Lotus Garden - Chinese cuisine in Vienna, VA

224 Maple Avenue WEST

Vienna, VA 22180
Tel: (703) 255-9888

In a strip mall on Vienna's main drag, Lotus Garden has been a great addition to the local dining scene over the last 3 years.  We came here for dinner on a Saturday evening and the place was packed - good thing we made reservations!

Both service and food were very good. Decor is simple and clean, with dim lighting, making for a cozy and intimate atmosphere. The restaurant is small, so with a full house, the noise level can be on the loud side.  

The house specialty is its hand pulled noodles, and they are worth the visit.  The hand pulled noodles are featured in a variety of about 25 soups in a separate menu section.  The most fun is getting a front row seat to the kitchen window, where you can watch the noodles being rolled, stretched and cut, which happens about every 20-30 minutes.

In between the noodle pulling action, you can watch the entire kitchen staff at work with occasional fire flares and the general hustle and bustle of a busy kitchen. This built-in entertainment can certainly be the focus of the dining experience at Lotus Garden.

The food we ordered, pictured below, definitely fell on the mild side, and was all delicious.  Juicy and plentiful portions, a great variety on the menu, and helpful staff... in short, there were no disappointments. We would return in a heartbeat.

 Hand pulled noodles with roasted pork

 Hand pulled noodles with roasted duck

 Sauteed vegetables in garlic sauce

 Shredded chicken with pan fried noodles

 Szechuan chicken

A show of hand pulled and sliced noodles for an audience of diners

Saravana Palace - Indian Vegetarian food in Fairfax, VA

11725 Lee Highway #A15

Fairfax, VA 22030

Tel (703) 218-4182

For the last 9 years, Saravana Palace has been serving up Southern vegetarian food to a crowd that flocks here. They do not take reservations or serve alcohol. Their decor is shabby. So, it is abundantly clear that the main attraction here is THE FOOD.

When the seven of us arrived on a Saturday to partake in Saravana's famous lunch buffet, we were greeted by several courteous waiters, who took excellent care of us for the duration of our meal. They brought countless plates of potato-stuffed Dosas, which are fermented crepes made of rice batter. They kept our water glasses filled. They also were visibly on hand to answer any questions and clean up any spills.

Food does not disappoint, either. The three huge buffet stations offer something for everyone. Various dips for the Dosa, that can double up as soups. There are lots of bread options; a variety of fried things like fried chillies, and of course, veggies, veggies, veggies.  The spice level is medium-high overall, but it is easy to tone it down with a wide range of carbs (different rices, breads, etc) for those who are less spice-tolerant or have dietary restrictions.  The dessert station is plentiful, with delightful options for those who have a sweet tooth, and even those like me, who do not.  

This place is as authentic as it gets for Southern Indian Vegetarian Buffets, judging by the overwhelmingly Indian clientele here. A great price of only $10.95 +tax for a weekend lunch buffet is a small price to pay for such a great feast.

Located in a small shopping strip with plenty of parking

Large clean, though run down, dining room that accommodates any size-groups

Booth seating for small parties

Wide assortment of veggies with or without sauces and lots of other delicacies

Dosa dips / soups and lots of carb options

Each Dosa is stuffed with potatoes

First buffet round!

Second buffet round!

Final buffet round!

Shilla Korean Bakery comes to Tysons!

Even if you've never visited the Shilla bakery in Annandale, we highly recommend visiting the newly-opened Shilla at the Tysons Corner mall.  It is on the second floor across from the mall entrance from the C garage.  

There is a wide variety of delicious pastires and even several pizzas that you can taste before committing to buying anything. All the cakes and pastries are works of art, are beautifully-displayed and appetizingly-lit. 

Grab a freshly baked roll and bring it to the neighbors' bbq!  Or take a break from shopping at one of the tables inside the bakery and enjoy a Boba Tea along with one of the pastries.  

One of the most appealing attributes of Korean baked goods is that they are not overly sweet, yet full of flavor and richness. We first tried a Boba Tea here. Boba Teas are basically frozen smoothies that come in many different flavors from mango to green apple, with a bunch of tapioca morsels on the bottom of the cup that are sucked through a wide straw. Be careful, as the frozen tapioca can have the effect of a 7-11 slurpee if you drink it too quickly.

Everything at Shilla bakery is mouthwateringly delectable. The advantage of tasting some fo the pastries is that you can pick what really suits your palate, as the flavors may be unfamiliar. 

One of us has a sweet tooth, and the other one does not. But even for me, who prefers savory over sweet, Shila bakery's desserts are a hit because of their low sweetmess.

A big welcome to the Tysons area! 

Tous Les Jours Korean Bakery - Annandale VA

7219 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003
Tel: (703) 914-0000

We would be remiss if we didn't tell you about this amazing bakery, where we stopped after lunch at BonChon Chicken last weekend.

