Lotus Garden, Cantonese with Hand-Pulled Noodles at 224 Maple Ave. West in Vienna

[DrXmus]

I'll preface my post with this: I don't know shit from shinola when it comes to authentic Chinese food. Don, feel free to trash this note if it's not helpful - I won't be offended

The Lotus Garden opened 4 days ago, so there's a chance the food and service are still a work in progress. Their web site is here. Their speciality is Cantonese cuisine with hand-pulled noodles.

They've got the standard Americanized Chinese dishes we all know and love, but I think the "Chefs Specials" are their focus.

Mrs DrX and I split a bowl of Chicken Sliced Noodle Soup ($8.25). It was...interesting. The noodles were rustic and fairly tasty. The sliced chicken breast was dry and flavorless and included rib bones and cartilage for our gustatory challenge. I realize the "real" Chinese chicken dishes include cleavered chicken parts, but I'm such an amateur, I don't know how to eat this stuff, especially in a soup. The most disappointing part of the soup was the fistful of fresh cilantro which completely overwhelmed any flavor the broth may have had. Occasionally I could pick up some pepper flavor, but mostly it was cilantro and cilantro with a lingering aftertaste of cilantro. I burped cilantro 20 minutes after we finished our meal!

I had the Steamed Chicken with Ginger and Scallion in Chef's Special Gravy. Let's see...the positives...hmm...the plate it came on was pretty and supported the food fantastically. I'll admit that maybe this dish just wasn't for me and that it's actually a good dish to people who know the food, but I didn't like it. My dislike started with the cooked chicken face that accompanied the dish. The steamed chicken was dry (is that possible when steaming?) and the sauce was bland and was boring to me. The rice side dish was cold. Cold rice? Really? Of course, it used cleavered chicken parts and most of my time was spent peeling off the rubbery, fatty skin and prying off little pieces of meat from the bone and cartilage. I ate less than half the dish. I just got tired of working so hard for such flavorless food.

Nancy had the Steamed Shrimp with Garlic Sauce. It consisted of about 8-10 large, butterflied shrimp coated with jarred garlic sitting on a bed of hand-pulled noodles in a garlicy sauce. We both thought it was tasty, but the garlic was 10x more than was pleasant (this coming from people who loved eating at The Stinking Rose in San Francisco). The shrimp were cooked very well. I thought the noodles were cooked about right for Chinese noodles, but my Nancy said Four Sisters cooks theirs al dente, so she was disappointed.

Our server was very friendly, but didn't have a solid grasp on English. She told us it was her first day when we were having trouble ordering. It was obvious in that we had to show her our choices on the menu and she needed to mark them with a pen. I saw the soup get set on a cart outside the kitchen several minutes before someone else (not our server) picked it up and brought it to us. It almost went to another table, though. We had to ask for water after we finished our hot tea (which was good, but leafy). There were about 6 servers milling about, so it's not like they were overwelmed. Our entrees came out separated by several minutes, but maybe that's the way it's done in China. Europeans tend to bring food while it's hot, right, regardless of trying to serve the table at the same time.

There's a large window looking over the kitchen where you can watch the chef make the noodles. It's quite a show. Several people left their tables to stand and watch. If you're bothered by ducks hanging by their necks, then you may not be able to see past them to watch the noodle puller, though.

If you like duck tongues, pig blood, duck webs, jellyfish and pig knuckles, then maybe this is the place for you (they have them all). Serenity, a little east on Maple Avenue, and China Star also try to cater to real Chinese food eaters, in that all specials are written in Chinese and never English. Maybe this is Lotus Garden's target demographic, too. I'm interested to hear what other Rockwellians think about Lotus Garden. I'm willing to try it for food that I know, but our first impression was not good.

Things that seem odd: over 200 dishes on the menu right off the bat after opening and that their hours state they close at 2-3AM, depending on the night.

[DonRocks]

I'll preface my post with this: I don't know shit from shinola when it comes to authentic Chinese food. Don, feel free to trash this note if it's not helpful - I won't be offended

[Man, after over seven years of encouraging posts exactly like this one, it almost hurts to read this sentence. I think this was a fantastic personal essay, and even though you might think otherwise; I felt like I was sitting in the restaurant watching your meal. Every single one of these miniatures is its own little work of art, and together, they combine to form a document of breathtaking scope.

