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malokd

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  1. malokd
    Got take out on New Year’s Day. Vegetable dumplings— these were not good. Filling was bland, wrappers were soggy pork/chive dumplings: filling was good chicken shiitake: filling was good dan Dan noodles: was ok— missing the greens normally found as a condiment scallion pancakes: standard sesame noodles: good but unremarkable overall: I did not feel that these dumplings stood up well to dumpling and beyond in dc or mama’s in Rockville— their wrappers just aren’t as good. I do like a slightly thicker dumpling tho. I didn’t try their soup dumplings because we were doing take out.
  2. malokd
    Had a great dinner here on Friday night. We ordered: Oysters with a tomato mignonette Hiramasa crudo with a strawberry vinaigrette Roasted potato with chicken and pork cracklings and a seaweed butter Hamachi collar with sesame gpchuchang mole Jonah crab rice Basque cheesecake ice cream Spanish French Toast( torrejas?) Total: $300 for two -- gratuity is included I have seen posts about the price and portions and I have to say-- we were absolutely stuffed after desert. The cooked food was very rich. It's important to balance it with fresh/cold appetizer selections. The only bust was the Hiramasa crudo-- the sauce had an off taste that was not described well in the menu. The rest of the food was delicious. Standouts were then hamachi collar and the oysters. The Jonah crab rice was delicious but reaaally rich. It was clear that there was a lot of work going into each dish-- felt the price was fair. I would definitely go back once the menu changes.
  3. malokd
    Wife and I had childcare for the first time in a while— was last minute and we just wanted a reliably good meal. The last time we had gone to Fiola Mare was pre-pandemic and was a great experience. We had been to Fiola since then and had a good experience— we thought this would be reliably good— big mistake. At some point this restaurant has turned into more of a club than a restaurant. Bugatti parked outside, neon lights in the entryway and club music pumping at 8pm. Four people at check-in. None of them could find the reservation we had called and made that night. They had to call a 5th person to find it. We were brought to the table and immediately the hard sells began. Trying to convince us to start with a caviar course or a smoked signature drink that was brought to many of the surrounding tables with great fanfare. We knew the prices before we went so there was no sticker shock— but despite having premium prices the waitress pressed us to order every add on in an uncomfortable manner. We order a crudo platter which was described as a portion for two ($65) and the Dover sole($115) which was also described as a portion for two. We wanted to share a clam pasta. When ordered the pasta course the waitress asked what my wife would be having. She said she would be sharing my pasta. The waitress replies that they do not allow sharing of plates. We are welcome to order two have portions instead. I inquire about the price difference since the half portion prices were not listed. She avoids the question and says you get an ounce more of pasta with two half portions vs one full plate. I ask again if there is a price difference— she says well of course since we are giving you more we will charge more, ends up being an $8 difference. My wife gave me the look as I was getting annoyed and I just said fine— we will do a half portion of the lobster ravioli and a half of the clam pasta. The irony was when the brought out the two half portions they places them in the center of the table —- for us to share. food: crudo platter($65)— raw fish and shrimp with yogurt and an Israeli/Palestinian salad underneath. It was ok. It was a cold dish, but the plates they brought us to eat on were super hot to the touch— we ended up not using them clam pasta half portion: it was a small portion of pasta with a generous amount of clams— prob the best dish lobster ravioli half portion: this was a joke— one small claw portion and one ravioli dover sole: basically a meunière style— well cooked but a small sole for the price midway through the meal the waitress comes by with rolls. She dropped them off at all the surrounding tables but when she drops it off at our says,” since you didn’t order that much I brought you this”. We had desert and each had a drink. Bill comes to $400. She stands over me watching me as I am filling out the tip section. Completely awkward. This brand used to be all about hospitality— what a shitshow. I am contemplating writing to them but not sure if it’s even worth it
  4. malokd
    My recent take out experience here was poor. Got the Shanghai pork buns— there was no “juice” inside, no sauces given despite being specifically requested, and overpriced. It did not taste like it did at the beginning of the year.
