Daikaya | Washington, DC

we went to check out daikaya, a ramen and izakaya joint, last time we were in town. daikaya is located right next to the verizon center in DC and right in or on the border of chinatown. daikaya consists of 2 floors: ramen on the 1st floor and izakaya on the more intimate 2nd floor.

unfortunately the izakaya section doesnt open on sundays so we could only try out their ramen. they serve sapporo style ramen which is distinguished by its chintan stock. according to their website, their clear soup base is made out of chicken, beef, and pork which requires 16+ hours of prepping.

we sat at the bar.

the place wasnt packed on a sunday

DC Brau

gyoza – fresh, nicely fried

shio ramen with their chintan stock, topped with roast pork, bean sprouts, oinions, ground pork, garlic, nori, scallions, nitamago, menma (bamboos), seaweed. corns.

i asked for a million toppings. i have to say this was the only a few times i got full from 1 bowl of ramen. maybe im just a pig or maybe the portion is pretty big esp with all that toppings. i loved the bean sprouts which had a smoky flavor! the broth was relatively light while remaining flavorful.

the guy stir frying the bean sprouts which gives a nice smoky flavor

shoyu ramen – dark rich soy sauce soup base with toasted garlic and slightly caramel tones.

barley miso ramen

i enjoyed my bowl of ramen at daikaya, maybe we ll return for their izakaya soon!

Daikaya
Category: Japanese
705 6th St NW
(at N G Pl)
Washington, DC 20001

http://daikaya.com/

Ford’s Fish Shack | Ashburn, VA

went to ford’s fish shack last weekend when we were in town.

this place is really popular.

i loved these corn bread!! so warm and fluffy!

there are corns and scallions in them! the scallions really enhance the flavors!

Angry Mussels
Chorizo, Tomatoes, Garlic, Onions, Ciabatta Bread

the broth of the angry mussels

Lobstah Roll

Double Billy’s Lobstah Tails
one fried one broiled
Thin Fries, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Melted Butter

Fish of the Day
swordfish

Fish Tacos
Blackened, Flour Tortillas, Napa Cabbage,
Marinated Tomatoes, Radishes,
Chipotle Lime Dressing
very well cooked fresh fish. i wish these were corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.

we enjoyed our meal at ford’s fish shack. everything was fresh and well made. i wish they had more boiled or raw seafood options instead of mostly fried seafood.

Ford’s Fish Shack
Categories: Specialty Food, American (New), Diners, Seafood
44260 Ice Rink Plz
Ste 101
Ashburn, VA 20147
(571) 918-4092

http://www.fordsfishshack.com/

Tanpopo Ramen House | Annandale, VA DC

this was our 2nd lunch right after To Sok Jip . we didnt even finish our food at To Sok Jip. since we are rarely in town now, we had to force ourselves to try as many places as we could.

tanpopo ramen house is next to A&J.

i really couldnt eat anymore, so i made pork belly to order a bowl of his choice. of course he would order pork belly.

pork belly wolfed down the majority of the bowl. i had couple bites jus for blogging purposes. one of the worst ramen ive ever had.
noodles- exact same noodle you can find at hmart, the packaged ones. im not talking about the deep fried one dollar instant noodles. im talking about these frozen ramen:

broth - cut corner quicker msg version.

pork- bland and dry.

they also have a sushi bar. would u eat sushi at a ramen house?

Tanpopo Ramen House
Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
4316 Markham St
Annandale, VA 22003
(202) 270-3043

http://tanpoporamenhouse.com

Kushi Izakaya & Sushi | Washington, DC

went to kushi last month when we were in town visiting pork belly’s parents. i liked the decor and high ceilings.

Peel n Eat Shichimi Blue Shrimp- cooked shrimp, tossed in shichimi & garlic

Spicy zuke don
Spicy soy sauce marinated sashimi maguro- tuna with scallion, and nori over sushi rice

Bara chirashi don- Diced pieces of sashimi over sushi rice

yakitori- Wild boar sausage, Pork belly, duck breast & scallion, Chicken breast with shiso & plum sauce

the food was very underwhelming. it reminded me of basho in boston. over priced, fusion, underwhelming food. the service wasnt too good either. def will not go back!

Kushi
Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
465 K St NW
(between N 4th St & N 5th St)
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 682-3123

http://www.eatkushi.com

To Sok Jip | Annandale, VA

pork belly and i went back to VA to visit his family last weekend. VA has a large korean population, so there are a lot good korean restaurants there. i had to take advantage of this and get my korean food fix whenever im in town since korean food in boston jus sucks.

my fave korean dish is Samgyetang (Ginseng chicken soup). i decided to check out this ajumma hole in the wall joint since they serve sam gye tang.

very packed. a lot ppl jus came from church.

holy sht! you probably cant tell from the pic, but this is the biggest seafood pancake ive ever seen. very thick and loaded with so much seafood! ive never seen anything like this. mind blown

samgyetang – Ginseng chicken soup
not as good as mr.zhang’s in beijing, but it was good enough. the chicken wasnt super tender, oh well. i was satisfied.

the restaurant is very busy and there is only one server. she barely speaks any english and was speaking korean to me at the whole time even i looked no clue what she was saying. altho she’s super busy, she still was very attentive. she filled up our water and brought us banchan before we had to ask. will def be back!

