4 PM daytime drinking at Hey Jinny, Euljiro bar: truffle fries

Went to a wine spot I love near Euljiro 3-ga haha. A meetup of three high-school-friends-turned-moms, with Journey and Dew.

Hey Jinny

4 PM: dim lighting with sunlight pouring into the second floor

We arrived at four, and the place had this dim-but-sunlit vibe. Nice atmosphere, a little dark? That's totally blind-date-approved (isn't it a bit much if it's too bright on a blind date? haha).

Climb up like this and you wonder — is this really the door? Yes, it is haha.

Good vibes, right? haha

Hey Jinny's menu and house rules

Took my time photographing the menu! If there's a wait, you're capped at 2 hours, and dinner requires at least one drink order per person!! The menu is a great mix of dishes and anju (drinking snacks) — and the prices are solid too!

First, a round of highballs each

• Makers highball ₩11,000 x 2
• Earl Grey highball ₩10,000 x 1

For anju:

• Osaka niboshi shrimp oil pasta ₩21,000
• Eggplant with spicy garlic sauce ₩18,000

Ordered! I loved that the menu mixes familiar dishes with unfamiliar, fresh-feeling ones.

What does the Osaka niboshi shrimp oil pasta taste like?

First up, the Osaka niboshi shrimp oil pasta!! First time hearing of this pasta — turns out it has dried baby shrimp and niboshi (dried anchovies) in it...! Sounded unfamiliar, but mixed well it was a savory, salty, umami-packed oil pasta. You know that crispy dried shrimp topping you sometimes get with shrimp chips at izakayas? Tastes like that, sprinkled on! Felt like it would go with wine, honestly would go with any drink. Above all, it was a delicious flavor I'd never had before, loved it haha.

Makers highball and Earl Grey highball

Dew and I picked the Makers highball. My least favorite drinks are sweet ones, and this wasn't sweet at all — just the right amount of whiskey aroma with a bright lemon zing. Really tasty highball.

This one's Journey's pick, the Earl Grey highball. I once had an Earl Grey highball elsewhere that was way too sweet, but this one wasn't sweet, had a nice tingling Earl Grey aroma, and was delicious. Good stuff.

And so the real eating-and-chatting begins haha

Eggplant with spicy garlic sauce, still crispy underneath

The eggplant with spicy garlic sauce arrived. Fried eggplant — need I say more? Served with thin slices of cooked bell pepper (and other veggies), which pairs so well with the sauce and completely cuts the greasiness the fried dish could have.... And since it's not overly drenched in sauce, the crispiness stays alive...

What is this angle even.. I think I just wanted to show off a delicious bite haha. The nutty, rich oil pasta and the spicy, bright eggplant with the highball — such a great combo..

Round two: house wine, Kozel Dark, and fries

After finishing everything, we felt a bit unsatisfied, so we ordered more and basically started a second round. Chatting made us feel full and hungry again at the same time.. The moms' conversation eventually drifted to housing prices, buying a home, having kids, childcare, and workplace villains...

Journey and Dew picked Kozel Dark (it comes as a bottled beer, but they poured it into a glass and dusted it with cinnamon powder like that). Since this is supposedly a great wine spot near Euljiro 3-ga, I ordered a glass of the house wine. It was a bit sweet but not overly so, more like a wine with a strong residual sweetness, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The extra anju we ordered was fries for ₩12,000. Wait, we just casually ordered plain fries — why were these so good...? Not the greasy kind of fries at all, super crispy, nutty, and the thinness was just right. As soon as we took one bite, everyone went crazy over how good it was haha. Kept picking at them.. And above all, the truffle sauce that came with them was seriously tasty.

Why I'd recommend Hey Jinny in Euljiro 3-ga

• Distinctive, genuinely delicious anju and a wide range of drinks
• Corkage is allowed
• A great-vibe bar perfect for both round one and round two
• Great for a blind date, a date, or a hangout with friends

The end ❤️