monsterriffs Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We've tried a few of the varieties. We like the honeydew the best. Honeydew is good. I also really enjoyed the taro flavor last time I went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deangold Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Just returned from a solo dinner/pig out fest. The pig ears were very good: meaty chewy slices, spiced perfectly, the pickled cabbage even better: crisp, briny, nicely spiced again with several whole peppercorns atop, the seaweed & bean sprout salad good but not the best I have had there, maybe the seaweed was a little tough. But after not having had pot stickers for a whle due to a run of bad luck with them, tonights pot sticers were delightful. Where before I was having trouble with the meat falling out of the skins and the skins being dought, tonights were just perfection. The skins thin, they separated easily and kept their contents well. The meat was juicy with good flavors. I used less chili paste and moe vinegar because the filling was so good flavored. I also had a small bowl of the sour cabbage with pork strips & bean stick which was heavenly. The sour flavors hit strongly on the first sip and the last, but in between the flavor evolved from sour to porky and back. This was seriously good stuff. I spent $17.00 and with tip it was $21. I am stuffed! As stuffed as a fried potsticker. And now to bed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Yep, the classic bubble tea is mighty fine, just what I was looking for. When it's busy, the takeaway window is genius, and I can attest that potstickers don't suffer any for being scarfed in a car... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hm212 Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 I have become addicted to A&J. Took the kids last night and we had the Fried Chicken, Fried Pork Chop (meant to order the braised, but not complaining); dumplings and tea. 2 kids plus one adult $25 including tip - Great meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Now that the cooler weather is back, the noodle soup bowls have been calling my name. I dropped in the other day for a bowl of the spicy beef noodle soup, some dumplings, and a bubble tea. The soup wasn't particularly (spicy) hot, but was deeply flavored and quite delicious. I have finally perfected my pan fried beef bun-eating technique. First, I LET IT COOL for awhile. Several burnt tongues really do teach you a lesson (eventually)! Then, I poke a hole in the side with my chopstick, and begin draining the beef-oil juice into my soup spoon. I pick it up, tilting the hole up so leftover juice doesn't escape, and take small bites, alternating with sips of the fatty, salty juice. My mom calls this bun a Chinese hamburger, but I call it the Ultimate Comfort Food. Ummmmmmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I recently did back-to-back visits to the Annandale and Rockville locations and can happily report that the food tastes (wonderfully) the same at both restaurants. Good show, A&J people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulrath Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 My Beef Bun advice is as follows. 1. Eat your fried Chicken. 2. Take the rice from the Chicken and rice dish, put it on your plate. 3. Place beef bun on your plate and puncture it. 4. Allow the grease to soak into the rice. 5. Enjoy Beef Bun. 6. Enjoy grease and rice. Another note. We tried the vegetarian delight dish. The dish had tofu, mushrooms and some other stuff. Whatever it was though, it was delicious. Probably going to go on our list of "must order dishes." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMatt Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Another note. We tried the vegetarian delight dish. The dish had tofu, mushrooms and some other stuff. Whatever it was though, it was delicious. Probably going to go on our list of "must order dishes."I believe the vegetarian delight is actually kao fu, or seitan. It is good, though. I tend to order it and the smoked chicken when I'm there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Ordered 5 items for brunch today: (i) clear stewed beef noodle soup (with thin noodle), (ii) fried cruller, (iii) scallion pancake, (iv) scallion filled pastry, and (v) juicy buns (xiao lon bao). The noodle soup had good flavor but not enough salt for me. The same with the scallion pastry, plenty of tasty fat (lard?) to go with the chopped scallions but just not salty enough. As for the fried cruller, I mixed some soy and hot sauce together as a dip. The scallion pancake is thick, much like the way my family would make it and it wasn't lacking in salt. These aren't Peter Chang's puffy magical pancakes but solid hearty gut fillers. Lastly, the juicy buns were just tiny, which was fine since I was already stuffed. $20 with