Sopoong - Chantilly, Va

This is a little hole in the wall restaurant located next to the new Lotte in Chantilly. I ordered the Haemul Soon Tofu. It came with several dishes of panchan, which were very good and fresh. The Soon Tofu was very good. There was small amounts of seafood, but the tofu and broth were very good. Overall, I really liked this restaurant. It had a lunch menu which was very inexpensive.

Cafe Asia - Arlington, Va

I ate here for lunch today. I've been meaning to come here for awhile ever since I started working in Rosslyn. I ordered the Curry Laksa with Seafood. This is the first time I have ever ordered the dish so I'm not sure what to expect. It was the biggest bowl of noodles I have ever seen. I order it with egg noodles. The soup had a coconut base, it was a mildly spicy and had a little bit of sourness to it. Overall it was pretty good. I would come back, but will probably try something different.

Tenderjacks - Leesburg, VA

I went here for dinner with the kids. I had a crispy chicken sandwich with some steamed vegetables. The sandwich was pretty good. Overall the food was decent, but it was a bit pricey for what you get. Five dollars for a grilled cheese with fries and a drink is a little much.

Sala Thai Cafe - Pentagon City

This is located in the food court. I got the beef noodle soup. There were small pieces of beef, with rice noodles and bean sprouts. It wasn't a very elaborate noodle soup, but it was actually pretty tasty. They also had several dishes premade dishes, which I was tempted to get. The food was pretty good for a food court.

Ravi Kabob - Arlington, Va

We ate the Ravi Kabob for lunch today. It's been about 8 years since I've been there. I had the boneless chicken kabob with chickpeas and it came with rice and bread. The chicken was very tender. The chickpeas were very good and had a little bit of spiciness. The bread was good, but I would have liked a little more rice. But it was a good lunch.

Sakoontra - Fairfax, VA

We have eaten here before and it was actually pretty good. This time the food was average. We ordered chicken satay. It was dry and seemed old. The papaya salad was pretty good. The drunken noodles and seafood curry was good, but nothing too exciting.

Rainforest Cafe - Orlando, FL

We actually ate here a couple of times while in Orlando. The food is better than average, however it is over priced. Unfortunately the kids really like it and they actually eat the food here. So after an uninteresting seafood meal the first time, I decided to just get the appetizer sampler. The best part about this meal was the eggrolls. The calamari wasn't that interesting and the chips and dip were average. Next time I will just get the eggrolls.

It's an tourist destination which kids enjoy.

Island Way Grill - Clearwater, FL

We ate here for Thanksgiving. This was a very nice restaurant in Clearwater. We ate the standard turkey dinner with trimmings. We also ordered a conch fritters for an appetizer. The conch was good, it have a pretty strong taste to it. The turkey and trimmings were very good and it came with a coconut pie. Overall, I really liked this restaurant.

The only gripe I have was the required valet parking.

Columbia Restaurant - Tampa, FL

We were in Florida for Thanksgiving and decided to try some Authentic Cuban food. This restaurant has been in Tampa since 1905. The building was very ornate. Beautifully decorated both inside and out. I ordered the Original "1905" Salad and the chicken with yellow rice. Everyone also got a huge piece of cuban bread. The bread was good and the salad was good. The chicken was good but was really pretty plain. Since this was the first time we had Cuban perhaps that is how it is supposed to be. Overall this was a nice dining experience. I would come here again, but probably order something different.

XO Taste - Falls Church

We went to this restaurant for lunch yesterday. After moving here after living in Boston for several years, we have been very disappointed in the Chinese food selections. We rarely eat Chinese food, until I heard about this restaurant. It was full and we had to wait for a table, but it wasn't jammed packed.

We ordered the double lobster with ginger and scallions, salty spicy squid, peapod stems with garlic, pan fried chicken noodles. The lobster was very good. The salty spicy squid was good also, however the batter was heavier than at most places we've had it before. The peapod stems were also very good. Overall I really liked this restaurant. It serves authentic Cantonese food, which is hard to find in this area.

