Jin Myungdong Korean Noodles — Restaurant in Markham

Bossam and Giant Dumplings !!!

Now that I got your attention if these were the only two dishes I ordered I would say I would never get bored of them. Jin Korean Noodles also known as Jin Myungdong Korean Noodles (진 명동 칼국수) and is a newer Noodle Joint in the Commerce Valley area which intersects with Markham, Thornhill and Richmond Hill. This is simply put a Korean Noodle Restaurant. In comparison to more traditional Korean Restaurants, the menu is smaller, simpler and focuses on Noodles, Bossam, Dumplings, Bulgogi and soups. There is Kimchi as well and lots of it.

Since my first visit in the summer this year, I have been back a few times to introduce this style of food to my foodie friends and family. In the warmer months outside the restaurant, they have a tented patio which they had open right into late fall. Inside there is seating enough for about 25- 30 people at any given time.

Now to the food!!! This restaurant centres around their signature Kalguksu (칼국수), King-size dumplings, traditional Bulgogi and sliced steamed pork known as Bossom. The Kalgusku or home-style noodles come with 6 different options you can get veggie, spicy veggie, Clam, meat, dumplings or gyoza and spicy pork bone soup. There are three house special Bugogi's such as the Junsik with marinated sirloin, the Pork Bulgogi made from marinated BBQ pork, and the Spicy Pork Jaeyuk Jungsik. Two more of the featured dishes are the house special Gyoza (King-Size Dumpling) Home-made king-size steamed dumplings made with thin dough & filled with meat & vegetable. The other is the Steam Pork dish known as Bossam, served on a table-top hot plate with fresh garlic and green onions. The server will light the gas-fueled hot plate for you when they bring out the Bossam. You can order various combos. set meals and hot pot sets as well. One dish that is very popular is the seafood pancake, which is big enough for two so be careful if you order this dish it's huge!!!

The price range for all of the offerings is mid-range since you can get various combos and sets. The portions are generous and filling, and I've never left JK Noodles without a full belly. Great for couples, friends, and families with kids, this is a restaurant all can enjoy. Remember to call ahead if you have allergies. This is one of my favourite places to eat right now and if this is your kind of place, you will...

Walking into the restaurant it's well lit and has some of the best decor that I've seen in a modern Korean restaurant. It's clean, sleek, and spacious. Even though I visited at an off hour (2pm on a Wednesday) the place was still packed. I didn't have to wait for seating though.

I ordered the Spicy Kalguksu and later added an order of the Mandu or King Size Dumplings. The server was quite brusque with me throughout the whole meal but the food always arrived quite promptly.

When it came to the Spicy Kalguksu the noodles were absolutely delicious. Slippery and smooth they went down very easily and they had just the right amount of chewiness. The broth itself was very light and the spiciness was not overwhelming. I would put the heat at a 4 out of 10 so I would say most people could handle it. There is a very faint beef flavour along with a nice seafood umami from what I presume is seaweed. If I had to give it a comparison I would say it was somewhere between pho and a pack of Shin Ramyun. The kimchi wasn't very sour and wasn't very fermented but it's packed with umami. There was a small dollop of ground beef on top, just enough to say that there was but from what little I've had of it the beef was well seasoned and delicious.

The noodles themselves weren't that filling and if you have a large appetite like me I would recommend ordering an add on. In this case I got the Mandu which came with 6 large sized dumplings. One thing that struck me was how good the skin of the Mandu was. Just like the noodles it was pleasantly chewy and had a very sloppy and smooth mouth feel. It's very hard to achieve that balance when it comes to working with flour and I have to really commend them for it. Their mandu filling was surprisingly soft and a contrast to some that I've had where it feels like you're eating a meatball wrapped in dumpling skin. I can't say much to the flavours themselves other than its well balanced and light. I would highly recommend eating the kimchi with it to add extra umami with the dish.

In conclusion I think this place is a good spot if you are on your lunch break and you want something affordable to eat and you want to be served fast. The portions aren't amazing but the price...

I’ve always enjoyed the food here and came regularly for the last 2 years. HOWEVER, after today, I DO NOT want to come back anymore due to one rude server.

For your context, my husband and I used to tip 15% all the time, even 20% when we have a bigger party. But when we visited the restaurant a few weeks ago, their service was overall very poor. When we needed some napkins, it was just impossible to ask because they never even looked at our table the whole time. Sure, you can be busy. So we still gave 15% tip, but their reaction was very poor as if they deserve more than that even though the service they offered was terrible. She didn’t even say thank you and just left the table with the machine. (She’s the one who never smiles, never welcomes customers in other reviews I believe.) That was very unpleasant, so I decided not to tip unless they actually do the service. If they come to our table at least once to check if everything’s okay, I would tip. Guess what, today as well, they didn’t. So I decided not to tip. They took our order, gave the food, gave the bill and machine at the end. Isn’t that really what their job as a server? The rude server literally asked my husband “why no tip” How funny LOL you do your minimum work and ask for extra money like that? Shame on you.

It was the same person as last time, who never says thank you. My husband didn’t wanna call her out or argue with her, but if I was...