tax and tip. I don't have a clear favorite between A&J and Peking Village. Peking Village has lots of spicy Sichuan dishes while A&J has many more noodle soups to pick from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Comfort food for the seasonal sniffles: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 um, Rocks, is it my imagination or are there a whole lot of posts missing from this thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 (edited) um, Rocks, is it my imagination or are there a whole lot of posts missing from this thread? [There shouldn't be - why do you think there are?] [ETA - Nope, the only deleted A&J post is one of my own from September 5, 2008] Edited September 23, 2009 by DonRocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenticket Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Comfort food for the seasonal sniffles: Yum - that's what I need right now! One of my, if not most, favorite dishes at A&J. um, Rocks, is it my imagination or are there a whole lot of posts missing from this thread? I think porcupine's right - I seem to remember some posts in the last month or so, unless they were in the 'where have you dined recently?' thread.If that December 2008 post is truly the most recent one, then I will remedy that with one of my own: We stopped in last week for an early dinner after an appointment in the area. We ordered: Beancurd skin with edamame and greens Pork and mustard green soup with wide noodles - a change of pace from the spicy beef noodle soup. It was pleasant and not spicy. Those big pan-fried beef bun/soup dumplings - I can never remember the name, but I like them very much! Seems like there was something else, but I don't have the menu in front of me and I'm drawing a blank. There was a steady flow of tables, but the restaurant wasn't crowded. And - for a change - we weren't the last ones in there! One of the benefits of dining early (which just about never happens in my world). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soup Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Question, is there a significant difference between Rockville A&J and the Annandale A&J? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMatt Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Question, is there a significant difference between Rockville A&J and the Annandale A&J? The Annandale A&J has been the only one blessed by my patronage? Actually, I've wondered this myself. Are there "specialties" at one compared to the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Actually, I've wondered this myself. Are there "specialties" at one compared to the other? Menu is the same, the Rockville location is somewhat larger, but I can't say if there's a difference in the cooking, as I've only been to the Rockville location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I haven't been able to discern one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I haven't been able to discern one. I've only done the Annandale-Rockville comparison once, but it: 1) was within a week 2) with mostly the same dishes 3) that tasted impressively the same (that is, excellent) Like others have said, the menus are the same or very, very similar, the dining room in Rockville is a little bigger, and there's often a wait to get into either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 there's often a wait to get into either. I've only ever seen a wait in Rockville (and a brief wait, at that) at prime lunch time on weekends. Weeknights have never been a problem, and I've walked in at 7p on a Saturday and sat immediately. It's busy most of the time, but tables and food come fast and furious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatharobed Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I recently noticed an article in the Express stating "ask for the Chinese menu" at A&J. The writer is incorrect! Both the weekend Chinese breakfast menu and the regular menu have the exact same items whether you are reading it in Chinese characters or English. Sorry but it annoys me when people don't bother fact checking and just because some Chinese restaurants have items written only in Chinese does not mean we all do this. Thanks for letting me vent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hapatite Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I went here a while back for the "Northern-style dim sum". That phrase itself should have set some flags off. What I got was an extremely crowded place with no carts, and there were none of my familiar dim sum dishes. Oh yeah, that's because my family is Cantonese and we only go to Cantonese dim sum places. The word "dim sum" is Cantonese, this should be called "dian xian" or Northern Style small plates. The steamed ribs were disgusting to me, but the thousand layer pancake was alright. Shredded pork ear was alright--glad I tried it but won't order again. This bad experience kept me away for quite some time, but after hearing friends' cravings for A&J I figured they must be doing something right. A&J is really good to go to for what they do best -- Taiwanese and Northern Chinese food. I went back here with a friend recently to try their Sunday breakfast menu and all of it was delicious. Various steamed or fried breads with fillings, what could go wrong? Menu attached. (P.S., the whole menu is vegetarian!