Asia at Your Doorstep

Authentic Tastes from the Orient

Text by Warren Rojas / Photography by Hana Jung / Tableware provided by Crate & Barrel

The Far East is alive and well in Northern Virginia. At least, it would seem that way based on the proliferation of Asian eateries across our ever-expanding area.

Yet many of these around-the-corner conveniences survive primarily on the scope of their delivery service—never mind that if you lived just a few blocks over, you could get the exact same meal from a copycat operation.

That’s why, for our Asian-dining primer, we probed embassy staff, native speakers and local restaurateurs for pointers on what to expect when stepping out for “real” Chinese, Korean, Thai or Vietnamese cuisine.

VIETNAMESE Get acquainted
Viet Crystal
13965 Metrotech Drive, Chantilly | 703-803-4428
Average entree: Under $12 ($). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Restaurant tip No. 58: If staff appears mindful enough to keep even inanimate guests well fed and watered, chances are good you’ll be treated right.

The above observation is more of a maxim than an absolute, but the case is well made by Viet Crystal—a strip-mall escape with decidedly urban flair.

A handsomely appointed bar remains in full blossom year-round thanks to interwoven rows of budding flowers, towering bamboo and thriving foliage all around. Nearby, colorful religious icons display beatific smiles as they survey the daily gifts (gourmet coffees, exotic fruits) offered up in exchange for continued prosperity.

No slaves to fortune, staff does its best to ensure repeat business by treating every customer like one of the family.

Servers readily provide cultural guidance and dining recommendations to those unfamiliar with homespun Vietnamese cuisine. During the meal, discarded plates are shuttled away with deliberate swiftness. Once finished, patrons are invited to refresh themselves with a steamed, lemon-soaked towel.

Locals casually chat with staff (“Where’s your sister? How’s the baby?” one regular quizzes his waitress during a dinner visit) between sips of imported brews (native suds include 33 Export and Saigon lager). Early on, one server paused to inquire whether I was feeling all right after fielding my order of ginger ale (no worries; I happen to love the stuff). Another seemed almost envious of our dish selection (“good dinner tonight”) amidst an admittedly plentiful group outing. Within weeks, I felt like a time-honored regular—a sensation cemented by one comely waitress glibly stating, “You know where it is; I don’t have to show you,” when I excused myself to use the facilities.

The menu is equally hospitable, featuring over 100 menu items—including a dozen homemade soups, a host of mixed vermicelli dishes and over three dozen weekday lunch specials (pho, noodle and grill items). 
Whopping pho bowls produce aromatic brews brimming with fresh basil, rice noodles, assorted beef byproducts (ranging from thinly sliced steak to tendon, tripe and intestine) and diced scallions, all accompanied by DIY sides of sprouts, searing peppers and, of course, Sriracha.

A plate of shrimp vermicelli summons a flavorful medley of tiny noodles, sprouts, ground peanuts, fried egg, herbs and grilled shrimp doused in fish sauce (pleasantly filling dish). Saigon beefsteak brings marinated cubes of sumptuous steak sauteed with mixed peppers, herbs and sliced tomatoes served in a dark, soy-like sauce. Marinated steak is cubed and sauteed with mixed peppers, herbs and sliced tomatoes (hearty, soy-based sauce seeps into each morsel of succulent steak). Elsewhere, cod left to slowly caramelize within a traditional clay pot produces sugar-stung fish swimming in a garlic-onion-basil broth (magnificent).

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VIETNAMESE Go native
Saigon Cafe
6286-B Arlington Blvd., Falls Church | 703-237-1899 | www.saigoncafe-va.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Even those who think they’ve sampled the full scope of Vietnamese dining are likely to find at least a few uncovered gems at Saigon Café, a neighborhood retreat specializing in central Vietnamese cuisine.

