thessaly

The good doctor and I were Chang Out’s first customers when they opened this past weekend, and everything was delicious as always. The dry-fried cauliflower, bamboo fish, double-cooked pork belly, and golden mountain beef were as good as ever, and while the combination lo mein was well executed, it didn’t hit like the rest. Wish they’d bring the Hunan chicken chow mein over from Mama Chang instead. We’ll probably be among the first in the door for when they open up for indoor dining next week, as I’m looking forward to trying out their desserts.

Decided to go to the opening of Kith and Kin last night, so we grabbed a reservation for 7:15 PM and turned up around 7:10 PM. We were checked in promptly but not seated right away, so after standing around for a bit, we decided to sit in the Intercontinental’s lobby. A couple of other parties apparently had similar issues as the bar area was jam-packed, so they joined us on the sofas outside of the restaurant. They finally called us in after 20 minutes of waiting, and we got a table next to the wall of windows that front the space. There were some snafus with the menus—they gave the good doctor a dessert menu instead of the dinner menu, and we had to ask for a wine list—but then we were left alone. Our server finally came by, poured us water, and took our orders (a bottle of NZ pinot grigio, the seafood plateau, oxtail stew, and Brussels suya) after 15 minutes or so. One of the service captains stopped by to apologize for the wait and offered us champagne, but given that we had just ordered a bottle of wine, we demurred. No photos, but the food we ordered was quite good. We got complimentary coco bread rolls, which were light and salty, and the seafood plateau showed up quickly. The grilled octopus, king crab curry, and snapper in pepper broth were particular standouts with strong, balanced flavors. The oxtail stew was probably our favorite dish of the night, and I wish it had been served with a spoon, because I’d have happily cleaned the bowl. The Brussels suya took a little while to turn up, but they compared favorably with the ones at Oyamel. The F&B director, Gabriel, swung by several times during our meal to see how we were getting on. He was quite rueful about the initial service failures, but we were understanding about the fact that it was opening night and the kinks were still being worked out. We did notice that parties who weren’t immediately seated were now being offered flutes of bubbly, so they seemed to be acting promptly on feedback. We capped off the meal with the chocolate rum cake, which was delicious, if straightforward, and we got complimentary macarons and an additional glass of the pinot grigio when we asked for the bill. Given what we’d ordered, it was a reasonable ~$80 per head with tax and tip. We’ll be back next week as we have guests staying at the IC, so it will be interesting to compare experiences.

The good doctor and I had dinner there tonight, and when he said "I think I'm going to order $FOOD next time," I knew we had a winner on our hands. We walked in a little before 6 PM, and most of the seats at the bar were already taken. Many of the tables were still empty, though, and we were seated towards the back with a good view of the kitchen. Seeing as how our last meal in this space was RJ Cooper's memorable 2015 New Year's Eve blowout, we were curious to see what had been done to Rogue 24's former digs. Tiger Fork's done a great job of making the space its own. Service was prompt and friendly, with waters poured and drink orders taken once we were seated. We weren't in the mood for cocktails nor keen on wine, so we just stuck with beers. We started with the Kowloon Buns, Cheung Fun, and Humble Plate of Chili Wontons, which came in quick succession. The good doctor's plate was quickly cleared away and replaced with another when his Kowloon bun squirted out soy ginger dipping sauce, which was very attentive. All the dishes were excellent, though I'd probably work through the rest of the starters on the menu before ordering the cheung fun again. We went with the BBQ Platter for our main course, with Salt Fish & Prawn Fried Rice and Pea Shoots as side dishes. My one photo of the fried rice was blurry, presumably because it was the one dish I couldn't wait to tear into and had eaten several bites before remembering to snap a pic. The char siu was, as Charles Tsui noted, on point, though the good doctor was most impressed by the crispy pork belly. The picked bean sprouts and chili sauces make for good contrasts with the meats, though the plain white rice was surprisingly dry. The pea shoots were a fantastic side dish, and I didn't think they needed any of the homemade oyster sauce that accompanied the dish, though that did make for a tasty dipping sauce for the soya chicken. We had most of our mains boxed up so we could have room for dessert, which was the Bubble Waffle Matcha Ice Cream. While delicious, the plating left a lot to be desired; it's served in a crumpled lunch sack, and if you put your spoon through the middle like yours truly, you have to scoop out the collapsed remains. The GM who stopped by our table noted that they were trying to go for a "street food feel" with this dessert but agreed that form overrode function in the presentation. We'll definitely be back, especially for the dim sum brunch, and despite some minor quibbles with timing and service, Tiger Fork was an excellent dining experience.

Wait, Jerry's gone? Getting to chat with him was always a highlight of our lounge visits. Even when we were only flying in CW, he'd pour from the First bar stock since he saw us regularly.

On the off chance that your fingerprints didn't scan cleanly, you may have to go back and get them redone. When I first got GE, I kept getting sent to secondary until a knowledgeable officer told me that was the likely issue.

That does seem to be the prevailing theory as to why they're closing down. Thankfully, Russ & Daughters own their property, so no danger of that happening to them!

Decided to get out to Berlin for a quick city break over New Year's Day, so we're looking foward to eating at reinstoff again (had a very memorable 10th anniversary dinner there last year) and also going to a couple of other restaurants (Tim Raue, Hugos). Suggestions welcome!

Zenebech's on my walk home from the metro, and I'll dearly miss being able to stop in for takeaway.

Already have one booking for March, and the good doctor and I are trying to get a couple other folks to join us before the doors close for good in April.

Sadly, it's not very good -- the gravy is more of a broth and you end up with soggy chips.

The good doctor's just made our booking for 31 December.

We've been meaning to go to Rogue 24 for ages, especially since it's within walking distance of us, so tonight's the night! The good doctor can be difficult to impress, but he's cautiously excited about the menu,

Hiya, folks! As new-ish residents to DC, but certainly not to its dining scene, my husband and I look forward to sharing our foodie adventures with you. We live in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, DC, but have been known to roam far and wide for good BBQ. Got any tips?