I'm confused by the bipolar ratings received by JingJing as my experience was definitely good…read moreenough that I went there 2 evenings in a row. I found their food to be of good quality, flavorful and wide-ranging in terms of regional Asian genre style offered. I especially loved their helpful and friendly staff and the fact that they packaged my take away order in very sturdy, compact and convenient containers along with biodegradable wooden utensils.
For awareness, I am reviewing my experience from the sit-down JingJing restaurant on the far west end in the upper mezzanine level of The Squaire and not the small JingJing "grab and go" stand in the lower level of The Squaire closer to the train terminal. All food there is pre-made for convenience.
I was prepared to not like this place because it violates one of my basic rules for a restaurant in that it seems to try to do too much in order to appeal to all people. The name, feel and menu is largely Chinese and more specifically Northern Chinese (meaning hot, spicy, with red chilies and Sichuan peppercorns as the main style) but there are items from other areas of China (such as won ton style soup from Hong Kong), Japan (such as the adjacent sushi prep area and notable Udon noodles and a teriyaki rice bowl on the menu), and even Korea (there was Kim Chee on the menu too). I'm never confident that a restaurant can do that many things well especially when crossing ethnic borders. I did not try any of the Japanese or Korean items but I was satisfied with the Chinese food that I received.
Ok, now for some perspective. First, this is located in Germany. Second, it is buried within an airport train terminal and is there to serve international transitory citizens and German office workers. It is not a destination for high-brow service or Michelin starred cuisine. Have I had better versions of baozi steamed dumplings or mapo tofu? Of course, especially in Hong Kong and various Chinatowns of the world. But the food here was certainly better than many places I've been to including some in Chinatowns of the world and I was impressed enough with it on my first visit that I came back the next night to try some other menu items. I think that says something. The items I liked the most were the dumplings and the cumin spiced lamb but I found no fault with any of the things that I had. For those Yelpers that complained about the amount of chilies and spice, I would recommend some situational awareness of what you are ordering. Northern style dishes especially Sichuan based classics are supposed to be that way. I actually found them to be not as spicy as I am used to so the preference is all what you are used to.
I really loved the convenience of the location since I was staying at one of the hotels attached to The Square on the opposite end of the terminal. A short walk from my room, all fully enclosed so it could be made in shorts and flip flops during October, and about 15 min later I was back in my room feeding my face. Along the way, there are a few convenience shops to purchase a beverage and that makes for a really easy meal when you are sleep-deprived and not wanting to make a big deal of trying to get something to eat in a foreign country. Now that I know JingJing is here, I am actually looking forward to a future stay at this airport hotel. Hopefully that gives you an idea of how much I liked this place.