Co-owners Phuc Le and Tien Nguyen relocated directly across from the area’s de facto Vietnamese shopping and dining mecca, Eden Center, in 2007, after building up a devoted client base in western Fairfax. Their updated restaurant is modestly decorated (decorative bamboo dividers, rattan light fixtures, plain wooden tables) but perfectly inviting. The crowd appears to tilt heavily toward native speakers—were it not for the youngish Asian couple chatting away in English about their favorite films, every word I heard during one trip would have been Vietnamese—and Le assured me that they see new faces all the time.

The menu is stocked with dishes from the Hue province, including delicacies like mixed seafood salads, steamed rice cakes and exotic pates. The restaurant also offers two-, four- and six-person family-style meals for those who enjoy sharing plates and sampling freely with everyone else around the table.

Le suggested that first-time guests acclimate themselves to the central Vietnamese palate by starting with their signature rice cakes (doughy coins usually sprinkled with shrimp flakes), crispy mixed-protein rolls (bite-sized wraps stuffed with minced pork, sausage, assorted seafood), jackfruit salads (greens and meats mixed with the tropical, sweetish fruit) or grape leaf-wrapped ground beef.

Meanwhile, he recommended that seasoned gourmands indulge in familiar “shaken” beef (peppery cubes of fish sauce-soaked meat), a caramelized catfish creation—“It has been very well received,” he said of their clay-pot offering—or their papaya-and-shrimp salad (substantial yet refreshing).

Would that some of the overly suspicious servers were as obliging.

During one visit, a server actively campaigned against our ordering certain traditional dishes—“You Americans, you eat Mexican food and think it’s spicy. You not like this,” the well-meaning but misguided server warned—before we finally convinced him that our motley crew did, in fact, know what we were getting ourselves into (we didn’t, but experimentation is certainly the customer’s prerogative).

House rice cakes are paired with any number of culinary curiosities, including pressed shrimp patties (obligatory “safe” option), pickled ham rolls (zesty from start to finish) and peppered pork (well-spiced swine). Otherwise blasé ground-beef wraps are propped up by a thick, peanut-driven sauce.

A combination salad built around crunchy lotus root (tuber-like flesh fills every forkful) is as fresh as a spring morning, showcasing shaved carrots, basil, crushed nuts, sliced pork and shrimp doused in a sweet chili-lime sauce.

Grilled shrimp skewered on sugar cane are par for the course; grilled pork kebabs and specialty pork balls are better.

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CHINESE Get aquainted
Miu Kee
6653 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church | 703-237-8884
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch, dinner and late-night dining daily.

Ever notice how everyone on those televised kitchen/home remodeling shows always angles for next-generation Viking ovens or subzero freezers?

Not this guy.

I’d hold out for the sensibly designed, yet artfully arranged, hanging duck- and pork-filled display case at Miu Kee (as is, of course).

The smallish, strip-mall joint is definitely showing its age—cracked Formica tabletops are becoming the rule rather than the exception, the business-grade carpet is bare in spots, ground-in black in others—but nobody seems to notice. Or maybe their eyes are more easily drawn to the aforementioned roast-meat showcase peeking out from the kitchen, the striking mini-shrine hovering above the bar or the pale, aqua glow from the bank of giant lobster- and blue crab-filled holding tanks that greet you at the front door.
A far cry from the generic corner carry-outs of yore, Miu Kee aims to present more regional Chinese cooking, including Szechuan (western), Cantonese (southern) and Hunan (central) cuisine.

Granted, I’ve watched as oblivious Westerners popped in to scoop up orders of Americanized standbys (General Tso’s chicken, sweet-and-sour pork) on their way home from work. But even the most cursory glance at what the sit-down diners are eating—the roast duck and crispy pork are clear favorites—shows this restaurant knows its stuff.

No need to request secret menus or utter unpronounceable passwords here, as management has laid bare their full culinary catalog for all to see. Fare ranges from loaded congee offerings (including a potpourri of pork offal and a preserved egg variety) to myriad delicacies (jellyfish, pigs’ knuckles, duck feet) to specialty barbecue platters (brined chicken, roast pork).