  5. malokd
    Can you describe the chicken with stuffed peppers dish? What are the peppers stuffed with--sounds interesting thx
  6. malokd
    The charred mushroom/Treviso? was in the faux cheesesteak they had at happy gyro I think— I felt the smoke/burnt flavor was over the top in that too— but everything else was great
  7. malokd
    This restaurant is in soft-opening mode still with little web presence and a limited menu (not all the items on the printed menu are available yet)...that being said I think it is a game changer for the miserable state of dumplings in Alexandria. We went on a Sunday morning and had the following: Pork Soup Dumplings(XLB) --- I thought these were better than the XLB at all the Rockville joints. Great flavor to the soup--perfect mix of fat and meat. Thin delicate wrapper, yet sturdy enough not to tear when removing it from steamer basket. Steamed shrimp (har gow)--crisp shrimp, well made tapioca wrapper, held up without becoming mushy Scallion Pancake--were fine--Ive had better--less flaky and more flat Pan Fried Buns with egg and Chive--these were deep fried and tasty with fresh chives Pan Fried Buns with shrimp and Chives-- These were in a har gow style wrapper but pan fried with crispy bottoms--excellent Vegetable Stir Fried Noodles--these were a bust--we wanted something with the hand pulled noodles and these were the only veg option--noodles were good but sauce tasted like it had tomato sauce or ketchup in it--very weird This place is a franchise from NYC and is well reviewed there. I am excited for the full menu and will definitely be back. I think this place is going to be mobbed once fully opened and reviewed in the press. No website yet-- so I am grudgingly putting the yelp link here.
  8. malokd
    Off topic but how was GLOW Eric--worth taking the kids for?
  9. malokd
    Went here tonight and ordered the following: sourdough bread with : chicken liver mousse and nori butter with cane sugar—- the liver was the winner here— smooth , subtle spicing, delicious. Nori butter was fine, tasty but the cane syrup was out of place pickled enoki mushrooms from cart: pleasantly sour,tasted like they put maggi seasoning in it— enjoyed it gem lettuce salad with scallion vinaigrette: had nice crunch from sesame seeds strewn all over but scallion vinaigrette had very little acid to it and just came off as oniony and salty. We added the pickled mushrooms to the dish and it fixed the flavors Scallop crudo with fried okra and curry leaves — this was excellent. Fresh, crisp , bright. My only quibble was the used a kaffir lime oil in the sauce that overpowered some of the other flavors—but it was a minor issue only cavatelli with vegetarian nduja— this was excellent. Tender cavatelli with a tart sauce . Bread crumbs added nice crunch. Sautéed with lettuce leaves that did not hold up to the rest of the dish Branzino with maitake mushrooms, pickled mustard greens, ginger scallion oil, and a Sichuan flavored dipping sauce, and a cup of dashi. This dish would have been excellent but for the cooks heavy heavy hand with the salt. We were at the bar watching him cook and we could see him dousing the mushrooms and the fish with salt. The condiments tasted great but were, as they should be, salty further accentuating the over salting . The fish itself was expertly cooked with skin crisp from being coated with toasted rice powder prior to frying. With a less heavy hand with the salt this dish would have been perfect. One last weird point— we sat at the chefs counter. It was counter height but with normal chairs instead of counter height seating— I felt like I was a little kid at the table— it’s a beautiful counter but they need to fix the seating. overall takeaway— good flavors but needs some care for details with the salting and acidity of some of the dishes. I
  10. malokd
    Going with a group this weekend---anyone have recommendations? A couple of the members of the group have an aversion to szechuan peppercorn so would love a few options for them as well
  11. malokd
    Had a disappointing experience here on Saturday night. I agree that the quality of the fish was great, but the rice really tanked the nigiri and the rolls. We ordered a ton and with drinks came to $150/ pp( 2 drinks and bottle of sake). Drink were the highlight( service was excellent as well) Has potential but I have feeling consistency is going to be an issue with a place that large. The vibe of the place reminded me of Tao meets nobu — not my favorite. If I am going to drop bucks on sushi would prob go to ogura or omakase at Takumi.
