Jin the Mood

A sorely missed Center City Chinese spot rises from the ashes.

by Elisa Ludwig

There's something inherently compromising about takeout Chinese. Whether it's the sheer, almost embarrassing convenience, the excess calories, the wasteful overuse of paper products or the cheap, speedy nature of the food itself, most combo platters leave you oily-mouthed, overstuffed and vaguely remorseful, with the instinctive desire to throw out that takeout menu along with the excess packets of soy and duck sauce.

But there are always a few exceptions to the rule. One is Jin House, a well-reputed Center City spot that was destroyed by fire back in 2003. Five years later, Jin House has reopened in a new location next to More Than Just Ice Cream, putting its wontons and chow mein back into circulation. The new digs are nothing special — tiled floors, lacquered tables, chrysanthemum wallpaper, windows facing out onto Locust Street. But of course, the point is not really eating there.

Skip the smattering of Japanese items and head straight for the Chinese dishes, which happily avoid the cornstarch overload and deep-fryer abuse present in so many Chinese "stores." That's not to say Jin House doesn't serve up plenty of Americanized goodies. General Tso's, crab Rangoon, even that beloved holdover from the midcentury Polynesian restaurant craze, the Pu-Pu platter, are all there for the dialing up.

Hot and sour soup is true to its name, a translucent amber swirl of al dente mushrooms, snappy bamboo shoots and undulating egg white. White puckered half-moons of dumpling look thick and coarse, but a bite reveals a far more delicate filling of finely chopped pork appealingly scented with ginger. Thick, fresh-tasting cold sesame noodles are lightly dressed with peanut sauce.

Shrimp fried rice is a little bland, though, as it's clearly hiding nothing but simple ingredients. Eggplant with firm-pressed tofu and garlic sauce is too oily and too wimpy on the hot pepper to be memorable. Kung Pao chicken is not particularly spicy, either, but the tender chunks of chicken tossed with crisp nuggets of green pepper, celery, water chestnuts and peanuts are surprisingly light and flavorful. Best of all is the moo shu pork, which has generous slices of meat in an addictively smoky hoisin sauce and pancakes so delicate you can see your hand through them.

After all this, I still felt bad about the containers and the chopsticks and the 12 individually wrapped fortune cookies in the bag — but I did, in fact, put the Jin House menu away for safekeeping.

(e_ludwig@citypaper.net)

Jin House

1117 Locust St., 215-592-9500

Appetizers, $1.10-$4.50; Entrées, $3.25-$11.95

Hours: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., noon-11 p.m.

Delivery available