Meanwhile, staff acknowledged they still use now-taboo monosodium glutamate in certain stir-fry dishes—“It depends on what you order,” the forthright server stated—but noted that customers can always request msg-free preparations.

Beef congee brings a cloudy mass of rice porridge (think soupier grits) laden with softened brisket, shredded ginger and diced scallions. A Hong Kong-style soup is better, revealing warm broth propped up by a half-dozen shrimp-filled wontons (smack of seafood and fresh black pepper).

A ration of cured bacon and Chinese broccoli is curious, delivering clusters of salt-tinged greens rolling around with wiggly strips of fried bacon (broccoli runs away with this one).

The house roast pork, on the other hand, is salt-rubbed swine at its finest. Each plate is heaped with piles of tanned skin (beyond crunchy) and luscious, crimson meat—a pork lover’s dream sent even further skyward by tangy hoisin sauce. The roast duck might soar just a little higher, presenting a well-constructed bird with browned skin that doesn’t crackle so much as bleed soy sauce (marvelous), with terrifically moist breast meat to match.

Sweet-and-sour spare ribs proved boring (deep-fried pork, overpowering glaze; move along), whereas scallop-stuffed shrimp balls were just perplexing (did someone forget to roll in some actual flavor?).

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CHINESE Go native
China Star
9600-G Main St., Fairfax | 703-323-8822 | www.chinastarfood.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

While enjoying one of many meals at this nondescript ethnic dining sanctuary, one well-manicured passerby poked her head through the door and sheepishly asked the China Star hostess, “Do you all sell sushi?”
Perish the thought, madam.

Raw fish has no place among the pulse-racing, pore-clearing fare that has inflamed local diners for the past few years.

The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it storefront isn’t much to look at. And confidence is low the muted decor (think blue, plastic tumblers and cliche prints of the Great Wall) will ever garner the neighborhood eatery a “hottest scene” nod from any local media.

Yet this early jumping-off point for epicurean lightning rod Peter Chang—last seen (at press time, anyway) working his culinary magic in Knoxville—continues to blow minds with its left-of-center dining choices.
Although they do traffic in typical Sino-American fare, the “traditional” menu showcases roughly six dozen hard-to-find delicacies tagged with flavor alerts ranging from “spicy” to “numbing” (characteristic of cuisine prepared with the tongue-teasing Szechuan peppercorn).

The brunt of the animal kingdom (livestock, waterfowl, assorted seafood, wild game) is joined by all manner of vegetable matter (fried bean curd, crunchy Chinese celery, pliant wood ear mushrooms) in the “home-style entree” and “house special” selections, the go-to rosters for gullet-hocking creations that are actually much more complex than their crude menu descriptions would suggest.

Gifts of fermented soy beans turn out to be an edible Trojan horse, lulling the taste buds into a false sense of complacency with their innocent sweetness.

Chilled five-spice beef begins the spice offensive in earnest, producing tender slices swimming in a scallion- and minced garlic-based marinade (terrific).

Diced Ma La rabbit is awash in the promised spices—“ma la” being a geographic buzzword for Szechuan-pepper goodness—but undermined by bones (the meat that does remain is delicious). Roasted rabbit proves somewhat meatier and boasts one of the finest supporting casts (whole garlic cloves, savory green peppers, more “numbing” peppercorn spice) on the entire menu.

Chili chicken steps things up with a bounty of lightly breaded bird tossed with ample garlic and fire engine-red pepper pods (a scorching mound of fabulosity).

The “most greatly understated dish on the menu” award, however, must go to the mesmerizing fish with sour mustard. The wondrous seafood stew submerges supple flounder and potent greens in a mustardy broth that starts out somewhat mellow but builds intensity with every bite (its most incendiary payload swirls at the bottom of the bowl).

A plate of crispy duck is good, but seems somewhat common after indulging in any of its more alluring menu mates. Likewise, not even a liberal splash of chili-infused oil can overcome the overt gumminess of a disappointing beef-tendon platter.