  12. malokd
    Had a great experience here last night. For apps we got the kara-age and the veggie/shrimp tempura soba. Karage was crunchy, but not overcooked served with mustard and spicy mayo on side. The soba was really good---noodles had a nice bite with buckwheat flavor coming through--small dishes of pickled cucumbers, scallion and wasabi, and seaweed/lotus root on the side. Expertly fried tempura shiso leaf, whole pepper and shrimp--not greasy at all. Nice cool mentsuyu for dipping. Excellent I had just eaten at Daikaya two weeks ago and had a great bowl of ramen there--so it was nice to compare. Got the spicy ( volcano) ramen---and it was on par at the very least. Friend got the tempura ramen and that was a bit of a bust. Definitely will return. Worth going to if you live in the area
  13. malokd
    Superlative dinner here on Sunday night. Total of 5 of us--to a person, all of us felt that this was the best restaurant meal we had in the DMV in 2017. I went in expecting a decent dinner and was really happily surprised at how good a meal we had. The drinks were excellent as well, all with interesting bar pieces made the drink more enjoyable. Drinks: BRESCA FRENCH 75: honey gin- clarified citrus- bee nectar- champagne syrup: This tasted great, not too boozy with nice acidity SIRÉNE: vodka-oyster shell- dry vermouth-manzanilla-verjus- olives: While I could not detect any seafood taste--this was a good dirty martini with good olives and an interesting fish shaped glass BEE'S KNEES: bee's wax gin- truffle honey- citrus: The only bust from the drinks section POLLINATION: vodka- bee nectar- gentian- citrus- chamomile cordial. This was well balanced, sweet but not overly so STAN THE FISH: jasmine mezcal- grapefruit- elderflower- soda. Tasty mezcal drink, not too smoky Food: OCTOPUS: harissa- hummus- tabouleh- yogurt- black lime: This would have been a star on any other table--combo of black lime and harissa was a nice sour spicy combo NANTUCKET SCALLOP CRUDO: yuzu- asian pear- ponzu- charred scallion. Excellent crudo---the charred scallion has this nice flavor that is not overpowering elevating the ponzu SEA URCHIN LINGUINI: truffle – chili – yeast butter – porcini: We enjoyed this but the uni gets lost. This was really good buttered pasta CHESTNUT AGNOLOTTI: rabbit – sunchoke – pear – mustard seeds: This was my favorite dish. Acidity from the pickled mustard seeds, sweetness from the pear and the sunchoke, and buttery chestnut. My favorite pasta dish this year OIL POACHED HALIBUT: vadouvan & mussel chowder - squash - parsley- kaffir lime. This was really good but came at the end when we were stuffed and could not do it full justice. Halibut was perfectly cooked and the vadouvan gave it a gentl "curry" flavor HONEY LACQUERED DUCK; duck fat brioche with apple butter- duck egg- red cabbage- spaetzel- comte- sausage of duck and fennel- fall truffles- coriander & lavender honey. This was portioned to share and we demolished it. Every thing about it was delicious. Well salted duck breast with expertly rendered skin, great tasting sausage, and the spaetzle were delicious. The brioche was fried which was a little too rich but no one complained. Will definitely be back soon
  14. malokd
    Thanks---based on those pics alone I am looking forward to my meal! Will give full report on vegan omakase
  15. malokd
    Has anyone tried the Kobo omakase at Sushiko? I have reservations for the vegan one for my pregnant wife's birthday Thanks in advance
  16. malokd
    Went here on Saturday with high hopes and left somewhat disappointed. We were 30 min early for reservation but front of house was really nice and sat us early. Our waiter could not give two shits about us. Was really abrupt, no welcoming quality. To be honest it wasn't the end of the world, and if the food was good I would not have cared much. We ordered: Roasted Sardines with Tomato foam and black garlic aioli: this was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. While the foam had no flavor the sardine was great and so was the aioli Crawfish and egg: The sauteed crawfish and placed them atop sunnyside up eggs. Dish lacked salt and seasoning of any sort. The primary ingredients were fine and yolk tasted good with the warm bread, but not worth ordering again. Clams with sherry and garlic: When I was travelling in spain I had this dish with these thimble sized clams that were amazingly sweet despite just having the tiniest morsel of meat inside. It was transcendant there-- a simple dish with great ingredients. This dish lacked flavor--the broth at the bottom was watery and needed to be reduced Seasonal vegetables with asparagus juiceand goat cheese: it should have been a warning sign that the "seasonal vegetables" would have a nonseasonal juice. But this dish lacked any flavor whatsoever. I discussed this with the waiter twice after which he removed it from our bill Lima beans, squid ink and cuttlefish: This dish was a great stew, needed a little salt, but I enjoyed it Fried anchovies and citrus aioli: These were excellent, piping hot, no oiliness. Well done Pasta with crab, uni and caviar: this tasted good and definitely had crab in it. However there was no caviar or uni to be found--at 23 bucks I should be at least able to see some caviar and taste some sweetness of the uni in the sauce Will not be returning
