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Weekend Grub: Everyone should ‘Jing’ling’ in Lahore

Weekend Grub: Everyone should ‘Jing’ling’ in Lahore

In the mood to enjoy authentic Far Eastern cuisine? We’ve picked out the perfect place...
06 Nov, 2015

With a vast number of eateries providing quality food and myriad of cuisines under one roof, Lahoris remain spoilt for choice.

But this weekend, if you’re in the mood to really excite your taste buds and enjoy authentic Far Eastern cuisine, we’ve got the perfect place for you.

Where To Go: Jing

Located in the heart of Lahore on MM Alam Road in Sorrento Square Mall, the cozy little restaurant with an elegant black and red exterior can be easily spotted.

With Jing’s name, the tagline of the restaurant ‘Far Eastern Wok Works’ is tempting enough to make your stomach growl for freshly served spicy stir-fried noodles.

The restaurant has been brought forth by Mariam Saqib, the owner of Veranda Bistro, an extremely popular restaurant among the affluent who love its fancy buffet dishes, Jing also has the edge to attract such clientele.

When to Go:

Jing is small but the seating area is divided between two floors with separate booths providing ample privacy. So both lunch and dinner works if you’re looking for a quiet time.

However, the place can get crowded around the evening on weekends, so getting a reservation prior to going is a good idea.

The ambiance exudes simplicity with neutral colors and red light fixtures suspended over each table, giving the restaurant a refreshing modern interplay of east-meets-west.

The overall effect is of a sophisticated yet comfortable eatery, which is perfect to take a loved one out on a date.

The light music in the background also supports the peaceful atmosphere. In fact, children under 12 are not allowed during dinnertime.

What to order:

Jing’s menu offers a wide selection of flavorful dishes, some familiar and others new, so you can have the opportunity of experiencing food not offered elsewhere in Lahore.

Items range from Cantonese, Chinese and Thai cuisine intriguing a foodie’s curiosity, but we stuck to our favorites (a combination of fish, rice and stir-fried chicken.)

Recommended appetizers:

If you’re a fan of seafood, especially prawns, then Jing's Prawn Tempura had us licking our fingers.

Very soft on the inside and deep-fried well, the tempura had the perfect crispy golden tinge we all desire. Accompanying sauces enhanced its taste further.

The Prawn Tempura at Jing was cooked to perfection – Photo by author
The Prawn Tempura at Jing was cooked to perfection – Photo by author

Other appetizer options that are popular include wasabi and chili garlic prawns, chicken wontons and if you’re in the mood to be adventurous, duck and squid options seemed appealing.

Recommended main-course:

Sticking to the classics, we ordered Szechuan Chicken with Garlic Fried Rice, which was a powerful combination that left us wanting more.

The thinly sliced stir-fried chicken was tender and easy to chew. It struck the right balance of chilies with onions, green onions and bell peppers. Garnished with mint leaves, the chili sauce perfectly blended with the veggies, tantalizing the taste buds with each bite.

The Szechuan Chicken was a hit with our tastebuds!
The Szechuan Chicken was a hit with our tastebuds!

Combining it with hot garlic rice, also seasoned with spices and scallions, the main course was absolutely delectable.

The Garlic Rice complemented the chicken perfectly with its spicy seasoning – Photo by author
The Garlic Rice complemented the chicken perfectly with its spicy seasoning – Photo by author

However, if you want to avoid spicy food, options such as Tamarind Fish, Beef Teriyaki, Green Curry Prawns and a variety of other items are available.

Portion sizes are meant for two and they were adequate, but if you want to avoid getting those midnight hunger pangs, we suggest ordering a third entrée for two people.

What to avoid:

Although we started our meal with Szechuan soup and rice crackers, we recommend avoiding both items altogether.

The soup was fresh and the taste was authentic, but it was not piping hot. The rice crackers were cold and the crunchiness went stale.

Our meal at Jing began with this disappointing serving of Szechuan Soup and crackers – Photo by author
Our meal at Jing began with this disappointing serving of Szechuan Soup and crackers – Photo by author

With winters fast approaching, Jing needs to reassess their serving style for soup and other dishes. The plates could be hot as provided in some other Chinese/Thai restaurants like Yum.

There was an exotic choice between two specialty (recommended) drinks, Kiwi Margarita and Lychee Smoothy.

The Kiwi Margarita tasted like sugar and ice – Photo by author
The Kiwi Margarita tasted like sugar and ice – Photo by author

We ordered the former, which turned out to be below our expectations. It was merely a blend of sugar and ice with no taste of kiwi.

Also, for people with a sweet tooth, Jing’s only choice for dessert is commercial ice cream.

Damage on the pocket?

It comes under the fine dining category. So, if you order a soup, appetizer, a main entrée with a bowl of rice, be prepared to dish out Rs.2000 per person. Fish, especially prawn items, are more expensive, ranging between Rs.1200-1500.

Pro tip: Unlike many restaurants in Pakistan, Jing included the service charge in the bill. So, before you go about paying a tip for the exceptional service, check if it’s already included.

Comments

Harsh Nov 06, 2015 01:49pm
This is your fine dining?
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Farrukh Nov 06, 2015 03:15pm
I bet you have not tried Kababjee. Extremely amazing food, hygiene and ambiance and the best part is reasonable charges and to your surprise no illegal service charges added to the bill. Well, chi always leads when it comes
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Imtiaz Faruqui Nov 06, 2015 08:46pm
Szechuan chichen should have more vegetables, this is only chichen, and for that price I think it is extremely expensive, I think America is still the cheapest when it comes to food. You can still find Pizza slice for a Dollar in some places. In Pakistan Chinese should be made inexpensive and serve as Take-outs.
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Usman Nov 06, 2015 10:34pm
OK very much money they are asking per person we can feed all family in this a time!!
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Bupi Nov 06, 2015 11:56pm
Taste & quality have no price for Riches.
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Saeeds Nov 07, 2015 02:56am
Looking nice and neat , and price is right if taste good. Good food it's good ambiance is blessing.
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Numair Nov 07, 2015 06:37pm
@Harsh no it's a small Chinese restaurant. Was that not clear in the part that states "Jing is small."
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