On their appetizer menu, fresh and crispy spring rolls are both typical of Lao cuisine. We ordered the Crying Tiger, which is sliced and grilled flank steak served with spicy lemongrass sauce and soy sauce. Lemongrass, galangal, and padaek (Lao fish sauce) are key ingredients in Lao cuisine. This dish and Larb (also on the menu), is one of the most famous Lao dishes (Wikipedia: Lao Cuisine) and is spicy marinated meat and/or fish combined with herbs, greens, and spices. The dish may be served raw. Our Crying Tiger was very flavorful and spicy.

We also ordered Pad Thai and Panang, which they also have in Laos. The most emblematic dish they suggested we order was Kai Yang (barbecued chicken), which was slowly grilled chicken that was seasoned and served with sticky rice. We also ordered the recommended Green Papaya Salad to go along with it. According to Wikipedia’s entry on Kai yang:

Kai yang or ping gai is a dish originating from the Lao people of Laos and Isan (Northeastern Thailand), but it is now commonly eaten throughout the whole of Thailand. The dish is a standard staple of street markets and readily available at all times. Being a typical Laotian/Isan dish, it is often paired with som tam/tam mak hoong and sticky rice. It is also eaten with raw vegetables, and often dipped in spicy sauces such as Laotian jaew bong. The Laotian name for the dish is means “roast chicken.” In Laotian restaurants in the West, it is known as “Laotian barbecued chicken” or “ping gai”.

A whole chicken is often halved and pounded flat. It is marinated and then grilled over a low heat on a charcoal flame for a long time, but is not cooked to be burnt or dry. The marinade typically includes fish sauce, garlic, turmeric, coriander root (cilantro), and white pepper.

We thought that this dish was really delicious. The sticky rice really separated it from Thai cuisine. We read on Lao Food that this is one of the key staples of Lao cuisine, where the food is often raw or room temperature and served with sticky rice. Diners take small handfuls of the rice, knead it into a ball, and then dip it into condiments and eat it, along with fish or meat. The sticky rice went really well with the chicken, and it also came with a tangy sauce, which was probably tam mak hoong, which is a traditional sauce eaten with sticky rice.

Lao cuisine has many regional variations, according in part to the fresh foods local to each region. A French legacy is also apparent in the capital city, Vientiane, such that baguettes are sold on the street, and French restaurants (often with a naturally Lao, Asian-fusion touch) are common and popular.

The final dish we ordered was Wild Boar Basil, which the owners said was also Lao. According to Lao Food, hunted or wild animals are common in Lao cuisine, due to the proximity to the forest. We couldn’t find a lot of information on this dish, aside from the fact that it seems common at other Thai restaurants.

For appetizers, side dishes, or even a snack or luncheon meal, nothing surpasses hummus (pureed chickpeas) or baba ghanouj (pureed eggplant) with parsley or cumin as a garnish. M’hammara, a mix of red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate syrup, tastes great on pita. Like lebaneh, a yogurt spread drizzled with olive oil and dried mint, it is an appealing party dip. All these are common throughout the Middle East and vary in taste and texture from city to city and family to family.

We noticed that Syrian cuisine seems to contain more pomegranate and also more chopped nuts. Many of the foods contained chopped walnuts. We had the pomegranate hummus, in fact. They also had a lot of items we hadn’t tried before, like Macarona Bel-laban. For our entrees, we had the Kafta Bil Jawz, which the menu lists as “From our ancient Syrian recipe, delicious ground beef with onions, red pepper, walnuts, bulgur, and herbs with a hint of spiciness, grilled and served with a special salad and pomegranate dressing.” This dish was like traditional kofta, but had a much more lemony and citrusy flavor. Also, it was topped with chopped walnuts. We loved the fact that it came with a salad, as well. The seasonings were definitely different than normal cuisine we’ve had and the beef was very tender.

Also, they gave as an adorable birthday celebration!