To Sok Jip

Category: Korean
7211 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003
(703) 333-2861

A&J | Annandale, VA

A&J is a taiwanese chain restaurant in china and i used to visit a lot when i wanna grab something nice and light. i was so excited to find out there is a A&J in virginia. however, their menu is a little different here and the food quality is def not china good but pretty decent for american standards. their food is still pretty authentic.

scallion pancakes

tofu with preserved eggs

pickled cucumber

beef noodles – not bad. noodles are pretty al dente

pork chop

xiao long bao – soup dumplings. these were terrible. DO NOT GET!

altho the a&j in VA doesnt match up the a&js in china, but the beef noodles are still better than what i can get at most places in boston. pork belly told me their prices have been going up over the years, but still pretty reasonable priced.

A&J
Category: Chinese
4316 Markham St
Ste B
Annandale, VA 22003
(703) 813-8181

please like my facebook page thank you!
http://www.facebook.com/BunnyandPorkBelly

http://www.facebook.com/BunnyandPorkBelly

L’Auberge Chez Francois @ Great Falls, VA

L’Auberge Chez Francois was voted for the best ambience and scenery. they serve traditional Alsatian-French food. pork belly took me there two months ago for din din.

it’d be cool to sit there huh?

pork belly

a crêpe with chives, stuffed with a duxelle of mushrooms, tomato concassé, Madeira truffle sauce

warm asparagus on local Virginia country ham, with gruyère cheese, capers and a quail egg

lobster bisque

la salad de l’Auberge

homemade sorbet

veal scaloppini with Virginia ham, jumbo lump crabmeat, and mushroom cream sauce

medallions of beef and veal, grilled lamb chop, roasted half Maine lobster tail

rice pudding

i loved the ambience and scenery of L’Auberge Chez Francois. prefect for any occasions or a date. A little perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. the food was delicious and very well made, but nothing was too mind blowing. attention to details. the service was extremely polite and professional. the entire experience was relaxing and enjoyable.

Category: French
332 Springvale Rd
Great Falls, VA 22066

(703) 759-3800

http://www.laubergechezfrancois.com

Sichuan Village @ Chantilly, VA and random pix from the weekend

we rarely eat chinese food in VA because the selection is so limited. pork belly wanted to try sichuan village because he was craving for spicy chinese food, so why not write a review and support my own people !!!

hey dont hate on my chopsticks pic

they offer buffet or you can order your own. we skipped the buffet of course and you should too. the menu looks pretty authentic to me. they have tons stuff on the back of the menu as well.

hot shot pork belly <3

pork belly’s mom made me this dress yay!! feel so loved!! his mom is awesome. if you need wedding dresses or need ur dress altered go visit http://www.leesburg-bridal.com/ best in the area!!

夫妻肺片

spicy fish. 水煮鱼

shredded potato. this is what i loved to eat when i was young, potatoes, i love it in any way. fried, stir fried, mashed, steamed, you name it. you cannot usually find this in restaurant especially in the states.

although it is not the nicest chinese restaurant, the food here is very decent. more authentic than a lot of places around the area. very reasonable priced and fast friendly service. i would def come back for more!!!

Category: Chinese
14005 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy
Chantilly, VA 20151
(703) 631-5888

http://www.sichuanvillage.com

______________________________________________________________________________________

hey guess what else i got this weekend from pork belly’s mom besides that beautiful dress that his mom made for me.
taaa-daa

omggggg ive been wanting this purse forrrrrrevevevevevveverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and his mom was generous enough to give me as a gift !!!!!!!!!! i was gonna save up my entire life for it since the price goes up like everyday. ive been wanting it ever since it was 2k and now it’s 4k. im so luckyyyy jejejejejejejeeee. i still cant believe i got it! as a gift too! omgggg! feel so lovvvvvveeeed!!!!!! this is what exactly i wanted! the reissue flap !! although sliver/black would be more perfect but i cant complain. now i got my camera and my purse, there is really nothing else i want in my life right now. next thing -> a house for me and pork belly!

ok enough showing off, the rest is some random pix from this weekend. pork belly and i wanted to see ai weiwei’s exhibit in dc museum, but ended up it isnt til this fall. we still went around and took a few pix of other stuff they had.