I have to admit I was a bit leery of corporate ramen, but I wanted to go see the new Spiderman movie and Jinya is right next door to Cinemark in Perkins Rowe. Turned out to be a great move. The place had at least fifty percent bar seating at the real bar, the bar around the exhibition kitchen, and under the windows. There’s a little patio outside (that looks great for people watching) located in the portico of the Cinemark theater. Most importantly though, the bowl of ramen I ended up with was fantastic.
The three boneless skinless chicken thighs were fried perfectly and set in the umami chicken broth along with half a spicy egg, bamboo shoots, nori, green onions, and thin noodles. It was only one of many choices, and there’s a long list of additions you can make to customize any bowl you order. The staff was young, into it, and kept doing that Thank you! in unison thing, along with a couple of other shouts I didn’t really grasp. In my defense, I was really busy with the ramen. The decor was a sharp, upscale take on traditional Japanese style elements. Normally I would call that corporate clinical (or cynical) but this rendition was quite nice throughout the store.
I don’t know why, exactly, but I’ve long had an affinity for one parking spot for two or more activities. When I lived in Culver City, my brother and I would haul our laundry to a spot right next to a pizza parlor. The pizza wasn’t great, but the beer was cold. Same thing here in BR when the ex and I would haul our laundry to the place right around the corner from Chelsea’s in University Shopping Center. Or one better, Igor’s on St. Charles in New Orleans where the bar and laundry are the same business. At any rate, dinner and a movie just got a lot better with the addition of Jinya next door to Cinemark. And yes, the new Spiderman movie is both funny and intense.