Pho - 75 - Arlington, VA

Since my last posting, my work has relocated to Rosslyn. Unfortunately, the lunch selection in Rosslyn is lacking. So I will try to do my best at reviewing the better places.

Luckily for me there is a Pho restaurant within walking distance. Pho 75 in Arlington is the original Pho house in Northern Virginia. I remember coming here aboout 25 years ago. It pretty much looks the same and is still in the same location. It's a no frills Pho restaurant, however the Pho is very good.

Guapo's - Herndon, Va

I went here for lunch today. I had the 1/4 chicken with rice and salad. This is one of the restaurants I frequently go to. The service is quick, the food is good and the prices are decent. The chicken and rice were good as usual. The salad could have been a little better. I had some wilted lettuce and a lot of the hard ends of lettuce. Overall, it was still a good meal.

1042 Elden St
Herndon, VA 20170-3801
(703) 787-8887

Red Kabob - Leesburg, Va

This is a new restaurant that just opened a couple of months ago. It is part of the much needed improvement to the Leesburg Restaurant scene. We usually just do take-out since it's close by. It's a good restaurant. The salad is better than most kabob places. The chicken kabob is good, but the ground beef kabob is a little dry. The bread is not homemade, but still edible. The rice seemed a little buttery. Overall this is a good restaurant by Leesburg standards. The sizes are a little small compared to other restaurants, but still plenty for one serving. There are other kabob restaurants I like better, but I will still come here for convenience. The owners are very nice also.

521-A East Market St
Leesburg, VA 20175
(703) 777-5277

Pho Herndon - Herndon, Va

I went here for lunch the other day. This is a very no frills Vietnamese restaurant. The food is very authentic. I actually got a dish other than the pho. I got a Ho Tieu which is another noodle soup. It was very good. The only complaint I had was that the roast pork wasn't as fresh as could be. I had a lunch special which included an appetizer, a main dish, and a soda. It was a pretty good meal.

664 Elden Street
Herndon, VA 20170
(703) 689-8900

Kentmorr Restaurant - Stevensville, MD

We ate at this restaurant after spending an hour or so at Sandy Point Park. Although the park was quite crowded, there really wasn't too much there for us. But we found a nice restaurant, out in the middle of nowhere. It is located about 15 minutes outside of Annapolis. What we found interesting driving there was there is a street with houses which have garages for small aircraft and a runway in the back. This restaurant is located right next to a marina, so parking was an issue. The inside of the restaurant was pretty basic, since it is a crabhouse. I started with the Maryland crab soup. This soup was very good. There was a lot of crab meat and it was a little spicy. Next I had a crabcake sandwich. I think this was the best crabcake I have ever had. There was no filler, all lump crabmeat. It was cooked too perfection. Overall this was a very nice restaurant with excellent Maryland style seafood.

910 Kentmorr Road
Stevensville, MD 21666
P: 410-643-2263

Bonefish Grill - Ashburn, Va

Bonefish has a special going on Dinner for two for $38, which included an appetizer, salad and main entree. We went on a Friday night and it was packed. Of course I forgot to make reservations. We were seated after 30 minutes. The appetizer was a selection of either the Bang Bang Shrimp or Calamari. We tried the Bang Bang Shrimp. It was delicious. The shrimp was lightly breaded and deep fried. It has a sweet/sour/spicy sauce on top. There was a lot of shrimp for an appetizer. Next we each got a salad. I had the house salad. It was a pretty decent house salad. I was starting to get full after the salad. For the entree I had the grilled shrimp and scallops with a mango salsa and vegetables. The shrimp and scallops were cooked perfectly. The mango salsa added a little sweetness. The vegetables were asparagus. Overall this was an excellent meal. I've eaten at Bonefish before and I thought it was good, but the special menu made it even better.

43135 Broadlands Center Plz
Broadlands, VA 20148-3803
(703) 723-8246

Charcoal Kabob - Herndon, Va

This is one of my favorite restaurants. I don't usually get the Kabobs here. I come for the chicken curry. It is a little bit spicy, but the sauce the chicken is cooked in is very good. It also comes with a side of vegetables. I always get the curry vegetables. It comes with bread and rice. It doesn't seem like a huge amount of food, but it's a belly buster.