  17. malokd
    I love chinese food of all styles and Hong Kong Palace is our usual go to. There are times when I miss the neighborhood American Chinese restaurant where people actually went to eat( as opposed to being primarily take out places). This place fits the bill perfectly--really good renditions of all the chinese american classics in a nice atmosphere with friendly staff. The seafood and chicken taste like better quality products than most of the local take out places. The food reminds me of the chinese food I grew up with in the Pittsburgh area, and I have really enjoyed my meals there. This place is now a regular in our rotation. For people looking for the americanized chinese food of their childhood, this place does a better job than any other place in the area. Glad to say that they have been packed everytime I have been there..hope they stick around for another 30 years.
  18. malokd
    Got take out from the branch on King street shortly after they opened. Got a bunch of dishes, but was unimpressed: Veggie and Chickenmomos--veggie were really bad, cabbage stuffed--no one in my family finished one. Chicken were slightly better but oddly spiced. The dipping sauce was inedible Chicken tikka masala--fine, but overly rich with cream to the point that it was a light pink in color and with no flavor aside from sweet Goat curry --prob the best of the bunch, but not outstanding. My MIL's version kills it malai kofta--these were prob my favorite of the bunch palak paneer--once again with the cream---unnecessary naan---Kohinoor Dhaba's naan kick Namaste's ass Have to say I was a little underwhelmed given other people's experiences. At the same price point would get Kohinoor Dhaba
  19. malokd
    Went back for our second visit last week. Food was just as good( if not better) than our first. 1) Snapper stuffed with tofu topped with uni 2) Sashimi plate 3) Fried oyster in a roasted hatcho miso( miso was roasted on a leaf--- i remember a similar presentation in Japan) 4) Menu had oxtail ramen, since we don't eat beef they made a ramen with sea bream head--the meat was excellent--gelatinous and rich off the collar--the perfect cut of fish to stand up to a braise 5) Matcha ice cream with agar jellies and red bean paste spring roll--the ice cream rocked--not over sweetened. Was really good What a win for Old town
  20. malokd
    Went for a weekday lunch with my wife last week and had an excellent meal. Interesting--this place has gotten hammered on yelp due to service issues, but we had excellent( almost over-attentive service) We tried the following: 1) pork summer roll: this was a standard item which stood out for the amount of flavor provided by the pork 2) Minced clams with sesame crackers: this was excellent---i have had a couple forgettable versions of this dish at other restaurants in that same mall, however here the flavors came through superbly. I could have eaten a couple plates of this and been happy 3) Sour shrimp soup: this was a miss. It may have been an authentic version of the soup but it came off as one note. It had an interesting array of vegetables including braised, celery, okra--which cooked in the broth and were still more raw than I am used to, and a few shrimp in a tamarind broth, but despite all these ingredients all you could taste was the tamarind 4) Simmered pork belly with eggs: this was excellent as well. The pork was perfectly cooked with sticky soft skin and soft fat layers. It was rich and the flavors of the broth complemented it well. Was not super fond of the eggs tho 5) Tofu with caramel sauce: this was okay, a little ginger heavy for my taste. I think it's supposed to be made with a young ginger that is edible in that quantity, this had a lot of slivered ginger that still had a sharp bite to it Overall this is my new go to in the mall
  21. malokd
    sake and japanese beers, suntory highballs
  22. malokd
