tiger fork

tiger fork
922, rear, N St NW, Washington, DC 20001 (inside the blagdon alley area)
tel: 202) 733-1152

what was consumed: pork ribs, beef chow fun, humble plate of chili wontons, chairman's clams, tofu clay pot ... and the bubble waffle dessert.

looking for some hong kong-style bites that remind you of that one trip you took through asia? or just some delicious asian bites altogether? head to tiger fork! 

friends and i got together to grab some early bites to eat. tiger fork doesn't have a big sign that says "tiger fork," none that i could see anyway. so it took a minute to figure out where i was going. but once you figure it out and head in, you'll be greeted by friendly staff. be sure to grab a drink at the bar if your table isn't ready to go. but once your table is ready, be sure to get ready to eat!

we took many of our server's recommendation and were happy to do so. the crispy garlic on fall-off-the-bone ribs are things i want to sprinkle over everything (though the sauce on the ribs was a bit sweet for my liking). delicious wontons to start off the meal (in addition to the small plate of pickled stuff we started with), the not-that-spicy chili wontons, the noodles that were cooked to perfection and mixed so well with the veggies and meat in the dish, the hot pot that had all sorts of different textures ... and the clams! YUM.

and for sure, be sure to leave some room for dessert. even if you're not a huge dessert fan, there's something super fun about the bubble waffle! a variety of different flavor (all on the sweet side, of course) to include some icy, fruity bites.

yes. some of my chinese american friends have commented on how tiger fork's food isn't "just like mom made when i was a kid" ... and yes, some of my chinese american friends have commented on how tiger fork's prices are high, especially compared to the low prices in asia ... but i think this is the same issue we see whenever we see food outside of their home countries (note: i say this all the time about korean food. hahaha).

online: tigerforkdc.com

dolan uyghur

dolan uyghur
3518 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
tel: 202) 686-3941

what was consumed: samsa, mom's laghman, lamb kebab skewers, goshnan, fried eggplant, spring lamb, and dolan cake (not pictured) and bakkali for dessert 

have you ever had uyghur food? i hadn't (or didn't know that i had. maybe i had something similar while in seoul). let's be real, i didn't know a whole lot about uyghur history/culture/society (to include recent issues) ... but my curiosity was piqued. so when friends suggested uyghur food for dinner, i was totally on board.

per my friends, the most common uyghur dish are the kebabs, usually lamb, that are covered in spices, usually cumin, grilled and then served. along with the kebabs are hand pulled noodles, often topped with sauteed meat and veggies often in a tomato based sauce. i think i can eat these noodles all day (but, you know, i am having a love affair with noodles). the staff at dolan uyghur are really helpful and were open to giving us recommendations (the server was one who calls uyghur food "food" ). i could go for some of those noodles right about now ... 

online: http://www.dolanuyghur.com/

chiko

chiko
423 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 558-9934

what was consumed: chicken spring roll, cumin lamb stir fry (noodles), wagshal's brisket

short for chinese korean, chiko is a welcome addition to the DC eating scene. located near eastern market on barrack's row, this fast casual restaurant can get super crowded (no reservations!), but it is totally worth the wait.

bjl and i head over for my birthday. while this was a more casual meal for a birthday, i'd been wanting to try out chiko for some time. i'd heard that one of the chefs is also the chef/owner of mandu. definite bonus points, imo. we walked over right church, beating the large crowd that almost immediately followed us (great timing!). we were seated at the "bar" (it is a 4-seat bar that is usually reserved for those doing the tasking menu, which i wished we were doing), and that was great because we got to see the kitchen staff put together all the meals.

some of the dishes (like the wagshal's brisket) really reminded me of some dishes i used to eat as a kid (though, admittedly, what i ate was not as fancy as chiko's version!). but the slab of butter that binds the bowl together was not only delicious, but also brought back so many happy memories of yummy dishes my mom would make in my childhood. YUM.

bjl and i gifted one of the "kitchen counter" meals to c and j for christmas and they totally loved it. note that it's a little bit of everything on the menu, so be sure to have an empty stomach and be ready to gorge on some delicious food! i can't wait to go back.

online: chikodc.com/

china chilcano

china chilcano
418 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004
tel: 202) 783-0941

what was consumed: ceviche clasico, tradicional siu mai, aji de gallina (peru's most precious dish), jook, tan tan noodles

shar is in town! and with her visit comes lots of super fun things, to include delicious eats. and so, we head to jose andres' china chicano in penn quarter for brunch. we were seated at a nice seat near the window, which we enjoyed as we waited the long intervals between our dishes being served.

china chilcano serves peruvian and asian (mostly chinese and japanese) fusion dishes. shar said she's not usually a fan of fusion but enjoyed the fare at china chilcano. i loved the tan tan noodles and that's all i care about now (and probably what i'd recommend out of what we enjoyed). 

if you're going to order the soup dumplings, be sure to put in your order asap (we dilly dallied with the rest of our order. by the time we decided, all the soup dumpling orders were gone gone gone). we were just a few minutes late, so didn't get to enjoy them this time around. next time!

online: http://chinachilcano.com/

sam woo

sam woo

15333 Culver Dr #720, Irvine, CA 92606

tel: 949) 262-0688

what was consumed: seafood and other chinese style dishes (shrimp, peiking duck, french style steak cubes, fish in ginger sauce, seafood lettuce wraps, sautéed morning glory)

for me, sam woo has always been a staple for chinese chinese food while in so.cal (as opposed to korean-style chinese food). both the take out as well as the sit-down sections. whether you're looking for some favorites or are wanting something new, sam woo is a solid choice.

