This was the kind of meal I needed not only plastic gloves for but also backup in the form of a willing dining companion to lend me a hand.
Jinmi debuted earlier this year at 854 Denman St. The contemporary Korean "soul food" restaurant asserts it's the first of its kind in North America, as they have a unique delicacy at the core of its menu: marinated raw whole crab.
The claim is a bit dubious, as, at the very least, a few Toronto-area restaurants serve the dish, as does Na-Re in Burnaby. That said, Jinmi's roots go back a few years locally. Created by a chef in the kitchen of Vancouver's Black Rice Izakaya, Jinmi has been selling a variety of marinated seafood products, including crab, over the past four years, gaining thousands of fans on social media at the same time.
Raw marinated crab a Korean delicacy
The dishes represent a popular style of preparation in Korean cuisine. The crab has two iterations, soy sauce marinated raw crab (ganjang-gejang) and spicy marinated raw crab (yangnyeom-gejang), both made using female crabs. The female crabs are considered more desirable, as they not only have sweeter meat but also roe, which itself is a delicacy.
Jinmi's chef, known as "Chef J," hails from Namwon in South Korea, and at his Vancouver restaurant, he proudly showcases dishes from his hometown, including raw marinated seafood. At both lunch and dinner, meal sets, called bansang, are the central focus. These options feature either soy or spicy marinated crab and several small side dishes, called banchan. Side dishes include seaweed soup, rice, and items like a small seafood pancake or cold tofu with dressing, as well as a small sweet bite for dessert.
At dinnertime, there are several other specialty dishes, like spicy grilled octopus with noodles or a large pot of house seafood soup, as well as portions of soy-marinated salmon or shrimp, or spicy marinated shrimp.
While dinner is positioned as a way to enjoy a communal feast, lunch at Jinmi is largely centred on individual trays or sets. In addition to the crab bansang options, guests can get lunch trays that feature a main like soy-marinated shrimp with egg yolk and sides of soup, a small savoury bite of the day, and dessert.
How do you eat the raw marinated crab?
I tried the spicy crab bansang for lunch, and it was both a fun and messy experience. Fortunately, the tray comes with a side of gloves; the best way to eat the crab is to pick it up and squeeze the meat out onto your rice, or, when you can, scoop it out with chopsticks. (If you prefer, for an additional charge, Jinmi will de-shell your crab for you.) Then, you can load the crab and rice into a large sheet of dried seaweed to eat.
As this was my first time trying this delicacy, I have nothing to compare it to. Getting the meat from the crab was fun and satisfying, and as someone who can excitedly eat a bit too fast, I appreciated the necessity of slowing down and savouring each bite. The meat is sweet, tender, and juicy, and the texture is akin to a mash-up of spot prawn sashimi and raw oysters. The spice was clear-out-your-sinuses and watery eyes hot, but I loved every tingly minute.
The raw soy-marinated prawns were plump and juicy with a nice balance of salt and sweet.
I'll grant that this kind of food and style of eating may not be for everyone (and Jinmi does have lunch sets featuring cooked items, like beef, shrimp, or abalone, as well as kids' sets) but for those in search of something adventurous and rare, this spot is worth checking out.
The room is bright and modern and the service is wonderfully attentive. The menu is accessed by a QR code that opens in Canva which is a little tedious to get to if you have the Canva app but aren't logged in and using it at that moment; a small inconvenience for what was otherwise an outstanding meal.
Watch: Trying spicy raw marinated crab at Jinmi in Vancouver
@forkingawesomevia One of the most fun meals I’ve had lately in Vancouver was trying the specialty at a new-ish Korean restaurant in the West End: Raw marinated crab. 🇰🇷🦀 I got mine spicy 🌶️🥵 It was messy but so good! #forkingawesome #vancouverbc #koreanfood ♬ Make It Better (Instrumental) - Anderson .Paak
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