porcupine Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 The space housing the failed DC branch of Mandalay has become "a 1920's themed Japanese Restaurant and Cocktail Bar" called Chaplin's. It offers an assortment of appetizers (gyoza, fried chicken, "adult dumpling shooters") and seven types of ramen, and a very long list of cocktails, wines, and beers. The place is dynamic; it was hopping on a Monday night, lots of young people drinking (some of them were eating, too), loud music, friendly servers bustling about. It seems like the kind of place you'd go to hang out for awhile after work, and maybe get a bite to eat, too, while you're at it. The ramen was perfectly acceptable but nothing to rush back for. The Chaplin ("sesame paste and tonkatsu flavour") was actually quite a tasty broth, the noodles slightly overcooked and lacking the springiness of truly great ramen. I had tastes of two other broths and liked them, but can't really describe them usefully. I'm not inspired to write more about the food. This is the kind of restaurant I'd go to if I lived nearby, if I was tired and hungry and didn't feel like cooking and just wanted a bowl of soup for dinner. Perfectly acceptable, but not a destination. Sorry for the vagueness, just wanted people to know it's here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lackadaisi Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 It is definitely on my heavy rotation. Not too expensive, good food, great drinks (Vagabond is my go to), and just a wonderfully neighborhoody atmosphere. It may not be the "best" in any category, but it is an incredible neighborhood add. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Foodie Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Anyone have any more specific recommendations or things to avoid at Chaplin? Heading there tomorrow night with some friends for drinks and dinner. Debating between ramen options... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simul Parikh Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 Hey- I have a dissent! I really like this place. I came here with a few of West Point's finest grads, and one of their girlfriends for a catch up brunch. Haven't seen them in a while and this was needed. I'm not a cocktail conneuisur but this place is crafty with them, and has a nice list of interesting drinks. I had a sazerac-ish drink to start, and .. well.. It was good but too early to go so hard. The Vagabond and the Gold something were ordered and I made sure I tasted them. Both delish. We got some appetizers - Gyoza (steamed), and shumai (fried). Both very good. Could have used some chili but I was too entranced in the good conversation to ask ("So, Captain ___, what your telling me is that fast casual is both quick and not too formal? Tell me more about your analysis.) They were a little pushy to get us to get entrees in, but whatever I guess, since I was hungry. I got the Stamina Spicy Ramen. As I've mentioned before, not a Ramen expert, so this should be taken with a caveat. The only issue (and this might not be right) is that the ramen was still a bit stiff when I got it. The noodles got better as time passed. The pork was minimal in my order, others had more belly and loin. The service is good, a bit too attentive for my taste, but I loved the food. I think I should be destination. Very rarely can you get very good ramen and very good cocktails at the same place. We had a bunch more, but I just don't have good vocabulary to describe drinks. My Hitachino Ale was baller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 "Pedestrian Killed in Northwest DC" by Neal Augenstein on wtop.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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