chinatown express

chinatown express
746 6th street NW (between g & h street), washington, DC 20001
tel: 202) 638-0424
hours: monday-sunday 11am-11pm

what was consumed: lunch special (singapore noodles, broccoli beef, and seafood something), noodles (in soup and pan fried), dumplings (pork and chives)

chinatown, chinatown, chinatown! my quest for finding good chinese food in chinatown continues!

so, friend janet was in town from SF and in the midst of her and mark's crazy crazy schedule, we got together to have a little bit of lunch (thanks guys!). mark, having grown up in the dc/metro area, remembered a chinese place that he had enjoyed, so we decided to meet there.

being who i am, once we decided where we were going, i did a quick search on the internet to see what others' experiences were like, what others ordered, what others recommended. i took that knowledge in with me once i met up with janet and mark. others recommended dumplings and noodles. others also did mention the lunch box specials (that come with a canned soda if you take it to go), but only for lunch. i agree with others in that this is probably a place to go to for something quick as opposed to a place to sit, talk, and relish.

chinatown express is off the main chinatown strip (which is why you may not see it upon initial glance). the cramped entry way that was filled with aquariums of fish, hanging ducks, and the like. while some people find this gross, others find it authentic. no matter what, if you're up for a quick bite to eat, consider chinatown express~

so, i met up with janet and mark in chinatown. interestingly, they walked into chinatown express right as i got there as well - it was as though we were meant to eat there! haha. well, we walked in and was prominently seated, despite what seemed like a deluge of individuals going in and out of the eatery. and while the server sat us at a semi-clean table, we were all so famished that it didn't really matter. we took a look at the menu and proceeded to be slightly confused (even janet!). turns out, it's because the menu IS confusing, but our server was heppy to answer our question. janet busted out her awesome mandarin (despite most of the places in DC being cantonese) and she ordered all of the fares that we had decided upon. i, with my food envy and all, opted to order the lunch box special (which doesn't come with a soda if you eat in - too bad!). i'm also a sucker for singapore noodles (or any rice noodles altogether). and anyway, mark and janet were going to get the noodles. apparently the noodles are hand made at this place and that's what makes them better.

my thoughts on the food? the noodles are the way to go. both the one in and not in soup, that the noodles are made "in house" really does affect the deliciousness of the food - yum! the noodles seemed to be the most popular dish as well. the lunch box platter thing-a-ma-bobber is a lot of food and will most definitely fill you up for a few bucks (in fact, i imagine two people with medium appetites will be able to fill up on just one of these). it sort of reminded me of fancier take-out, but that's exactly what i wanted (and, honestly, what i expected) both in taste and quality. with that said, it came out just the way i wanted. the dumplings ... the dumplings, however ... hmmm ... i thought the dumpling wrappers were too thick and sort of gooey. maybe that's because we got the steamed ones and they had been sitting there for some time ... ? or maybe it's just that i like the thinner noodle wrappers.

point is, if (when?) i visit chinatown express again, i will err toward and enjoy the noodles (or maybe the lunch box thing-a-ma-bobber, depending on how hungry i am).