We wanted to try something uniquely Bangladeshi, and the waiter (and perhaps owner?) was very kind and recommended fish prepared with Bangladeshi spices. From looking over the menu, it seems like there is large overlap between Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine (which makes sense, since the British divided it from India not too long ago: 1947). After reading a little bit online, it seems like the major differences between Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi cuisine is based along religious taboos. You can find pork and beef served throughout all these regions, but religion dictates its focus and importance in each region. Although you might find beef dishes in Indian restaurants, it is certainly not very common, assuming the owners are Hindu. We’ve been much more likely to see pork dishes or chicken dishes in the Indian restaurants we’ve been to in this area. Since Bangladesh is 80% Muslim, it makes sense that we didn’t see any pork dishes on Deshi Spice. However, we did see a lot of lamb, beef, and seafood based dishes. From what we read on Wikipedia:

As a large percentage of the land (over 80% on some occasions) can be under water, either intentionally because of farming practices or due to severe climatological, topographical or geographical conditions, not surprisingly fish features as a major source of protein in the Bangladeshi diet. There is also a saying which goes, “Machh-e-Bhat-e-Bangali” (Fish and rice make a Bengali).

An integral part of Bangladeshi cuisine is beef, the presence of which is a must especially in feasts and banquets. Beef kebab is immensely popular throughout the country. Beef is used in the preparation of a wide range of dishes including biryani, tehari, halim, and many others. Regional feasts such as the Mezbaan of Chittagong, the Ziafat of Sylhet/Comilla or the Dawot of Dhaka will remain incomplete without serving spicy beef.

We ended up ordering the recommended fish and Mughlai Paratha. We wanted to order Phuchka (a.k.a., panipuri – a very popular street food), but since it was towards the end of the week they had run out of that (along with Tandoori Chicken Wings – which we didn’t get to try but sound amazing). The fish was served as a curry and came with rice and chana (chick peas). The curry was pretty spicy (and we love spicy food) and also came with naan. It was really delicious, especially since we rarely eat fish curry. We think what we ordered was listed on the menu as fish bhortha. They have a lot of delicious sounding fish dishes and a pretty large menu.

One of the surprisingly delicious items was the Mughlai Paratha. The paratha is common in South Asian cuisine, and is fried dough that is often seasoned or filled. Some websites suggest that this dish dates back to Mogul (Mughal) days, but we couldn’t find any evidence of its. We did read that this is a popular Bengali snack. The Mughlai Paratha always contains egg. At Deshi Spice, the Mughlai Paratha contained egg and sliced green chiles. It was delicious and really spicy every time we hit a green chile.

If you read the Wikipedia overview of Peruvian cuisine, it doesn’t mention a lot about Peruvian chicken. These places are ubiquitous in this area – we think there are about 50 in Falls Church alone just along Seven Corners. Quinoa, Pisco Sours, and a lot of diverse cuisine seem to dominate the entry. However, if you look up Pollo a la Brasa, this comes up:

Pollo a la Brasa, also known as Peruvian chicken in the United States and Charcoal Chicken in Australia, is a common dish of Peruvian cuisine and one of the most consumed in Peru, along with ceviche, and Chifa. The dish originated in the city of Lima in the 1950s.

The origins of the recipe are attributed to Roger Schuler, a Swiss citizen who was in the hotel business in Peru. He devised the specific method of cooking the chicken, observing his cook’s technique in preparation, and gradually, along with his business partners, perfected the recipe, creating the Granja Azul restaurant in Santa Clara, district of Ate, in Lima.

Roger Schuler dedicated himself to the restaurant business and his business partner Franz Ulrich dedicated himself to the fabrication of special ovens in which the chicken is cooked.

Originally its consumption was specific to the high socioeconomic classes (during the 1950s until the 1970s); however its consumption later came to include the middle and low socioeconomic classes as well. The original version consisted of a chicken (cooked in charcoal and marinated only with salt) served with large french fries and traditionally eaten with the fingers, without cutlery. Its popularity became massive in the 1970s.

We thought it was pretty interesting that it technically was invented by someone who was Swiss, while it is likely to be as ubiquitous in Peru as it is here. Even the fries are part of the original ensemble. We did notice that the place was packed with people when we entered of all races.