A standalone tiny structure just a few steps from BonChon, is the Tous Les Jours Korean Bakery that wows you as soon as you walk in.  Entering the tiny store front, it is impossible to resist being enveloped by the variety of deliciousness emanating from shelves and shelves of powdered goodness as far as the eye can see. 

Modern, clean, simple decor is utterly inviting. 

BE WARNED: YOU WILL NOT WALK OUT EMPTY HANDED *EVEN IF* YOU CLAIM NOT TO HAVE A SWEET TOOTH.

THIS IS ALL WE GOT. REALLY, A HIGHLY COMMENDABLE EXERCISE IN SELF-RESTRAINT, GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES. 

BonChon Chicken - Korean fast food in Annandale, VA

7215 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003
Tel:(703) 914-1415

The first time we tried BonChon Chicken Wings was at the Northern Virginia Magazine's Chicken Wings NoVa Wars.  They were so flavorful, so perfectly baked and the spicy wings were way out of this world terrific, that we just had to follow our taste buds to their Annandale location.

BonChon is a modern Korean fast food joint with several large TVs and a full bar in the heart of Korea Town in Annandale.  Its staff is all young Koreans, though our waiter seemed to be so brand spanking new, our service was quite underwhelming. The bright spot in the service area was a server named Israel, who not only served most of our food, but also refilled our water and asked if everything was ok.  Kudos to Israel!

Though their website seems to be down for quite a while now, one of the nice things that BonChon offers is a calorie count of all its dishes, including wings. The wings are not cheap; they are about average at $1.30 per wing, regardless whether you get a mix of wings and drumsticks, drumsticks only or boneless strips. We got the ones were remembered as being fantastic - Soy Garlic and Spicy. Definitely worth the visit!

Looking around, most everyone in the restaurant was feasting on piles and piles of wings. Needless to say, come here for the wings. The other stuff was...  well, it wasn't nearly as good as the wings.  

The banchan served along with our food at BonChon consisted of sweet cole slaw and mild crunchy pickled radish cubes. Eaten alone, they were bland. But when snacked on in-between the fiery or garlicky wings, they gained a lot more appreciation!

The two entrees we ordered, pictured and described below, were good. Korean food doesn't skimp on flavors, so almost anything you get will be good.

But BonChon Chicken is all about the WINGS, and this is definitely a reason to return!

Oh, by the way, an added bonus was that you do not walk out of the restaurant smelling like the kitchen.  This is not a Korean BBQ place where you leave wearing the smell of all the food on the menu. It is a bright and airy restaurant with great exhaust, large windows and modern furniture.  There is just really no reason not to check it out. 

 Complimentary sweet cole slaw and the mildest crunchiest pickled radish we ever tasted

 Medium Combo of 10 bonessless chicken strips - 5 Soy Ginger and 5 Spicy $12.95

 Bull Dak entree - spicy chicken stirfried with rice cakes in fiery sauce topped wth thinly sliced scallions and melted cheese, served with steamed white rice on the side $12.95

Chicken Katsu entree - breaded chicken cutlet served on a bed of steamed rice, drizzled with "katsu" sauce and spicy mayo $11.95

Bollywood Bistro - Contemporary Indian Cuisine in Great Falls, VA

9853 Georgetown Pike
Great Falls, VA 22066
Tel: (703) 865-0450

We've heard lots of positive reviews of the year-old Bollywood Bistro, so we invited our friends to join us for dinner at this Safeway shopping strip in Great Falls this past weekend.  

Bollywood Bistro impressed us at the outset with its welcoming modern decor that bridged the old and the new styles of India. True to its name Bistro, this is not a fancy traditional restaurant with mahogany deities and a 10-page menu. Rather a short-and-sweet selection of well-known favorites that not only burst with flavor, but they are also served up by a most accommodating and friendly staff.

Our waiter, Jude Lopez, was all the personality of the restaurant. Originally from Goa, he was incredibly helpful and charming, suggesting specific dishes and explaining the intricacies and differences in flavors typical to Northern Indian, Southern Indian, and Goan cuisine, which was very much appreciated.

The unique decor offered an ambiance of both intimacy and hospitality. Dim lighting in no way sacrificed the feeling of cleanliness, defining a calm and pleasant mood for a wonderful dinner.

Our food, pictured below, can be summarized in one word - delicious. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly presented, all in all terrific.

We will definitely be back to Bollywood Bistro!  Thank you for a great dining experience!

 Wonderfully crispy and delicious Samosa $4.95

Tallest Samosa we've ever seen

 Creamy wonderful lobster bisque $6.95

 Perfectly baked Kesari Chicken Tikka $13.95 and Delectable Fiery Chicken Vindaloo $13.95

 Mouthwatering Lamb Kabob $15.95, a vegetable medley by request $10.95, creamy Makhan Palak $10.95 and delicately tasty Garlic Naan $3.50

 Don't you just love these veggies?

Almost too pretty to eat

 Ceiling a-la-Medici

Modern, intimately-lit clean and welcoming dining room