Jin Meng Tan
Google
All food reviews are subjective and this is from the point of view of an ethnic Chinese person from SE Asia who is a little bit of a foodie. My food rating reflects expectations for a pricy restaurant.
We asked for less salt as prior experience showed us that Peruvians like more salt.
Ordered the chaufa (with prawns, bbq meat), wan tan soup, garlic beef with black bean sauce (confusingly there is another dish with black bean sauce) and their apparent specialty sweet bbq pork ribs.
The wantan soup came with very little soup and lots of loaded ingredients such as bbq pork, roasted duck, chicken strips, cabbage, pigeons egg and the eponymous wantan. The soup was pretty good - pity there was too little of it. The bbq pork and duck was v good with a hint of smoked flavor. The chicken was v tough but I suspect there because it was part of the broth (might be an old chicken or rooster). The wantan, however, was too large to fit into the mouth and the skin was very thick and the taste was mediocre. Overall a mixed result. I think can just leave out the egg, the chicken and balance out with more soup and cabbage. Also the wantan can be improved on wrt skin and size as mentioned.
The chaufa was nicely done. Its taste was brightened by the plump shrimp pieces and the bbq pork (again the bbq). Thumbs up on this.
The beef was good. It basically tasted like char grilled steak sliced and doused in a black sauce (I think black bean provides the basis). If it were up to me, I’d have added quite a bit more spring onions.
The pork ribs - advertised as a specialty of the restaurant - was the biggest disappointment. The pork ribs did not have any “porky” taste and the meat texture was odd. It was overwhelmed by the sauce which I would say tasted exactly like the thai sweet chilli sauce I can buy at any random supermarket at home.
I gave a 5 for atmosphere (for a tourist) as the restaurant was packed with Peruvians out for lunch. I gave a 3 for service because (a) the handle of the tea pot broke (it’s a cheap thing with plastic ties) and (b) they actually forgot our pork ribs order and had to be reminded so we ended the meal with the worse dish of the lot.