We also read that the infamous Inca Cola is also actually from Peru, although Coca-Cola owns the Inca Kola trademark everywhere but in Peru. The Inca Kola Wikipedia entry states:

Inca Kola (also known as “the Golden Kola” in international advertising) is a soft drink created in Peru in 1935 by British immigrant José Robinson Lindley using lemon verbena (verbena de Indias or cedrón in Spanish) although many believe that lemon grass, a herb native to India, (hierba luísa in Spanish) is used. The soda has an unusual sweet fruity flavor sometimes compared to liquid bubblegum. It has been described as “an acquired taste” whose “intense colour alone is enough to drive away the uninitiated.”

Inca Kola reached levels of 38% market penetration by 1970, eclipsing all other carbonated drinks in Peru and firmly establishing itself as “Peru’s Drink” (La Bebida del Perú). A common logo in the late 1970s and early 1980s featured the slogan “Made of National Flavor!” (¡De Sabor Nacional!), later changed to “The flavor of Peru” (El Sabor del Perú).

By the mid 1940s, Inca Kola was a market leader in Lima due to an aggressive advertising campaign appealing to the prevalence of Peruvian nationalism among the population. Bottling volume expanded greatly, growing steadily and positioning it as a traditional Peruvian drink, using national and indigenous iconography and images. This advertising campaign appealing to nationalism was so successful that some Peruvians believe it is their “national duty” to drink only Inca Kola and some Peruvians even believe that it a “sacrilege” to drink any other soda.

So, despite the fact that Inca Kola is now available and many types of restaurants, it is legitimately Peruvian.

We also had to look up our favorite South American cookie: the alfajor. If you love this cookie, reading the Wikipedia entry on the Alfajor might be interesting. Apparently the cookie is Arabic in origin, which makes sense considering the fact that the cookie’s texture and flavor conjures up crescent shaped Middle Eastern cookies. We assume that the Moorish influence in Spain brought the cookies there, who then brought it to South and Central America. In Spain, the cookie is entirely different than the South American variety, due to different availability of ingredients. They’re most popular in in Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, Chile, Perú and the South of Brazil. From there they were brought through immigration to the United States. The American alfajor is recognizable by its two layers of either cake or cookie with a filling, then covered with powdered sugar (or chocolate). The ones we’ve had in this area have varied a bit, as well. At Pan American Bakery on Columbia Pike in South Arlington, they are cookies sandwiched with a thick layer of dulce de leche, with the edges rolled in shaved coconut. At El Pollo Rico, we noticed that they added anise to the cookie, so they have a mild licorice taste.

Does anyone know where we can try other Peruvian cuisine, like chifa or ceviche?

Hot pot is kind of like fondue in dining style, with a pot in the middle of the table and a bunch of meat and vegetables. You cook the food yourself and its best to eat it with a group of friends or people you’re close to, since you’ll be sharing everything. Chef Liu is from Chengdu, and according to A Fiery Feast: Sichuan Hot Pot, hot pot is a Sichuan institution. It’s especially an important cooking technique in Chengdu, because the weather is frequently damp, so the hot pot helps natives withstand the bad weather. The experience in Chengdu is much less sophisticated than in Mala Tang, where it’s eaten as a street food and also in large and chaotic dining halls. Also, the food is extremely spicy, while the spiciness at Mala Tang is toned down.

What makes Sichuan (or Szechuan/Szechwan) cuisine different from other regions of China is that it is famed for bold flavors, spiciness, strong tastes and the usage of garlic, chili pepper, peanuts, sesame paste, and ginger. The four best known regional sub-styles are Chongqing style, Chengdu style, Zigong style, and Buddhist vegetarian style. Mala Tang follows Chengdu style.

We ordered dumplings and spicy cold noodles for our appetizer. The spicy cold noodles are apparently another famous and ever present piece of Sichuan culinary tradition (a recipe is featured here). We thought they were really delicious, although we recommend stirring them since we didn’t realize there was a lot of sauce on the bottom of the bowl. The dumplings were also delicious. Unlike typical Chinese restaurant dumplings, these were thinner and more crescent shaped with a thinner wrapper. They were also served with lots of chili oil, scallions, and spices.

Our waitress was incredibly helpful and advised us that we should have on mala style hot pot and one mild kind, so we could try both. She lit our hot pots and we picked sirloin and tofu for our meat options and broccoli, potato, bean sprouts, and enoki mushrooms for our vegetables. She brought us bowls of soy sauce along with several other condiments we could add to our soy sauce, like chili paste and a barbecue sauce. The meat and vegetable platters were huge – there was no way we could come close to eating all that we were served.