394 Elden St
Herndon, VA 20170
(703) 435-2400

Teocali Tamale - Herndon, Va

I think I found the worst fajita salad in Herndon. I ordered the chicken fajita salad and should have realized something wasn't quite right when it only cost $7. Well the salad was just iceberg lettuce with some onions and bell peppers. That part was OK. But the carrots they added was sour and tasted rotten. The chicken was dry and tasted a day old. I was just hoping I wouldn't get sick and was seriously contemplating throwing everything out and getting another lunch. Well I think I'm done with that place which is unfortunate because they had a pretty good grilled chicken dish.

Reston Kabob - Reston, Va

I had a chicken kubideh kabob salad for lunch yesterday. I've been trying to eat more salads and the kabob salad sounded healthy. It was basically the regular kabob on a bed of salad. The kabob was very good as usual. The salad was average, basically a green lettuce and a few peppers. I didn't like the putting the salad dressing all over the salad, something I would prefer to do myself. The salad was way too much food for one serving, but it was good.

11844 Sunrise Valley Dr # A
Reston, VA 20191
(703) 390-9070

Red Rock Canyon Grill - Centreville, Va

This is one of my favorite restaurants. We order the crab dip as an appetizer and it was very good as usual. There were big chunks of crabmeat served with bread. I ordered the Ahi Tuna salad. When it first came out, it looked a little cheesy. Only a few slices of tuna, on a bed of lettuce. But it was very tasty. It has slices of marinated ginger on the side. The croutons and pine nuts were sweet. The salad was more than enough for one serving. It also included a slice of corn bread. Another great meal at Red Rock Canyon Grill.

5815 Trinity Pkwy
Centreville, VA 20120-1921
(703) 830-6600

Tarin Thai - Herndon, Va

I think I found the worst Thai restaurant in Herndon. I came in this restaurant because I wanted to order the Thai Beef Salad. Well it wasn't on the menu. So I decided to get the buffet. It was pretty awful. They had a beef salad. The beef was poor quality and tasted like it wasn't fresh. Actually it tasted more like beef jerky. They also had a drunken noodle, which had no flavor at all. Some of the curries were ok. The watermelon was probably the best part of the meal. Overall, the food was not very good and I probably won't be coming back.

1106 Herndon Pkwy
Herndon, VA 20170-5521
(703) 435-7618

Cajun Experience - Leesburg, Va

We tried this restaurant for lunch on Monday. It's nice small restaurant in a historic building in Leesburg. The chef was the waiter today, because he didn't have a wait staff. He was a pretty good waiter.

We ordered the boudin balls as an appetizer. It was minced pork and rice which was deep fried. It was actually pretty good. I ordered the seafood gumbo. My husband got the lunch special which included chicken and sausage gumbo, shrimp po boy, and beignets. The seafood gumbo was pretty good. It was a little spicy, but not too much. It was actually a little soupier than I've had before. My husband's shrimp po' boy was very good. The beignets were good also. Overall we enjoyed this place. It was a little pricey for lunch and the portion sizes could have been a tad bigger considering the price.


14 Loudoun Street SE
Leesburg, VA 20175

Present Restaurant - Falls Church, Va

I decided to try this place for lunch after reading some reviews about the place. It's a nice restaurant in a Falls Church. The waitress was very friendly and suggested we get the cha gio re, which is similar to cha gio but it had a flakier wrapping. It tasted pretty good nonetheless. I decided to try the Bun Bo Hue. This is the first time I've actually had this soup. My mom used to order it all the time when we were growing up. My first impressions, was it wasn't spicy at all, even after I put in the crushed chili which came on the plate. Granted I didn't put in the cut up jalapeno, because I know that would have made it too spicy. The soup had a nice lemongrass flavor. It had pork cha, pig's feet, and a lot of brisket. Too much brisket, if that is possible for a beef noodle soup. The noodles were nice and chewy. My husband got the bun thit nuong cha gio, grill pork with egg rolls on vermicelli. He said it was pretty good, but nothing special. Overall, I enjoyed this restaurant. The waitress was very nice and the food was good, but nothing spectacular.