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodeats Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I went here a while back for the "Northern-style dim sum". This phrase is very commonly used around here. I have no idea of its uses in other parts of the country, but I certainly had not heard of this phrase used before coming to DC. I still associate dim sum with Cantonese foods, so I am always thrown off when someone asks me if I want to go have some cruellers and "Northern-style dim sum." *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hapatite Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 This phrase is very commonly used around here. I have no idea of its uses in other parts of the country, but I certainly had not heard of this phrase used before coming to DC. I still associate dim sum with Cantonese foods, so I am always thrown off when someone asks me if I want to go have some cruellers and "Northern-style dim sum." *sigh* Yeah, I'm of the school of thought that Northern-style dim sum = not dim sum. And, I might go as far as to say Northern-style dim sum = bad. It was just too traumatizing an experience for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I would counter with the proposal that A&J is doing "northern style dim sum" better than anyone in the area is doing "cantonese style dim sum" at the moment. I don't care what you call it. How about "Chinese tapas". A&J is one of my regular haunts, because nearly everything I've had there is delicious - very few mines on the menu. And I don't have to wait until Sat/Sun lunch to get the meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatharobed Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you have found some dishes that you like here. A&J uses the word dim sum rather than "dian xing" because Americans are not familiar with the word "dian xing" Please note that the menu you posted has one non-vegetarian item. The savory rice roll has some dried shredded pork in it. I went here a while back for the "Northern-style dim sum". That phrase itself should have set some flags off. What I got was an extremely crowded place with no carts, and there were none of my familiar dim sum dishes. Oh yeah, that's because my family is Cantonese and we only go to Cantonese dim sum places. The word "dim sum" is Cantonese, this should be called "dian xian" or Northern Style small plates. The steamed ribs were disgusting to me, but the thousand layer pancake was alright. Shredded pork ear was alright--glad I tried it but won't order again. This bad experience kept me away for quite some time, but after hearing friends' cravings for A&J I figured they must be doing something right. A&J is really good to go to for what they do best -- Taiwanese and Northern Chinese food. I went back here with a friend recently to try their Sunday breakfast menu and all of it was delicious. Various steamed or fried breads with fillings, what could go wrong? Menu attached. (P.S., the whole menu is vegetarian!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ema Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Dim sum (or dian xing in pinying) means snack, so any small plate or portable street food in China can be called dim sum. Cantonese dim sum can be very elaborate, but that is more of a recent development. Traditional Chinese breakfast is much simpler and cost effective, usually consists of congee, xi fan (basically hot water mixed with yesterday's rice), fried crullers, steamed buns, and different types of pickled vegetables and whatever leftover from the night before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I hardly think of this as confusing. Confusing is Cafe Atlantico's Latin-style dim sum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 traumatizing Whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Purely in the interest of academic research, I went on Saturday afternoon with the wife and kids for lunch. At 1:30pm, the wait for a 4-top was less than 10 minutes, and food was on our table within 2 minutes of placing the order. We had: 1201 - Zha Jiang Mian - Noodles w/Ground Pork & Bean Paste Sauce. Asking for the homemade (wide) noodles in this dish really makes the difference. Somehow, we'd never ordered this when my wife was around (this is one of the places I usually take the kids when my wife is busy), and the lights went on in her eyes - her new favorite A&J dish. The sauce is complex, and once you mix the sauce, noodles, and greens together, it's hard to stop eating. 2102 - Spicy Wonton w/Hot Red Sauce (Szechuan Style). This is one of the dishes that ranges from really good to fantastically good, depending on how spicy the sauce is that day. It was really hot Saturday, so they were more on the "fantastically good" side. My 9-year-old daughter could only handle one, my wife took 2, so the 12-year-old son and I ate the rest. I resisted, just barely, tipping back the bowl and draining the sauce down my gullet when the wontons were gone. But I did get a healthy spoonful with each wonton. 3102 - Chinese Style Fried Chicken on Rice. This is one of the top 5 fried chicken dishes, any style, in the metro area. If I don't order this, the kids go into immediate revolt. I actually think the pork chop dish is better, but usually order the chicken to maintain household sanity. I did order both once, but that's really too much fried meat for a 4-top. 4104 - Scallion Pancake. One of the few dishes that they've tripped up on occasionally in the past, if taken from the pan before it gets properly crispy. No issues today. Especially once dragged through the pool of hot sauce on the plate. mmmmmm. 4105 - Pan Fried Pork Dumplings/Pot Stickers. I've never been here and not ordered these. Not in a traditional dumpling shape, more like overstuffed cigars, so each mutant dumpling is about the size of two normal dumplings. Since there's 8 on the plate, that's like each of us getting 4 regular dumplings. Again, one of the dishes that occasionally slips if they're not fried until crispy, but again Saturday they were spot on. 4203 - Steamed Beef Dumpling. Normal, not mutant, dumplings. Still good, but I don't think they lace these with crack like they do the pot stickers. 5105 - Beef Tendon w/Garlic Sauce. Textures are very important to me, and I love the mix of the almost gelatinous tendons mixed with the crunch of the scallion in this dish. The liberal douse of hot sauce meant that the daughter wasn't going to touch them, but I got my son to try it (he's into spicy these days), and he liked it a lot. 5203 - Cucumber Salad in Hot Garlic Sauce. This dish is pretty hard to screw up; unless you let the cukes get too soggy, or don't get the ratio of vinegar right, it's pretty much the same everywhere. Good here. 5206 - Bean Curd Rolls w/Assorted Mushrooms. Nothing special in my book, but my daughter will eat 5 plates of this herself if I let her, so it's always on our order list. 5207 - Bean curd skin w/Mustard Greens and Soy Beans. See 5206, though I really like this one because of the tang of the mustard greens. 5208 - Vegetarian Delight w/Gluten, Dry Bean Curd & Mushrooms. See 5206. 5212 - Boiled Peanuts w/Special Seasoning. I'm not a fan of this dish in most places, because I miss the crunch of the peanuts. I love this dish at Sichuan Pavilion a few blocks away because it's hot, crunchy, and served with little fishies. But in the interest of marital harmony, it gets ordered. My wife and daughter ate 90% of it. (from the breakfast menu, only available Sat/Sun lunch): 4404 - Morning Biscuit w/Egg w/Scallion. This was a new dish to us, and we liked it a lot. Pretty big serving - easily split into four for everyone to get a taste. Nice ratio of flaky pastry, egg, and scallion. 4405 - Flaky Scallion Pastry. WOW! Big scallion taste in this one. Much better than the regular scallion pancake. This feast, including two honeydew bubble teas, was less than $60 before tax and tip. I feel like I stole something from them at this price. Though this is not traditional Hong Kong-style dim sum, I think the food here is better and more consistent than the best of the HK-style dim sum places in the area (right now, probably New Fortune in Gaithersburg, though the variety there is stunning). No matter what you call it, I call it awesome, and it will be on our regular rotation for a long time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I resisted, just barely, tipping back the bowl and draining the sauce down my gullet when the wontons were gone. But I did get a healthy spoonful with each wonton. That's what thousand layer pancake is for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lola007 Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Purely in the interest of academic research, I went on Saturday afternoon with the wife and kids for lunch. At 1:30pm, the wait for a 4-top was less than 10 minutes, and food was on our table within 2 minutes of placing the order. We had: 1201 - Zha Jiang Mian - Noodles w/Ground Pork & Bean Paste Sauce. Asking for the homemade (wide) noodles in this dish really makes the difference. Somehow, we'd never ordered this when my wife was around (this is one of the places I usually take the kids when my wife is busy), and the lights went on in her eyes - her new favorite A&J dish. The sauce is complex, and once you mix the sauce, noodles, and greens together, it's hard to stop eating. 2102 - Spicy Wonton w/Hot Red Sauce (Szechuan Style). This is one of the dishes that ranges from really good to fantastically good, depending on how spicy the sauce is that day. It was really hot Saturday, so they were more on the "fantastically good" side. My 9-year-old daughter could only handle one, my wife took 2, so the 12-year-old son and I ate the rest. I resisted, just barely, tipping back the bowl and draining the sauce down my gullet when the wontons were gone. But I did get a healthy spoonful with each wonton. 3102 - Chinese Style Fried Chicken on Rice. This is one of the top 5 fried chicken dishes, any style, in the metro area. If I don't order this, the kids go into immediate revolt. I actually think the pork chop dish is better, but usually order the chicken to maintain household sanity. I did order both once, but that's really too much fried meat for a 4-top. 4104 - Scallion Pancake. One of the few dishes that they've tripped up on occasionally in the past, if taken from the pan before it gets properly crispy. No issues today. Especially once dragged through the pool of hot sauce on the plate. mmmmmm. 4105 - Pan Fried Pork Dumplings/Pot Stickers. I've never been here and not ordered these. Not in a traditional dumpling shape, more like overstuffed cigars, so each mutant dumpling is about the size of two normal dumplings. Since there's 8 on the plate, that's like each of us getting 4 regular dumplings. Again, one of the dishes that occasionally slips if they're not fried until crispy, but again Saturday they were spot on. 4203 - Steamed Beef Dumpling. Normal, not mutant, dumplings. Still good, but I don't think they lace these with crack like they do the pot stickers. 5105 - Beef Tendon w/Garlic Sauce. Textures are very important to me, and I love the mix of the almost gelatinous tendons mixed with the crunch of the scallion in this dish. The liberal douse of hot sauce meant that the daughter wasn't going to touch them, but I got my son to try it (he's into spicy these days), and he liked it a lot. 5203 - Cucumber Salad in Hot Garlic Sauce. This dish is pretty hard to screw up; unless you let the cukes get too soggy, or don't get the ratio of vinegar right, it's pretty much the same everywhere. Good here. 5206 - Bean Curd Rolls w/Assorted Mushrooms. Nothing special in my book, but my daughter will eat 5 plates of this herself if I let her, so it's always on our order list. 5207 - Bean curd skin w/Mustard Greens and Soy Beans. See 5206, though I really like this one because of the tang of the mustard greens. 5208 - Vegetarian Delight w/Gluten, Dry Bean Curd & Mushrooms. See 5206. 5212 - Boiled Peanuts w/Special Seasoning. I'm not a fan of this dish in most places, because I miss the crunch of the peanuts. I love this dish at Sichuan Pavilion a few blocks away because it's hot, crunchy, and served with little fishies. But in the interest of marital harmony, it gets ordered. My wife and daughter ate 90% of it. (from the breakfast menu, only available Sat/Sun lunch): 4404 - Morning Biscuit w/Egg w/Scallion. This was a new dish to us, and we liked it a lot. Pretty big serving - easily split into four for everyone to get a taste. Nice ratio of flaky pastry, egg, and scallion. 4405 - Flaky Scallion Pastry. WOW! Big scallion taste in this one. Much better than the regular scallion pancake. This feast, including two honeydew bubble teas, was less than $60 before tax and tip. I feel like I stole something from them at this price. Though this is not traditional Hong Kong-style dim sum, I think the food here is better and more consistent than the best of the HK-style dim sum places in the area (right now, probably New Fortune in Gaithersburg, though the variety there is stunning). No matter what you call it, I call it awesome, and it will be on our regular rotation for a long time. Awesome report, Daniel! Thank you. Everything sounds delicious. One question: how's the bubble tea at A&J? What flavors (besides the honeydew) have you had? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMatt Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 4405 - Flaky Scallion Pastry. WOW! Big scallion taste in this one. Much better than the regular scallion pancake.Indeed, this is the one item I *ALWAYS* get if I'm at A&J during the Breakfast hours. When I order something at a restaurant with scallions, I want scallions, and this one...mmm...My standbys are the Cucumber Salad in Hot Garlic Sauce, which I always get, any meal. Also, the Shredded Bean Curd Skin with Carrot and Celery(?) salad that I like as a mild counter point to any heat in the meal. I often get the Smoked Chicken (moist, smoky goodness) or the Braised Pork on Rice (yum). Dang it. Now I need to go to A&J... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 That's what thousand layer pancake is for. We got the scallion pancake, and don't usually like to get both at the same meal. And the timing was off; the scallion pancake came long after the spicy wonton bowl had left the table. Awesome report, Daniel! Thank you. Everything sounds delicious. One question: how's the bubble tea at A&J? What flavors (besides the honeydew) have you had? That's the rest of the family's department; I like boba, but can't stand sickly sweet bubble tea, so I usually just take a sip. They also have Cream, Coffee, Passionfruit, Guava, Chinese Plum, and Taro. I think they've only had the honeydew and passionfruit. Also, the Shredded Bean Curd Skin with Carrot and Celery salad that I like as a mild counter point to any heat in the meal. I often get the Smoked Chicken (moist, smoky goodness) or the Braised Pork on Rice (yum). Yup, those are dishes we get a lot too, but 4 people can only knock back so much. Dang it. Now I need to go to A&J... I get that feeling about an hour after I get back from A&J... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 One question: how's the bubble tea at A&J? The bubble tea is very good: worth ordering if you're there, but not worth going there when bubble tea is all you want, in which case head to TenRen or Bubble Tea Cafe or Jumbo Jumbo. Click PS dinner last night was pickled radish and pork soup, vegetarian delight, spicy wonton, thousand layer pancake, and bubble tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lola007 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 The bubble tea is very good: worth ordering if you're there, but not worth going there when bubble tea is all you want, in which case head to TenRen or Bubble Tea Cafe or Jumbo Jumbo. Click Thanks, porcupine. It's too bad that there are no good (or even decent) places for bubble tea in the District (sigh). I quickly read the thread you posted, and that seems to be the consensus. I think a trip to A&J for food (glorious food) and bubble tea is in order, or I might make it to Bubble Tea Cafe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sphere777 Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Chef Philip Tang, who is part of the family that runs the A&J chain, got a great review in the Boston Globe: click here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimRice Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 The past two times I've been, I've been unhappy with the wide noodles at the Annandale location. It seems like they've gotten too thick and too wide, and have gone from absorbing the flavor of the soup or sauce while being just chewy enough to being tough and an obstacle. Fortunately, the other things like pan-fried dumplings, scallion pancake, hot spicy cucumber, pressed bean curd with peanuts and cilantro, and the scallion pastry are as good as ever. That scallion pastry, part of the weekend morning menu, is just fantastic, a light, flaky biscuit type thing stuffed with green onions. I find myself wondering what it would be like if you cut it in half and stuck a piece of American southern hot pork sausage in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatharobed Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Thanks for your comments Jim. I will let the chefs in Annandale know about the noodles. We strive to keep things consistent throughout all our locations and appreciate our donrockwell secret shoppers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimRice Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Thanks for your comments Jim. I will let the chefs in Annandale know about the noodles. We strive to keep things consistent throughout all our locations and appreciate our donrockwell secret shoppers! BTW, I had the noodles in the dan dan mian yesterday, which doesn't give them extra cooking time like a big bowl of soup would. That may be a dish that just does better with smaller noodles. It's a completely different treatment that the one I had at Joe's the other day. I've since looked online, and found that there are two versions of the dish outo there. One is the Sichuan style at Joe's, Hong Kong Palace, and others, and then there is the style you all make with the sesame and peanut sauce. I haven't found as much about that version online, like where it came from and how it originated. Can you tell me more about it? Also, is the Suan La Mian or the Zha Jaing Mian more like the Sichuan style dan dan mian? Thanks, Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatharobed Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 BTW, I had the noodles in the dan dan mian yesterday, which doesn't give them extra cooking time like a big bowl of soup would. That may be a dish that just does better with smaller noodles. It's a completely different treatment that the one I had at Joe's the other day. I've since looked online, and found that there are two versions of the dish outo there. One is the Sichuan style at Joe's, Hong Kong Palace, and others, and then there is the style you all make with the sesame and peanut sauce. I haven't found as much about that version online, like where it came from and how it originated. Can you tell me more about it? Also, is the Suan La Mian or the Zha Jaing Mian more like the Sichuan style dan dan mian? My understanding it that the sesame/peanut sauce style of dan dan mian evolved in Taiwan from the original Sichuan style. I'm not positive though so if anybody else has heard something different please correct me. Zha Jiang Mian is it's own style of noodle. It's also really popular in Korean cuisine. There are some Korean restaurants that specialize in just Zha Jiang Mian. I believe in Korea they call it Ja Jang Myun. Our Suan La Mian- is spicy, garlicky, a little sweet. It's also different from Sichuan style dan dan mian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escoffier Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 . There are some Korean restaurants that specialize in just Zha Jiang Mian. I believe in Korea they call it Ja Jang Myun. Yep, Ja Jang Myun (or myung). There are a number of places just up the street from the Annandale location that specialize in Ja Jang Myung. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimRice Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 If I had said it out loud instead of typing it, I might have figured it out that Zha Jiang Mian=Ja Jang Myun. Thanks for the explanation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimRice Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Suan la mien is very tasty with the spicy sour sauce. Once you eat the noodles, you can then use the sauce to dip the pan-fried dumplings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 After a week of birthday and Thanksgiving feasting, my two favorite meals were from A&J (usual order of szechaun beef noodle soup, fried chicken noodle soup, pork dumplings fried and steamed, the edamame greens, and the fried beef bun - everything perfect) and the lounge at Restaurant Eve. I think that's a pretty favorable comparison both ways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatharobed Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 After a week of birthday and Thanksgiving feasting, my two favorite meals were from A&J (usual order of szechaun beef noodle soup, fried chicken noodle soup, pork dumplings fried and steamed, the edamame greens, and the fried beef bun - everything perfect) and the lounge at Restaurant Eve. I think that's a pretty favorable comparison both ways favorable indeed! thank you. glad you enjoyed our food and hope you had a wonderful birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 (A cold day + feeling slightly under the weather) + (shredded pork and szechuan radish soup + shredded bean curd w/celery and carrot.) = happy boy I was starving, so I knew to order one of the "salads" as it would come out almost instantly. the shredded bean curd did its job as I waited for the soup. The soup was perfect for the day esp. once I added just a small dollop of chili sauce. Another day that I'm glad that A&J is only a mile or so from my office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Turns out that a dinner here for 4 costs just about the same as our dinner for 2, except there aren't any leftovers. I would say that we usually order too much, but I was really missing those leftovers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexC Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I ducked in with my sister for a late lunch today... Our total bill was $28, and she took home a few pieces of smoked chicken, three of those cigar-shaped dumplings and a fair bit of porky noodles. Good food and fantastic value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoooob Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Okay need some help here - any ideas on how to make a home version of the tofu/peanut/cilantro dish? Aside from the main ingredients, my stumbling block is I can't taste the sauce in my head now. Any ideas? Is it marinated tofu? Just sauce? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyG Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 I tried the $3.45 wonton soup for the first time this week. The broth is weak--very lightly flavored, but the wonton dumplings appear to be the same dumplings that are served with a hot sauce as szechuan dumplings and they really shine with the light broth. They are perhaps half a teaspoon of filling in a square skin, shaped like comets. The soup had at least half a dozen of those little gems. It's probably the perfect meal if you're joining someone at A&J but not feeling all that great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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