I'm merely here, furnishing the garden plot; my friends, you are the ones who make the flowers grow.]

Cheers,

Rocks

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,

Love like you'll never be hurt,

Sing like there's nobody listening,

And live like it's heaven on earth.”

― William W. Purkey

[Ericandblueboy]

猪肉炸酱拉面 Pork Noodle w. Fermented Soybean Paste .……….………….....………….……….8.25

猪肉炸酱刀削面 Pork Sliced Noodle w. Fermented Soybean Paste ……….…………………….......8.25

That's ja jiang mian. I haven't been nor am I a big fan of ja jiang mian but I know lots of people love it.

[Ericandblueboy]

My brother was in town and he was game for the new joint. We arrived around 7 on Saturday evening, and the place was pretty full, with about 50% Asians and 50% Americans. There were 4 servers and no busboys, and of the 4 servers, 3 seemed pretty clueless. The uniform, if seems, consists of long sleeve black shirts. The two male servers wore jeans while the female servers had on black pants. There was no host/hostess and the servers struggled with where to seat people, take their orders, and addressing customer issues. In the mean time, the customers were playing musical chairs throughout the restaurant.

We ordered the following:

牛腩拉面 Beef Brisket Noodle Soup …………………………………………………………………...8.75

韭黄田鸡 Sautéed Frog w. Chives (Ech Xao He Vang)…………………………..….……......20.95

梅菜扣肉煲 Braised Pork w. Dried Chinese Mustard…. …………………………….........................12.95

We also ordered some stir-fried snow pea shoots - $15.

The kitchen seemed to have a full staff. The snow pea shoots and the frog legs came out quickly. My brother complained about the snow pea shoots being a little tough but it's not bad for the DC area. I had snow pea shoots that were almost inedibly tough at Sichuan Pavilion in Rockville a little while back. Since he now resides in the NYC metro area, he gets good and cheap Chinese food.

The frog legs with yellow chives were also pretty good. I love yellow chives in general, the frog legs were quite tender. I thought the dish could use a little more salt and pepper but that's just me.

I ordinarily wouldn't order braised pork w. dried Chinese mustard (this is the dish I recently had at Green Pig Bistro that was served with octopus, the dried mustard is call mei gan tsai - this dish is listed under the casserole section of the menu). The reason is you're generally eating a dish of pork belly, which is mostly fat. The fat is actually delicious, soaking up the flavor of the slightly sour mustardy sauce), but it can't be all that healthy. As I said, there's very little meat.

So far, the food is pretty decent. Certainly the best Cantonese restaurant in McLean/Vienna. Then we waited and waited for the la mian (hand pulled noodles). We can see the chef stretching the noodles but nothing came out. The servers kept asking if we're finished and we kept saying no, we're still waiting for the noodles. Finally, over an hour after we arrived, we gave up and told them to bring us the bill. With the leftovers came a plastic container of noodles. They apologized for the delay and said we weren't charged for the noodles.

We tried the noodles as soon as we went home. The noodles already had absorbed much of the broth, and been overcooked by the delay; however, the flavor of the soup was quite good. Instead of beef brisket, we got beef tendon (which is fine by me). I can only guess that my brother isn't at risk for high cholesterol if he's ordering pork fat and beef brisket.

To sum up - the food's good but the operation is a joke. I don't know if they will hire real servers. Regardless, the hand-pulled noodles are worth checking out.

[lion]

The hand pulled noodle soups were pretty good. Loved how the noodles changed taste over time.

This place is a welcome addition to Vienna.

[Ericandblueboy]

My brother's family went there for lunch on Saturday, undeterred by last week's debacle. They report the front of the house service being amateurish but the kitchen got the food out. They each had a bowl of noodles, my brother had hand pulled while my sister-in-law had knife shaved. The brought some hand pulled noodles with brisket home for me (I was at a golf lesson). They asked for the noodles and the soup to be in separate containers despite the restaurant's warning that the noodles will clump together if not put in the soup. Thus again I did not have the optimal noodles but the soup was very good. My brother and sister-in-law said they enjoyed their food at the restaurant.

