. I recommend any "special {meat}" dish (spicy & flavorful). Great green onion pancake. I prefer here to Fatima.
”
4/14/2009 2:47:33 PM
aquagrl800 ate...
beef noodle soup
“Delicious broth, chewy noodles. Not the same as the taiwanese classic, but quite yummy nonetheless and also warms the tummy on a cold day. Be forewarned, LOTS of garlic aftertaste!”
12/15/2008 6:59:38 PM
array ate...
clay pot, beef bum, beef tendon etc
“Love this place!”
11/30/2008 4:19:08 PM
dbg ate...
cumin lamb, eastern pot, veg noodles
“Great northern chinese food here. Had the sesame bread, the noodles and a gigantic "easter vegetable pot". The Special Shrimp and Cumin Lamb were also notable. I would say Chin Jin has more interesting dishes than Fatima.”