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THAI Get acquainted
Thai Basil
Multiple NoVa locations | www.thaibasilchantilly.com
Average entree: Under $12 ($). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Whereas some local Thai restaurants employ rudimentary pictographs to alert customers to the spice levels of many dishes, acclaimed Thai Basil toque Nongkran Daks is the only one who includes a regional perspective with which to judge your fire-eating fortitude.

The menu at Daks’s original Chantilly location—a second, tonier spinoff sprouted up in Ashburn not too long ago—breaks every dish down along a sliding scale ranging from “American hot” (designated by a single chili pepper) to “Laos hot” (heralded by a daunting parade of four), so that customers can request each dish to their liking.

“I strive for maximum authenticity in my dishes [because I] believe that my customers can appreciate the taste of true Thai food,” Daks said of her culinary vision.

Her commitment to authenticity and devotion to her native Thailand shines through in many respects.
Both of her restaurants prominently feature photos of the Thai royal family and are tended by attentive servers in form-fitting, multicolored tunics. At the Chantilly outpost, Daks’s self-promotion is woven into every fiber of the decor, as evidenced by the slew of local media clips and candid family photos cleverly tucked beneath the glass-topped tables. Ashburn appears more modern, surrounding its exurban patrons with splashy purple walls and eye-catching floral murals.

Daks, meanwhile, practices her own art in the kitchen.

Though she remains busy with her introductory cooking classes (hands-on tutorials most recently offered on weekends at the Chantilly shop), travel and philanthropic work with the local Les Dames D’Escoffier chapter, Daks takes pride in actively cooking at her restaurants.

“Pad Thai is my signature dish,” she said of the carryout staple that has spawned innumerable imitators over the years. Daks also talked up her curried chicken and potatoes, a mild dish reflecting the Indo-Thai roots of her upbringing.

Other specialty dishes include ga xao phai, shredded chicken with herbs and chili-lime sauce, pad prik khing, a protein of your choice (chicken, pork or beef) stir-fried with green beans, curry and kaffir lime leaves (mouthwatering) and khanom jeen sounnam, pineapple-shrimp-covered wheat noodles.

“I suppose the way I prepare a number of my dishes reflects my roots in the South, but the menu is comprehensive,” she asserted.

Daks one-ups the stuffed chicken wing set with batter-fried appendages sheltering a delightful crab-vermicelli stuffing (imagine if Colonel Sanders got ahold of spring rolls), all flanked by sweet dipping sauce.

A plate of khao soi gai weaves together curry chicken, savory noodles, crispy lo mein and abundant peppers and onions into a tapestry of Thai delights. An order of gang matsaman nua—touted on the menu as “the most popular curry among Westerners”—is a beef-and-potato stew soaking in a bath of coconut milk cued to your desired heat level (“Thai hot” brought beads of sweat to this heat-seeking brow). The real scorcher, however, was the “Laos hot” pad pra kraw, a bounty of stir-fried chicken, green beans, mushrooms and basil punctuated by a mishmash of searing peppers (unrelenting fire, irresistible taste).

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THAI Go native
Bangkok 54
2919 Columbia Pike, Arlington | 703-521-4070 | www.bangkok54retsaurant.com
Average entree: Under $12 ($). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Parked right at the crossroads of authentic cooking and urban splendor, Bangkok 54 ingratiates itself to gourmet purists and casual diners alike by presenting unmistakably Thai delicacies devoid of commercial pandering.

This neighborhood looker is as stylish as they come, comforting tired backsides with padded benches and triangular pillows while teasing eyeballs with a hot rod-red bar setup illuminated by blazing yellow spotlights. Recessed shelves house an army of metallic icons and colorful statuary, all bathed in the warm glow of carefully trained track lighting. The adjoining lounge now plays host to live jazz at least once a month, adding a soothing, adult-friendly soundtrack to the restaurant’s evolving sophistication.

Meanwhile, the rear reception area is almost entirely papered over with a lifetime of framed awards and media clippings—ensuring that any passersby who even glance through the door will get a taste of management’s marketing savvy.