www.presentcuisine.com
6678 Arlington Blvd
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 531-1881

Pho 75 - Herndon, Va

Since I've been eating so much noodle soup lately, I wanted to come back here for a comparison. I decided to get a small pho dac biet. Which is the special and includes all of meats. This is actually the first time I've ordered the dac biet. I've always ordered the pho tai, sach or chicken pho. Lately I've only been ordering chicken pho, and the broth there was pretty good, but the pieces of chicken weren't very good. Small odd pieces of chicken. The pho dac biet was quite different by comparison. The broth was very flavorful. It had a lot of brisket, some tendon, a little cook beef (tai) and a little tripe. I didn't like the tendon at all, just tasted like fat. Everything else was fine. It was actually a pretty good bowl of soup.

Busara - Reston, Va

I had to work yesterday on Memorial Day. I decided to pick up something quick at Busara, since it was close by. I decided to get the drunken noodles. I don't think it was on the menu before and now I know why. It was one of the worst drunken noodles I've ever had. The noodles were undercooked and it was way too watery.

11964 Market St
Reston, VA 20190-5663
(703) 435-4188

Nava Thai - Wheaton, Md

On Saturday, we tried Nava Thai, since we were passing through the neighborhood. I have also read many reviews about the restaurant. The outside of the restaurant looks like a house. But once you step inside, you would never guess how elaborate the inside was. I was nicely decorated with lots of wood built in. We were lucky to get a table immediately without reservations around 6pm. Soon after we sat down, the restaurant was packed.

Today I decided to try their signature dish, the Floating Market Noodle soup. This soup had three chilies beside it. I ordered it with just two chilies and I was barely able to eat it. I ordered beef with meatballs and no bean sprouts. I came with pho like noodles, watercress, and pork pork chitterlings. This soup was great, despite the spiciness.

My husband got whole fried flounder with chili sauce. The fish was pretty pricey, but it was well worth it. The fish was nice and crispy with the chili sauce poured on top. Once again quite spicy but not as spicy as the Floating Market Noodle soup.

Overall, this has been one of the best Thai restaurants I've been to. The service was good and the food was great.


11301 Fern Street
Wheaton, MD 20902
240-430-0495

Yil Mi - Chantilly, Va

This is an all you can eat korean restaurant with barbeque. They also have all you can eat sushi. The sushi is decent for a buffet. Even better than some sushi buffet places. The Korean barbeque is very good. The waitresses will cook the food for you. There is a section of prepared korean food, which is ok. I actually like the spicy beef soup. There is some kimchi and other panchan. Then they have fresh fruit and ice cream for dessert. I like the food here. It is a little pricey for lunch, but the food is good and you will be full when you leave.

14015 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy
Chantilly, VA

Three Thai Sushi - Herndon, Va

I think I found my favorite Thai noodle soup. It is the Thai noodle soup with beef and meatballs at Three Thai Sushi. Granted this is only the second Thai noodle soup I have ever had, but it was simply delicious. The soup description is very similiar to Vietnamese pho. But it tastes completely different. The broth was dark brown, very rich and flavorful. The beef and meatballs were good. It also had some chinese broccoli on the bottom and no rotten bean sprouts, even though the description had it listed.. The noodles were very similiar to one used in pho. The soup came with extra condiments of different types of peppers. They added spiciness to the soup, but I think I put in a little too much. Overall, this soup was excellent. I'll add this to my list of favorite Thai restaurants.


Three Thai Sushi Restaurant
410 Elden Street, Herndon, VA 20170
Tel : (703) 471-2000

Shanghai - Lotte Plaza - Chantilly, Va

I decided to have some Korean noodles today for lunch. I got the ja ja myun - jam pong combo. The noodles used for both dishes were the same. They were pretty good, nice and chewy. The broth for the jam pong was a little strong. It had a little too strong seafood flavor. The soup had a lot of squid, a little shrimp and mussels. The ja ja myun, was mostly noodles with sauce and a little pork and potatoes. Overall this dish was pretty good. I'll probably try to find a different place which is a little better.