    This restaurant just opened up on a relatively dead strip of King Street. The chef is from Kaz. They offer primarily a Japanese set menu, similar to Kaiseke but less delicate. We had dinner there earlier this week and were pretty pleased with the food, particularly since it was opening week. My wife is a pescatarian and they were accommodating with advance notice. Courses consisted of 1: Sashimi platter--scallop, salmon, tuna(lean),grouper,sweet shrimp--the fish was excellent in quality on par with Ogawa in the city and Takumi ( variety was more pedestrian than both), fresh wasabi 2: Probably the most interesting: Lotus and Eggplant Age-Dashi --- Two slices of lotus root sandwiched around a shrimp mousse and two slices of eggplant with crab in the middle--both fried and in a dashi. The lotus root in particular was really good. The eggplant was cooked perfectly and meltingly tender but the crab stuffing was not as good as the shrimp mousse. The dashi needed a bit more salt but was quite good 3: Kurobota pork tenderloin fried in a panko crust with a coated and fried mushroom: The pork was cooked perfectly--just a little rare but overally this was a boring but good dish 4: grilled black cod: this was given to my wife in lieu of the pork--this was the only dish that failed--- fish was overcooked and oversalted 5: In place of the Oxtail Ramen on the menu they gave us Tuna tempura with soba noodle soup. The tuna was fried to a perfect rare and did not overcook in the broth. Broth was tasty. 6: Desert was a Japanese sweet potato custard---this was fine, nothing special. Set menu was $47 a person---very reasonable for the amount of food. We will definitely be back in a month or so after they have been in business a while longer. For Old Town this is a major score given the dearth of non-tourist trap restaurants. The chef is definitely serious about his food and I will happy to see him succeed in this market.
  23. malokd
    Not that he needs my approval--but I agree with Jonathan whole-heartedly. Timber has the best pizza of the newcomers and I would put the pizza up with the rest of the top group. Good char on the crust but still tender inside. More surprising is how consistently good it is. I will admit being a bit biased as we had them cater our party a year ago with the portable oven--but even then the pizzas were excellent and consistent.
  24. malokd
    I had their tacos at a couple of farmers markets prior to the opening of the restaurant and always found them to be good but uneven--for every two tacos I got there would be one that was bland. They have fixed all of those problems with their B&M location. This place is serving up some excellent food. Did not miss meat at all. The tortillas are excellent, the corn flavor shines through as a primary flavor rather than just a vessel. We had the mushroom, zucchini, beet and smoky green tacos as well as the beans with jalapeno crema and the green rice with pine nuts. Zucchini was cooked perfectly and crisp--was not a pile of mush. Could not imagine beets in a taco being good but they definitely were. I would not order the rice next time as there was not much flavor and if I had to make a criticism it's just that they have a heavy hand with the cotija/feta sometimes and in some bites it was overpowering. Overall-- surprisingly, my favorite tacos in DC/NoVA. I am a fan of taco bamba and I have to say these are much much better. If they were in a different location there would be lines out the door.
  25. malokd
    I really want to like this place bc the raw fish apps are universally good. I just don't understand how no one is telling the chef that the ramen blows. We had a sashimi plate--excellent raw fish assortment, cut nicely, good flavor. Cured salmon roe with uni was part of it and was excellent. The koji marinated asparagus with king crab was a mixed bag--the asparagus was excellent--could eat that all day long--- the part that sucked was the dumped what seemed like a bowl of mayonnaise on top and the king crab lacked any sweetness for some reason. Had the fried chicken tsukemen and it failed on multiple levels. I am by no means a ramen expert but from the tsukemen I have had here and in Japan, the dipping sauce is usually a really concentrated salty rich broth--this tasted like mildly concentrated chicken corn soup from the local Chinese restaurant. The fried chicken was a thigh that seemed liked it was sous-vide before it was fried--the crust was this pale blond color, and while crunchy it lacked any flavor. My wife got the goma snap peas which were very good and refreshing. She got the veggie ramen to follow. She liked it, but I found it oddly sweet. Was served in a soymilk broth. I hope the ramen criticism makes it back to Chef kim but he is clearly talented with the rest of the menu
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