[lion]

I think we both were happy with the quality of the hand pulled soups. However in terms of service my expectations probably were not as high as yours. During our visit, the kitchen staff was pushing everything ok pretty quickly. I would place it on the service level of Full Kee, Pho places or even Ren's ramen.

Since our total bill was under $25, if the taste of the hand pulled noodles holds up, can see this becoming twice a month visit because of proximity and late night service if the hours of the website are to be believed.

Honestly, I'm pleasantly surprised to get some like that in Vienna. Now if only HKP would open something else nearby!

[hoosiereph]

Craving noodles on Saturday night, we decided to try out Lotus Garden rather than one of our standby pho places. Definitely glad we did.

We ordered two bowls of the noodles: the Seafood Sliced Noodle (thick noodles) and the Roast Duck Special noodles (thin). That would have been enough food for the two of us, but we wanted to try something from the Chef's Special menu and get some green vegetables, so we also ordered the Cured Bacon w. Chinese Broccoli (Lap Xuong, Thit Heo Xao Cai Lan).

All three were delicious. The noodles arrived al dente and gradually softened and gained flavor in the soup. The thin noodles are probably a better choice than the thick noodles, which seemed a little too doughy and changed more slowly in the soup. But they arrived with a generous amount of large-size shrimp, chunks of squid, and mussels, and every last drop of the broth was consumed. We did request and receive some hot pepper oil to mix in and add a little kick. The roast duck was also terrific -- although if Chinese roast duck varies significantly in flavor from one restaurant to another, my taste buds aren't sensitive enough to notice. Careful with the duck pieces that are still attached to the bone, though.

The chinese broccoli dish was also excellent. As suggested by the Chinese name, the pork ingredient was more of a sausage product than a bacon (which would be "Lap yuk" rather than "Lap Xong". That fact didn't alter the fact that this was a very good dish - a heaping portion of tender greens, cooked in a sauce with just a little bit of sourness, with the greens absorbing some of the pork flavor and plenty of large chunks of cured pork mixed throughout. Knowing that the noodles wouldn't pack very well, we elected to finish them and take half of the pork and broccoli to go.

The service problems reported above were not on display during our visit. The staff was friendly, our order was taken quickly; and the server made up for any shortcomings in her English by pointing to the dishes on the menu after we ordered each one. The orders came out as they were ready, and within about fifteen minutes - not all together, but only a few minutes apart. Peanuts were provided while we waited. And no problems with the check. The restaurant was definitely bustling - at 7 o'clock, we landed the only empty table, and the crowd was 90%+ Chinese. Not quite as loud as some of the trendiest eating spots downtown, but definitely noisy enough to challenge conversation at the loudest moments. The two televisions tuned to the Olympics (with closed captioning engaged) made for a good distraction at those moments.

This will be in our rotation - might have to try some of the other chef's special dishes for takeout, because it will be hard to pass up the thin noodles when eating in.

[Ericandblueboy]

I've been back a few times and the service is now on par with other Chinese restaurants, i.e., not particularly good but it's what you'd expect. Each time I've ordered their hand-pulled noodles. While I like the noodles, I don't find the soup broth all that tasty. That "fresh" or umami flavor just isn't there. There is one dish that I liked - it's a Chef's Special called Salted Fish & Chicken w. Green Chives (Ca Man, Thit Ga Xao Bong He)…...........13.95

The salted fish gives you the salty flavor but not much fishiness. The dish is mostly green chives and diced chicken. I'm a big fan of green chives (and yellow chives) so this dish suits me.

[hoosiereph]

A takeout order last week of the Salted Fish & Chicken w. Eggplant Casserole (Noi Ca Man,Thit Ga va Ca Tim) was similar in taste to what Erica described but for the eggplant lover...

We also had a mixed barbecue order of duck, pork, and chicken. All quite tasty and a nice change from our usual noodle orders.