i remember the first time i went to sam woo, as a kid, and they brought out the super fresh (ie still alive) shrimp to show you before preparing it. while that was a surprise then, i've since some to see that show as a sign of freshness (right?). so when my aunt wanted to take us here for dinner, i was totally game.

we had an early-ish reservation for dinner and were warmly welcomed and quickly seated upon our arrival. we ordered a series of dishes (including fresh shrimp! shrimp heads fried, the rest steamed. YUM) and were quickly on our way to eating. the fresh seafood, the delicious flavors ... YUM. thanks auntie for a delicious dinner!

online: http://www.samwooirvine.com/

din tai fung

din tai fung
3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (inside south coast plaza)
tel: 714) 549-3388

what was consumed: soup dumplings (both pork and crab), wontons in spicy sauce, shanghai rice cakes with chicken, steamed bok choy, and sea salt black tea to wash it all down

din tai fung in orange county? it is high time! apparently, i'm not the only one to think this way as the line to get on the list to wait for a seat at the south coast plaza location was out the door and around the corner (stacey and i took a chance and got in the significantly shorter "bar seat" line. stacey's a pro and we were sitting in under 30 minutes). funny to think that i've seen this delicious dim sum chain in so many different countries ... but it wasn't until i came home that i got to visit.

once stacey and i sat down, we quickly put in our order. all the soup dumplings please! or at least two orders (one for the each of us, split down the middle). and they were delish. inside each dumpling is some filling accompanied by broth. there is no such thing as taking a bite; you enjoy the entire dumpling as a whole. YUM. we also rounded out the dumpling menu with an order of some veggie dumplings in spicy sauce.

din tai fun also has other options, in case soup dumplings aren't your thing (but they should be. we will have to have a serious chat if they aren't). i'd definitely recommend the shanghai noodles. i love the rice cakes (similar to the kind they use for korean dduk-guk) in a soy sauce-base stir fried up with veggies and meat of your choice. i want to eat this dish (and soup dumplings) FOR-E-VER :P

online: http://dintaifungusa.com/locations_us/#orangecounty

yum chinese and thai

yum chinese and thai
street 16, F-7/2 next to rana market, islamabad, pakistan
tel: 0512609361 / 0512609362

what was consumed: fried spring rolls, kung pao chicken, pepper beef, chicken chow mein noodles

friends and i made a lunchtime decision to meet up for dinner. we hadn't gone out in a while and had seen the empty lot be built into what is now YUM chinese & thai. it was time to go and see the fruit of all that construction, and seeing the bustle of people upon arrival, i was convinced that this impromptu dinner date was a good decision ... and it was!

i was the first in the group to arrive. upon being seated, and soon after arrival, i was served a welcome drink (which tasted like an ice-blended gatorade) and shrimp chips (which i love). i enjoyed being seated on the balcony, looking upon the entry way at YUM (YUM is on the second floor of the building. the english tea room is downstairs). 

we opted for chinese, but i did ask about ordering thai, also on the menu. the hostess, quickly responded by saying, "oh, in the chinese restaraunt?" so, yes. an easy decision to stick to the chinese side of the menu.

we ordered some of our chinese food favorites; this is probably what i'd recommend. rice doesn't come with the meal, so you'll have to order that separately (i'd recommend ordering the garlic fried rice. love garlic fried rice with everything!). the kung pao chicken wasn't too spicy, to my disappointment, and a bit saucy for my liking. but that didn't prevent us from polishing off most of it. we definitely left with some to-go containers (there were three of us enjoying these dishes), happy taste buds, and totally filled bellies.

i'm always happy to see some of my favorite chinese dishes added to the eating options in any city i'm in, especially when they are tasty and hit the spot just as YUM did. welcome to the dining scene, YUM!

online: www.yumpakistan.pk or https://www.facebook.com/YumIslamabad/ 

qiao yuan business hotel

qiao yuan business hotel
street 42, F-7/1, islamabad, pakistan
tel: 0312 9757785

what was consumed: chinese food! to include scallion pancakes, veggies, dumplings, noodles, and chicken with real szechuan pepppers.

another chinese restaurant! and perhaps one that is more authentic than others (aka not americanized - ha!). there's something about chinese food that makes it so crave-able, and it's not the MSG. so when we heard about this secret chinese restaurant, we had to try.

qiao yuan business hotel has quite a large menu. dishes, i am told, are pretty darn authentic (and super delish!). but don't be fooled - not everything there is available. thank goodness for my chinese speaking friend (who busted out some amazing chinese. note: she is neither a chinese language heritage speaker nor of chinese descent altogether. i want to be her when i grow up :) who was able to successfully communicate with the cook! otherwise, i think we would have gone through the entire menu looking for options.

we ultimately settled on a hodge podge of things: some veggies (we went from broccoli to eggplant to (finally) spinach), some noodles (not what we thought we were ordering, but delish all the same), and a spicy fried chicken dish. we couldn't figure out what all of the peppers indicated (beyond the fact that 4 peppers was likely to be spicier than 2 peppers), but were pleasantly surprised to see that one of the "4 peppers" was authentic szechuan peppers, tongue tingling and all!

so, no. you don't need my chinese speaking friend (though helpful). but if you are looking for some good chinese cookin', be sure to check out qiao yuan business hotel!