Menu selection: Foods are tagged as spicy or very spicy, but confidence is high the kitchen will accommodate fiery palates.

The easily navigable menu features a host of intriguing appetizers, customized curry dishes and assorted seafood specialties. Most dishes share the roots of Thai spicing (chili-lime sauce, minced peppers, fiery curries), with the hottest of the bunch tagged as “spicy hot” for added protection.

Staffers, however, do their best to steer guests to a mutually agreeable spice level—“You like spicy food?” was all the fight I got while requesting four-alarm entrees—rather than prodding customers toward unnecessarily tepid alternatives.

An order of tod mun summons burnt umber-fish patties served with a tasty soy-garlic dipping sauce (“safe” snack for just about anyone). The much more aggressive larb reveals minced chicken spiked with an intoxicating blend of ground chili powder and lime juice (after a while, my mind tapped out, even as my tongue kept begging for another shot of lethally limey bird).

A house special of pan-fried roti wrapped around mammoth strips of crispy duck (juiciness incarnate) dressed with sliced cucumber, scallions, spicy mustard and Thai-style duck sauce is big enough to share, but tough to let go of (spoiled spring rolls for me forever).

Homemade pad Thai is packed with bits of bronzed tofu, tantalizing noodles, savory bean sprouts and a smattering of crushed peanuts (splash of fish sauce lets the individual flavors shine through). Curried beef and potatoes bring the spicy while coconut milk bolstered by freshly shredded coconut covers the sweet in a doubly nice massamun beef creation.

Pad prik khing is as spicy as advertised, yielding tender morsels of fiery fowl accompanied by some equally incendiary green beans (crunch of the pods offset the tenderness of the bird well). The signature pork-belly platter delivers ruddy strips of chili-basil-soaked swine (crunchy strips call to mind barbecue jerky) stir-fried with onions and scallions (another shareable plate that somehow was never out of arm’s reach).

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KOREAN Get aquainted
Woo Lae Oak
8240 Leesburg Pike, Vienna | 703-827-7300 | www.woolaeoak.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night dining daily.

An all-inclusive showplace for those who favor South Korea’s cooking, Woo Lae Oak continues to attract curiosity-seekers and native diners alike by dishing out traditional cuisine in stylish environs.

The restaurant—which relocated to Tysons in 2006 after decades as a popular fixture of the Crystal City dining scene—dwarfs most Asian dining competitors, both in size and approachability.

The wide, inviting main dining room boasts an array of seating options ranging from chummy booths to a bank of contiguous tables most often occupied by extended families or celebratory groups.

Textured swirls (reminiscent of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”) add literal grooviness to one wall, painted tiles adorn another, while glowing pillars bearing sketches of feudal life in the Far East draw eyes to the center of the room. The high art extends to every table, where sleek, square plates and stainless-steel chopsticks intimate that the forthcoming meal merits just as much aesthetic appreciation.

Manager Susan Paik touted bulgogi and their other barbecue dishes as their bread and butter.

“That’s the most traditional dish we have here. Plus, you get all the sides and steamed rice, so it’s a full meal,” she said of the wondrous spreads that typically accompany a Korean barbecue outing. She said native Koreans tend to gravitate toward galbi (marinated short ribs), bibimbap (spicy noodle and protein medley) and miso stew—“that’s like a basic Korean meal that everyone can enjoy throughout the year”—as well as seasonal favorites like their assorted cold noodle dishes.

Just make sure to consult with staff before you wander too far into unknown territory.

An opener of ground chuck and Korean pear woven together into a raw food blossom proved too exotic for even my Korean compatriots, several of whom said they’d never encountered such a dish. Paik cited it as long-standing delicacy, but hinted that some U.S.-born Koreans might not be as familiar with the quirky pairing. (For the record: I enjoyed the beef tartar, got used to the pear, but couldn’t quite get over the stares of disbelief from the server.)