[Biotech]

My fiance and I stopped in two days after my disappointing meal over at Pazzo Pomodoro. It was pretty early in the evening (around 6) and the place was packed. We were one of a handful of Anglo folks there. We were seated back by the window to the kitchen, so it was entertaining to watch the guy pulling noodles behind us. The ducks and assorted body parts hanging in the window also looked fantastic and I am definitely going to have to go back and try them.

My fiance insisted on ordering egg rolls, but this was the only thing we tried from the American-Chinese pages of the menu. I ordered the cold shredded jellyfish and the salted fish and chicken with green chives. She ordered the chicken soup with noodles.

I've never had jellyfish before, but wanted to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it has a fair amount of texture, was very clean tasting, and was prepared in a sesame oil based dressing. Even my skeptical dining companion agreed it was very good. The salted fish and chicken was a very good dish. Tasted exactly as Eric describes. It is definitely a pungent dish, but that doesn't carry over into the flavor department. It was so fragrant that our neighbors at the next table turned their heads and even held their noses when it was delivered to the table. Then they went back to their moo shu or moo goo gai pan, or whatever they were eating.

The funny thing about our evening was service. It was very attentive and we didn't have any issues with hunting down staff. However, the woman delivering our food barely acknowledged us when bringing those egg rolls (which btw are nothing special). She was a totally different person when bringing our entrees. I suspect that they are used to Mr. and Mrs. Moo Shu next to us when serving non-Asian clientele. As we were getting ready to leave, the owner came over and ran through a list of items we "must try" on subsequent visits.

We'll definitely return. I'm interested in trying the dungeness crabs that they have in a huge tank in the back. I'll have to find out what Market Price is and how they can prepare them. They were enormous.

[Ericandblueboy]

the owner came over and ran through a list of items we "must try" on subsequent visits.

What are some of the recommended dishes? I think overall the restaurant is pretty solid for Cantonese food (the best Chinese in Vienna/Tysons/McLean ) but the prices aren't cheap. I wouldn't be shocked that 1 crab dish costs $40+. Ginger and scallion is a typical preparation, and it's very tasty.

[Biotech]

He was pointing us towards the casseroles and a few of the hot pot items in addition to the rest of the soups. I do remember being told that the fried entrails were especially good, which struck me as kind of funny. I believe he was talking about the crispy intestines. I

thought the prices were pretty reasonable. My jelly fish was under $9 and a huge helping. The chicken and fish dish was under $14 and could've fed us both. I think when you start getting towards more seafood and the more exotic, it gets a little pricier, but I'd gladly pay a few dollars more for the food and the atmosphere than the tired dreck that is Chinese food in the Vienna/McLean/Tysons area. We had 2 dishes, a soup, appetizers, plus a pot of tea for $40 including tip.

[hopsing]

My non-English-speaking Chinese friends took me here for lunch today.  I thought it was the best Chinese food I've had since NYC Chinatown in May (at Amazing 66 BTW).  We had the hand-cut and hand-pulled noodles, salted fish and chicken with eggplant, yummy tofu with minced crabmeat, some shrimp dish with heads and shells still on, Chinese broccoli with garlic slices, fish fillets battered and fried.  I don't know the names for most of them because my Chinese friend ordered.  I just enjoyed eating everything.  Service was fine and friendly.

[lperry]

My Mandarin class had our end-of-semester meal here this afternoon, and I'm going to try to remember what everyone had.  There were a fairly large variety of dishes including both the cut and pulled noodles in pork and beef soups (pronounced both unique and delicious), one Kung Pao chicken (OK), roast duck (raves from the duck fans, noted that this is not Beijing-style), Sichuan green beans (which were good, but not really Sichuan with a thicker, sweet-ish sauce and a different salted vegetable.  I really liked these, but if you order them, don't expect ma la), eggplant in garlic sauce (glorious flavor and texture like velvet), and some Guangdong-style fried noodles with vegetables.  Our lunch companion at the table who has lived in Hong Kong loved these noodles and explained to me that you mix them up with the sauce and eat them for the combination of crispy and soft textures.  Despite the fact that I was a bit meh at first, they definitely grew on me once I understood the concept, and I would order them again.