13955 Metrotech Dr.
Chantilly, VA 20151

Mezza Grills - Ashburn, Va

We decided to try this restaurant because they had a kebab platter family feast. This included kofte, chicken, filet mignon kebab, and gyro served with skewered vegetables, rice, torshi pickles, fettoush salad, hummus and bread. It was a lot of food our family. The chicken kebab was very good, even the kids liked it. The filet mignon was our favorite. Cooked perfectly and very good flavor. The gyro was very good also. It was soft and tasted very good. It was too salty either. The kofte was our least favorite, although it wasn't bad, we just we're into the ground beef. The skewered vegetables included onions, tomatoes and green peppers. The fettoush salad and hummus were very good. The torshi pickles were a little tart, but they grow on you. The restaurant had a few families, it was not very crowded for a Saturday lunch. Overall, this was a great restaurant with excellent food. We will definitely be back.

43150 Broadland Center
Ashburn, Va 20148
Tel: 703-723-7447

Busara Thai - Reston, Va

I had to get a quick lunch on Wednesday, so I decided to get take out from Busara. I ordered the seafood fried rice. This dish was pretty good. It had large chunks of squid and shrimp. It was pretty spicy too. The only negative was, I would have like more rice, since rice is pretty cheap. But it was a tasty lunch.

11964 Market St.
Reston, Va 20190

Hwang's Restaurant - Centreville, Va

I took a chance trying this restaurant, as all the signs in the window were in Korean. But as soon as I got the menu I noticed they had a bunch of lunch specials for $5.99. I was the only person in the restaurant the whole time I was there. I got the Soondubu. I came out pretty quickly with panchan. The first thing I noticed was the rice was purple. I'm not sure exactly what that was, but didn't taste much different from white rice. The soondubu bowl looked a little small, but after eating it turned out to be the perfect size. The broth was very good, the tofu was good, but the amount of seafood was a little skimpy. One large shrimp and a few small pieces of squid. Overall the meal was very good, especially for $5.99. I would probably come back if I could handle the waiter not saying a word to me.

Four Sisters - Fairfax, Va

We decided to go here for Mother's Day. The restaurant was packed and we did not have reservations. We were seated about 20 minutes later. I've been to this restaurant several times when it was located at Eden Center. It was good, but nothing special. I decided to try it again at the new location because I've read so many reviews about it. The new location is nicely located outside of Eden. It is much more upscale than before. We ordered the dinner for four. Of the options we chose crispy pork spring rolls, papaya salad with shrimp and pork, Vietnamese sweet and sour tamarind soup with shrimp, caramelized fish in clay pot, Chinese broccoli sauteed with shrimp, grilled lemongrass chicken and seasonal fruits. The springs rolls your typical Vietnamese fried spring rolls, nothing special. The papaya salad, was mediocre. The papaya barely had any taste and the sauce was pretty mild. The sweet and sour soup was actually very good. There are many times I've had this soup and it would be too sour, but this was perfect in sweetness and sourness. The caramelized fish in clay pot, was red instead of the normal brown color. The fish was pretty good, but the caramel sauce was pretty mild. The Chinese broccoli sauteed with shrimp was actually very good. The broccoli was cooked perfectly with a bit of crunchiness left. There was only 3 shrimp, but they were quite big. The sauce was very good also, it tasted like a mild garlic sauce. The grilled lemongrass chicken wasn't anything special. Although the grilled chicken tasted pretty good, I could barely taste the lemongrass. The season fruits included some bland oranges. Overall the restaurant was above average. It seems as though they have toned down the flavors to cater to the Americans. Which is probably why they have received such great reviews from the Americans. It is an good restaurant for a Vietnamese meal, however definitely not the best Vietnamese restaurant around. For excellent Vietnamese, I would stick to inside the beltway.

8190 Strawberry Lane
Fairfax, Va 22042

Uncle Julio's Rio Grande - Reston, Va

Today I went to Uncle Julio's Rio Grande. It's a decent mexican restaurant at the Reston Town Center. Today I had the Plato Deluxe. This included a chicken fajita and I got the shrimp and lobster soup. The shrimp and lobster soup was very good. There was a lot of chunks of lobster and shrimp and rice. The fajita was pretty good. Basically, chicken inside a tortilla, with avacado and pico de gallo. It was a simple, satisfying lunch.

1827 Library St.
Reston, VA 20190

Thai Luang - Herndon, Va

I've been to this restaurant a couple of times. I was not very impressed before. It was merely an average Thai restaurant. I decided to try it again because they have a Crispy Duck Noodle Soup. This is the first time I have ever had this dish or just a Thai noodle soup, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The restaurant was packed for lunch. The soup came out quickly. The soup had wide rice noodles, bean sprouts, lettuce and was topped with crispy fried duck. The duck very crispy and tasty but quite fatty. There was quite a bit of bean sprouts, which is a major distraction for me. I do not eat bean sprouts. I usually order my food without bean sprouts, but I didn't know it was in the soup. So I tend to eat around the bean sprouts. The wide noodles do not hold enough soup flavor, unless you eat it with a little broth. The broth had a mild flavor to it. I felt it could have been stronger. Overall this dish was better than the others I have had at Thai Luang. It was a pretty good noodle soup, but there are many others I like much better. I still classify this restaurant as average. I might come back to try a couple of other noodle soups since many of the Thai restaurants in the area don't have noodle soup. But for the typical Thai food, there are plenty of other Thai restaurants in Herndon, which I like better.

171 Elden St # 171
Herndon, VA 20170
(703) 478-2233

Taste of Vietnam - Sterling, Va

I need to bring my camera. I stopped here to grab a quick meal before a meeting last night. This is a nice authentic Vietnamese restaurant. I used to eat here quite often when I worked in Sterling. It looks like it may be under be under new management since the last time I was here about a year ago.

I had the Bun Ga Nuong, Grilled Chicken with Vermicelli. The traditional Vietnamese dish would be served with pork, however since I am watching my cholesterol, I tend to substitute pork and beef products with chicken. This dish came out very quick and was quite good. The chicken had a very nice grilled flavor. It could have included a little more vegetables, including fresher lettuce and cucumbers. There were a few bean sprouts even though I ordered it without bean sprouts. Otherwise still a good meal.

46005 Regal Plz Ste 110
Sterling, VA
Phone: 703-433-9543

First Post

Hello World!!

This is the first post from All Noodles. This blog will contain reviews of the restaurants I have eaten at and will be eating at.

Since this is my first post, I will start by listing my favorite restaurants in the Washington DC (mostly suburban) area. I will add pictures and reviews soon.

Indian
Angeethi (Leesburg, Va) - good lunch buffet
Mayuri (Reston, Va) - good lunch buffet
Minerva (Herndon, Va) - very good lunch buffet

Mexican
Guapo's (Herndon, Va) - one of my favorites for Peruvian Chicken
Uncle Julio's Rio Grande (Reston, Va) - Chain restaurant

Japanese
Tachibana Restaurant (McLean, Va) - excellent authentic Japanese
Hama Sushi (Herndon, Va) - good Japanese

Kabob
Reston Kabob - Very good kabobs

Korean
Lighthouse Tofu (Annandale, Va) - excellent soon dubu

Thai
Sakoontra (Fairfax, Va) - Good Thai food, big servings
Anothai (Ashburn, Va) - Good Thai food
Bangrak (Ashburn, Va) - Good Thai food

Vietnamese
Minh's Restaurant (Arlington, Va) - Nice Vietnamese restaurant, stick to the house specialties.
Nha Trang (Eden Center) - The best Nem Nuong
Song Que (Eden Center) - Great Vietnamese sandwiches and snacks
Thanh Long (Eden Center) - Best Bun oc
Thanh Tong (Eden Center) - Great Vietnamese soups, Bun Rieu, Bun Bo Hue and Bun Thit Nuong
Thanh Son Tofu (Eden Center) - Good banh cuon, great tofu
Huong Viet (Eden Center) - Good food, I like the bun mang vit
Pho Bistro (Ashburn, Va) - Americanized, but good pho