Stuffed crepes are doused in zesty cream sauce (think wasabi light) and filled with a savory beef-seafood-shredded vegetables mix. Beef jeon is like an edible lunar eclipse, delivering buttons of savory ground beef ringed by crispy yellow edges of fried egg; plunge them into the complementary sesame seed-garlic-scallion soy dipping sauce for added zing.

Barbecue short ribs are prepared before your very eyes in sizzling tabletop woks, yielding tender cubes of dulcet meat you season, after the fact, with scoops of assorted banchan (favorites include the chewy dried fish, tangerine miso paste and marinated bean sprouts).

An order of chilled noodles reveals shimmering buckwheat pasta, thinly sliced beef, shaved cucumber, garlicky kimchi, a hard-boiled egg and assorted vegetables, soaked through in a spicy beef broth (who knew cold dishes could produce hot flashes?). Across the temperature scale, fist-sized beef ribs (the carnivorous rewards arrive with their protein bundles still wedded to the bone) are slow-cooked with carrots, chestnuts and dates until the meat achieves untold sweetness (delicious).

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KOREAN Go native
GoolDaeGee
7220 Columbia Pike, Annandale | 703-256-5133
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open 24 hours.

What say we update the philosophical conundrum about a tree falling in the woods for the NoVa dining set: If someone installs yet another Korean barbecue joint in the heart of Annandale, will anyone come?

Based on the overnight success of funkified newcomer Gooldaegee, the answer appears to be: Will they ever.
The subterranean shop has a roadhouse/urban-picnic feel to it—the place honestly reminds me of a Rocklands—thanks to all the shiny steel tables, unassuming stools and incomprehensible yet universally suggestive sake and beer posters (the restaurant carries a handful of select rice and plum wines as well as Korean beers, including Hite and Cass). Colored aprons dangle within easy reach of most tables, providing an impromptu shield for those worried about wearing any grill splatter home. Plasma screens are typically locked on fiendishly difficult Asian game shows, while infectious K-pop (Korean pop music) dominates the airwaves.

The restaurant name loosely translates to “honey pig” or “pork,” a moniker that ties in directly with the cartoon pig logoed across the menu and the gotta-have staff T-shirts.

According to one manager, the company started in Korea, and the Annandale location is their first insertion into the area. The manager added that their relaxed attitude and all-hours availability make this a magnet for Asian teens and gourmet night owls, estimating that curiosity-seekers would likely have a better shot at open tables and less harried servers prior to the midday rush.

Some servers seem to struggle a bit with the language when pressed for details about certain menu items, but most appear to be overwhelmingly friendly and terribly patient—if not overtly motherly.

One mature server initially attempted to shoo me away from a cold noodle dish, pantomiming that it was a traditional dish not really suited to western tastes (she kept saying something about it “sticking” and would make a clicking sound with her teeth). After some additional pleading (perhaps diehard food lovers should be issued a “No, I really do want that” badge for just such instances) she reluctantly agreed to bring the dish—and eventually smiled when she saw my group devour the spicy medley rather than tentatively picking around its edges. By the end of the meal, she was castigating us for not finishing everything on our collective plates.

Believe me, we tried.

Bibim bap reveals a savory mess of lettuce, shredded carrots, marinated steak, sprouts and fried egg bathed in an alluring chili sauce.

Grilled pork belly is fantastic, revealing belt buckle-sized strips of glistening pig that curls to a crisp right before your eyes while remaining charged with the zesty house marinade (a definite crowd-pleaser). Grilled chicken seems too mundane (spicy: yes; visually enticing: no), whereas hand-snipped bulgogi does not disappoint (juicy beef, charred to a crisp). Assorted banchan include pickled onions, raw garlic, crushed hot peppers and freshly washed lettuce leaves (for wrapping).

Unlike neighboring Korean establishments, Gooldaegee makes sure to give its kimchi a pass on the grill, adding a bit of unexpected sizzle to the marinated cabbage.

(September 2008)

Tags: Asian restaurants, Food & Wine