Overall it was a solid experience with good to very good food and excellent service.

[Ericandblueboy]

Lotus Garden had been closed for renovation since April.  I just noticed that their website said they've reopened.

[DrXmus]

On 10/5/2017 at 12:52 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Lotus Garden had been closed for renovation since April.  I just noticed that their website said they've reopened.

I came here just to find anything about this situation. Maybe someone knows more details because I'm very confused and suspicious. 

Lotus Garden closed in April to improve the kitchen, the sign said. It also said they'd be open in a few weeks (5 weeks IIRC). Fast forward to mid-August and the website says they're open again. Why five months? Having walked by there several times in July, I can tell you nothing was happening inside. 

To add to the confusion, the much lower quality East Chateau restaurant two blocks away had a kitchen fire in March and has been closed since then. Earlier this week, I saw a sign at East Chateau saying that they've reopened "as Lotus Garden"! 

Did Lotus Garden run out of capital? Are the East Chateau owners bankrolling Lotus Garden? The Lotus Garden online menu looks the same, but it's it really East Chateau recipes and chefs? I'm so confused!!!

Anyone know anything about the details?!?!

[Ericandblueboy]

I know Lotus Garden has 2 websites and both of them reflect the old Lotus Garden menu (with hand pulled noodles).  I know that Lotus Garden and East Chateau had the same owner.  Did Lotus Garden move to the east chateau space?  

[DonRocks]

11 hours ago, DrXmus said:

I came here just to find anything about this situation. Maybe someone knows more details because I'm very confused and suspicious. 

Lotus Garden closed in April to improve the kitchen, the sign said. It also said they'd be open in a few weeks (5 weeks IIRC). Fast forward to mid-August and the website says they're open again. Why five months? Having walked by there several times in July, I can tell you nothing was happening inside. 

To add to the confusion, the much lower quality East Chateau restaurant two blocks away had a kitchen fire in March and has been closed since then. Earlier this week, I saw a sign at East Chateau saying that they've reopened "as Lotus Garden"! 

Did Lotus Garden run out of capital? Are the East Chateau owners bankrolling Lotus Garden? The Lotus Garden online menu looks the same, but it's it really East Chateau recipes and chefs? I'm so confused!!!

Anyone know anything about the details?!?!

This Facebook post from Sep 15 says, "We would like to thank everyone for the patience, we are finally open starting today. Please come and enjoy our delicious food once again."

Just to propose a scenario: My table-tennis coach took his family to Shanghai this summer, and was gone in June, July, and August. If the folks who own Lotus Garden have a relative in China who is old or sick, it's very plausible they could have stayed for several months.

[DrXmus]

11 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I know Lotus Garden has 2 websites and both of them reflect the old Lotus Garden menu (with hand pulled noodles).  I know that Lotus Garden and East Chateau had the same owner.  Did Lotus Garden move to the east chateau space?  

Huh, didn't realize they had the same owners. East Chateau is closed permanently. 

[DonRocks]

46 minutes ago, DrXmus said:

Huh, didn't realize they had the same owners. East Chateau is closed permanently. 

In retrospect, isn't the signage for these two restaurants a lot alike? Block-like ivory-yellow letters in all-caps?

[Ericandblueboy]

I don't always eat noodles.  But when I do, I prefer the hand-pulled noodles at Lotus Garden to just about anything else in Virginia (including all those ramen joints).  The noodles at Lotus Garden has more chew than any ramen joint in VA.  I also like their broth, which is not meant to be ridiculously rich but has good flavor and seasoning.  It's also cheaper and more filling too. 

On a Saturday, most of the diners were Chinese, so that's a good sign.  I wish LG is closer to my house.

[lion]

Havn't been recently but still think it's quite good. Asian Origin and HKP have been more in our rotation the past year. 

[curls]

Ordered take out from Lotus Garden tonight. 
- Steamed Chicken with Ginger & Scallion in Chefs Special Gravy (Go Hop Gung Hanh)
- Buddhist Vegetable

It was delicious and the portions are substantial. Will definitely enjoy the leftovers.