Jing Yan Tavern — Restaurant in Portland

Jing Yan Tavern is a precious gem nestled at the top of Munjoy Hill. The service was friendly and helpful. The bartender let this first timer take an unrushed tour of the small plates menu. It was delightful. I began with a cocktail called Peking's Past. It was very refreshing. And the Sumac on the rim was a unique touch. The smashed cucumber was a wonderful cold starter. Perfectly balanced flavors. The marinated Tofu did not disappoint. Very reminiscent of Tofu age dashi. I saved 2 chunks of it and ate them for breakfast the next day. Still delicious. I finished with the mind blowing explosion of flavor that they call Sichuan Numbing Wings. I am still trying to figure out how they packed so much flavor into perfectly fried wing pieces that are served with no sauce. I'll definitely be back to try to puzzle it out another time. There are GF and Vegan options in each category of menu selections. 👍🏼 They even had several dessert offerings as well as dessert cocktails. Definitely worth the trek up "the Hill"

Funny aside: One of the other diners at the bar confessed that they are a vegetarian who sometimes eats meat.... (They had just finished consuming the Ramen with fried chicken) 🤣 Now a confession from a gluten intolerant diner: I will most likely go back for the same Ramen bowl.... Wheat noodles and...

Amazing. Inviting atmosphere, killer music, tasty cocktails, and comfort food at its best. We did the Fried Cauliflower, Korean Wings, and Kimchee Ramen. And dessert.

Cauliflower is nice - warm spice with little crispy bits to bring in some crunch.

Korean Wings are, like others have mentioned, messy...like forget your manners messy. But so damn good it doesn't matter. They'll bring you extra napkins, but you'll need more. Then you'll need to go wash your face.

Kimchee Ramen has some of the best kimchee I've had, broth is warm and rich - not too salty, short rib is tender and flavorful, veggies are crisp and fresh. Everything you want in a comforting bowl of piping hot soup.

Then we come to dessert - the chocolate pot de crème. This little glass jar, presented caringly on a slate board, is placed down with a couple of small tasting spoons at the ready. This isn't a pot de crème. It's a cosmic portal to an alternate dimension where each bite is a totally new experience from the last. It's unclear what wizardry is happening back there, but this thing is unreasonably delicious.

Fantastic experience here at Jing Yan - cannot wait to come back and try the rest...

An interesting fusion concept that ultimately seems to be riding on its hype and otherwise a lackluster experience.

The spicy lamb noodle special we were warned about being spicy wasn't spicy. The Korean spaghetti which we didn't receive a warning about was in fact much spicier and the best dish we had. The gyudon was unfortunately completely bland and would have benefited from a Korean hot sauce. The drinks bok choy was okay. The kimchi was an interesting evolution with its focus on scallion seasoning. The eggplant dip was decent but didn't come with enough wonton chips to finish. The fish tacos were delicious but are served in wonton shells and that was probably a little too much wonton for a single meal (we could have been advised against this). Finally, the drinks were pretty decent but very, very light for their price. I did enjoy seeing the pisco on the menu, even though that doesn't really fit the featured cuisines.

Overall, as I said the concept it decent but the place has a lot of room for improvement. Maybe we'll try again in...