"The bakery and cafe from a big-deal Las Vegas chocolatier is finally open on N Williams. Jinju Patisserie has begun serving pink lemonade bonbons, bulgogi grain bowls, and countless desserts at its new North Portland cafe. Early this year, Master Chocolatier Jin Caldwell (Bellagio, Wynn-Las Vegas) announced plans to open a cafe and pastry shop in the Silica building this spring. The restaurant intended to open April 1, but a permitting delay set things back a week — that’s a relatively short delay, compared to many in Portland restaurant history. Co-owner and pastry chef Kyurim Lee (Joël Robuchon Las Vegas) has worked with Caldwell to develop a wide selection of chocolates, elaborate desserts, and bite-sized cakes for the bakery and pastry shop. The cafe’s pastry case houses little spheres of chocolate mousse, several cake slices with flavors like lemon-raspberry and carrot, and meticulous tarts topped with dollops of chocolate or meringue. The restaurant has a separate case for truffle-like bonbons, pearly numbers with flavors like pink lemonade, lavender, and matcha. Chocolate also appears on the cafe’s drink menu, including lavender mochas, Nutella frappes, and a triple hot chocolate for the caffeine-averse. The cafe’s food menu sticks to a selection of grain bowls and sandwiches: The bowls come with protein options like Moroccan chicken and bulgogi, while the panini range from bulgogi-cheese melts with sesame sprouts to brie-and-red-wine-fig sandwiches with bacon-onion jam." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden