Memorial Day Weekend @ Virginia & Washington, DC pix heavy

i visited pork belly last weekend in virginia. we had such a great ‘outdoor’ weekend.

saturday we went to the national zoo in DC. we took the train instead of driving there. DC has the creepiest subway ever. so dark and creepy.

panda statue

the zoo is FREE just like other museums in DC

perhaps because it is free. there arent so many animals in the zoo.

cheetah

panda:

there are two pandas: tian tian and mei xiang. this is the first time ive ever since a live non-sleeping panda super close. w00t! the pandas were both eating bamboos. i really think their main meals are not bamboos but meat instead. how can they only eat bamboos and get that fat. they are aggressive diners.

panda was shipped in this cage from china.

some panda porn. they tried to reproduce on their own but couldnt get pregnant

this might be the 1st time ive seen a live owl.

after the zoo, we headed to sweet lobby. although pork belly bought sweet lobby for me a few times, i hadnt been to their real store yet.

see my review: here and here

the store is so tiny. im sorta on a diet so we just got couple things and ate on the spot. the cupcakes were so good when they were fresh.

strawberry champagne + green tea w/ a macaron on top.

check out pork belly’s panty and flies tee in the back :T

after sweet lobby we headed to georgetown. we rented two bikes and biked around.

look what i got lol….. i also bought a bubble bar from lush.

we had dinner @ chasin tails crawfish in arlington and watched the celtics vs. 76ers game 7. the food that night wasnt so good and fresh and the waiter was super slow. meh i don’t know if i will return again.

Sunday

we went to Shilla to get some bingsoo and bubble tea after hot pot lunch @ Mala Tang

the green tea bingsoo is a beast. sooo goooddd omg!! the one @ pc cafe in boston is nothing but trash comparing to this.

the shaved ice is so fine + super delish green tea ice cream + mochi + yummy red bean

the pink bubble tea is guava flavored. tasted horrible it went straight to trash.

after yummy bingsoo its time for some biking. pork belly took me to the The Washington and Old Dominion Trail

“The 100-foot-wide W&OD has been called “the skinniest park in Virginia.” But it is also one of the longest parks, 45 miles of paved trail for walking, running, bicycling and skating and 32 miles of adjacent gravel trail for horseback riding. Built on the roadbed of the former Washington & Old Dominion Railroad, the multi-use W&OD Trail runs through the urban heartland and countryside of Northern Virginia.

W&OD Trail Hours: The park is open all year, from dawn to dusk.

Location: The W&OD Trail runs from Shirlington near I-395 to Purcellville in Loudoun County.”

Monday

after korean bbq @ honey pig we went to h mart next door to grab some snacks.

korean kit kat knock-offs

pork belly picked up this cuz he thought the expression of the chicken made this looked super good and spicy, but it turned out to be the opposite.

after h mart we went to our fave dessert place again – shilla

i couldnt resist sampling their bread/bakery. omg so good. heavenly good. i was in paradise.

we also went to hahaPink for sticker photos <3

after i was super stuffed from sampling all the bread, we headed to great falls park for hiking.

after hiking we drove back to reston center. i got a cupcake from red velvet cupcakery. they only had two flavors left. this chocolate one and carrot cupcake. i hate carrot cake so i didnt have a choice. it was good but nothing so special about it.

also went to Pilango Gelato for some gelato. i got the passion fruit flavor. soooooo goood and refreshingly deflish!!!!! loved loved it!

pork belly was hungry at this point, so he got a beacon burger and cajun fries from five guys. i couldnt resist so i ate half of the fries of course.

thanks to pork belly i had a such fun weekend. i love you <3

District Taco @ Arlington, VA / Taco Truck

pork belly took me to district taco last weekend. they started with a food truck and now have grown into restaurants at multiple locations in and around VA and DC area.

pork

steak

chicken

i liked these tacos a lot! so tasty, bold, flavorful, and spicy. although the meat couldve been better, the ingredients were super fresh as they claim that they are made from scratch each day. the only complain i had was the tortillas were flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. i just checked out their online menu it says:

‘Tacos
On flour tortilla. Corn tortillas available upon request’

i guess i did not see that in the restaurant. remember to ask for corn tortillas if thats what you prefer.

these still cant beat the taco trucks in LA, but i am satisfied. cant ask for more.

this place gets 4.5/5 bunny belly

5723 Lee Hwy
Arlington, VA 22207

(703) 237-1204

http://www.districttaco.com

Honey Pig Gooldaegee Korean BBQ @ Centreville, VA

boston does not have any good korean food. i usually get my korean bbq fix in VA. with a larger korean population in virginia, you can find way better korean food in VA. honey pig is our to go korean bbq place. honey pigs have three locations in VA. the centreville one is the closest to pork belly’s house. this was actually the very first restaurant pork belly took me to in VA. it opens 24/7 and i love the atmosphere here.

it reminds me exactly like korea. they even use the same table in korea.

we order LA galbi and ribs. so yummmmm

they sell their tees. two pigs and one wears bunny ears awww.

this place gets 4/5 bunny belly.

13818-B Braddock Rd
Centreville, VA 20121

(703) 830-5959

http://www.eathoneypig.com

7220 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003

(703) 256-5229

Sichuan Chengdu Hot Pot / Shabu @ Mala Tang Arlington, VA

we have been to uncle liu’s hot pot restaurant a few times and i love the spicy hot pot broth @ uncle liu’s. probably the most authentic ma la spicy broth ive had on the east coast. the only turn off is the meat @ uncle liu’s. not tender and high quality meat. one day we saw mala tang on livingsocial. mala tang and uncle liu’s have the same owner except mala tang is the fancier version of uncle liu’s, so we wanted to give mala tang a try and hoped that they have better meat @ mala tang.

we went to mala tang for lunch last saturday. the place is pretty good. very well decorated for a chinese restaurant. we were the ONLY people there except another couple.

i ordered chengdu cold noodles. this was ok. flavors were off. not as spicy and delish as what ive had in chengdu.

chengdu dumplings. this was so off. nothing like the real zhong shuijiao, but it didnt taste bad.

they have the small personal pot for hot pot. it sort looks like shabu shabu. the broth was bland. uncle liu’s broth was way spicier, numb, and flavorful!

i love the sesame sauce, but not a lot of places have it in america. this tasted a bit sour :T

scam no. 1: i ordered the surf and turf meal which comes with meat and seafood of your choice and a combo of veggies. i chose veggie combo #1 because it has lotus roots on the menu, but when they brought the veggies i did NOT see any lotus roots. i asked our waitress why she said they did not have it. ok this is not acceptable. why didn’t she inform me that they did not have it when i placed the order?!

scam no. 2: you can choose either noodles, rice, or vermicelli. she did not ask me what i wanted; she just brought rice to me. who eats rice with hot pot?! i asked her if i could have vermicelli; she said no because that would be extra $4. wtf it says right in the menu that i get to choose.

scam no. 3: the meat – bad quality meat with veggies stuffed in the bottom to make the plate looks fuller.

ive always always been skeptical about restaurants on livingsocial or groupon. if the restaurants are good, they do not need to advertise on such sites. this proved me im right again.

this place gets 1/5 bunny belly

NEVER AGAIN!

3434 Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201

(703) 243-2381

http://mala-tang.com

2941 Restaurant @ Falls Church, VA

2941 restaurant is definitely my fave restaurant in VA. pork belly picked this restaurant for our anniversary last year. the location of 2941 was hard to find. it took us a while to find and we had to call the restaurant for directions. they have complimentary valet parking.
the scenery outside the restaurant was gorgeous. the beautiful waterfalls, gardens, ponds make me feel a getaway from the city.

sorry about my low quality pictures. taken with iphone.

the restaurant has tall windows and high ceilings. ambience is classy and elegant.
service was professional as expected.
the best part of this restaurant is the FOOD. the meal was EXQUISITE. they were also very generous by giving free pre-appetizers and sweets at the end of the meal.
the free pre-appetizers were crab dumplings that the chef made for that night. til this day i still remember exactly how it tasted. i was definitely blown away by how delish they were. the crab meat inside was super juicy and delish. i could taste the ocean.

pork belly had a steak for his entree. im not a huge steak fan, but this simply was the best steak ive tried.

i had a lobster and rabbit entree. it was perfectly cooked. very tender and tasty.

i heard they recently got renovated. i cant wait to go back again and try their tasting menu. this place wasnt cheap, but worth every penny.

2941 Fairview Park Dr
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 270-1500

http://www.2941.com

Online Ordered Cupcakes @ Georgetown Cupcake

pork belly ordered cupcakes from georgetown cupcake last year for my birfuday. whenever we drive by the shop in georgetown there is a huge line all the way down the street and i dont even see where it ends. so this place must must be amazing right?

mehh not really. they have a very huge and creative selection of cupcakes, but their cupcakes tend to be very sugary, heavy, sweet tasting.

i prefer sprinkles and the sweet lobby in DC than georgetown cupcake

im glad that i never waited in that cray line for this!

3301 M St NW
(between N 33rd St & N Bank St)
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-8448

http://www.georgetowncupcake.com

French Macarons, Madeleines, and Cupcakes @ The Sweet Lobby Capitol Hill Washington, DC pt.2

pork belly came boston to visit this past weekend and he brought me french macarons and cupcakes from the sweet lobby. he even skipped work to get me these. <3<3<3<3<3
he got me 6 macarons, 5 cupcakes, and 4 green tea madeleines.

the macarons were ok this time. the purple and pink combo one was mad sweet. i liked the purple one the best but i dont know what flavor it is tho. i dont think i ll ask pork belly get macarons for them anymore because they arent that special. i think i like macarons from macaron sweeterie better.

only this purple one made me go ummmmmmmmm yummmm ummmm

cupcakes are so good though so we ll continue to get cupcakes from sweet lobby.
Green Tea Pistachio, Coconut, Fire Breathing Chocolate, and Red Velvet
the green tea pistachio tasted a lot better than i remembered. so goood.
coconut one was jus ok. wouldnt get it again
the red velvet was yum. it’s topped with tangy cream cheese frosting so yumm cream cheeeese!!!

this is the fire breathing chocolate: Mandarin-scented dark chocolate cake, filled with spicy fudge,
topped with milk chocolate buttercream.
i def felt the ‘fire’. it was interesting but i doubt it would get it again

read my old review on sweet lobby

Pork Belly Sister’s Wedding

last weekend pork belly and i attended pork belly sister’s wedding in georgetown DC. im happy to be part of pork belly’s family.

jus wanna share a few pix of us from the wedding and of course some food pix.

the wedding cake:

i borrowed my dress from my friend JJ. the dress was super tight and i could hardly breath, so i didnt eat all day. i was getting pretty tipsy at the open bar after a few glasses of wine.