A Fiery Feast: Sichuan Hot Pot has this to add about hot pot style:

Whatever can be boiled, can be thrown into the pot to augment the basic chili pepper oil foundation. Standard ingredients include: all parts of the pig, chicken and cow; various freshwater creatures, such as river eels, snails, frogs and fish; any and all vegetables, including but not limited to potatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, lotus root, bamboo, leeks and onions and a variety of gourds and tubers for which there are no English translation.

Hot pot is the pinnacle of all culinary experiences for Sichuanese. Hot pot is a social event, a bonding experience and a rite of passage. Courage is measured in a man’s ability to eat hot pot repeatedly and vigorously, while drinking as many beers as possible. Acceptance into the heart of a Sichuanese woman requires several demonstrations of hot pot eating prowess. Business deals and marriage proposals alike can be sanctified before the hot pot altar.

We really had fun with the hot pot style. Our waitress brought us bowls and served us broth from the hot pots themselves. After cooking meat and vegetables in the hot pot, the broth becomes a soup. The meat curled up as we cooked it, which we read is because they slice it frozen so it curls up while cooking. Every so often the waitress would add more water to the pot. The tofu was a little difficult to pick up because it became slippery. We had a lot of leftover food we couldn’t cook and eat, and our waitress was kind enough to put all of it into our hot pots, cook it for us, and then package it all as a soup we could take some. She was so nice!

For dessert we had the sesame balls and the pumpkin pie. Sesame balls, or Jin deui, are round balls coated with sesame that are chewy and filled with a sweet paste. Wikipedia states that they are very common and very old. The pumpkin pie was a round disc and served warm. It wasn’t sweet at all, but was still kind of nice to eat. It’s rare that Chinese restaurants have traditional desserts. This dessert is also traditional, but we couldn’t find a lot about it.

Kebabs are a staple item in Pakistani cuisine today, and one can find countless varieties of kebabs all over the country. Each region has its own varieties of kebabs but some like the Seekh kebab, Chicken Tikka, and Shami kebab are especially popular varieties throughout the country. Generally, kebabs from Balochistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tend to be identical to the Afghan style of barbecue, with salt and coriander being the only seasoning used. Regional kebab recipes from Karachi and the wider Sindh region is famous for its spicy kebabs, often marinated in a mixture of spices, lemon juice and yoghurt. Barbecued food is also extremely popular in some cities of Punjab such as Lahore, Gujranwala and Sialkot. Al-Hamra Restaurant and Bundu Khan kebab House are famous throughout Pakistan for their taste and variety of kebabs. Kebab houses are said to be the most profitable food businesses in Pakistan.

The weekend only specials at Ravi Kabob House are haleem, nehari, spicy beef curry, paya, and hot and spicy beef trotters. They also have some other traditional dishes, although they might be hesitant to let you choose them (they tried to dissuade us from ordering brain and trotters). We ended up ordering nehari and the trotters. Nehari is like a cross between a beef stew and a beef curry, with very tender beef and spices. According to Wikipedia, “Muhajir immigrants from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh region brought [nehari] to Pakistan after independence in 1947; today, it is regarded as the national dish of Pakistan. The dish is known for its spiciness and taste. It is originally more of a delicacy with myriad variations on spiciness and texture.” The trotters were something we had never had before. They didn’t have a lot of meat on them and required a lot more napkins than we anticipated we’d need (we had really sticky fingers).

Probably our favorite item that we ordered was the special samosa. It was a samosa served in a bowl with a yogurt based sauce – it almost looked like soup, but with the samosa wrapper and filling in it. It was delicious! The naan, channa, and spinach were delicious. Also, there seemed to be lot of natives in the restaurant and it was consistently busy. The only drawback was that we saw a sign for homemade kulfi and ended up forgetting to order some at the end of the meal! Kulfi is South Asian ice cream, but is much richer and of course incorporates a lot of South Asian spices like saffron, cardamom, etc. The menu advertised Lahori Kulfi – too bad we didn’t get a chance to figure out what that is.

However, in learning about the history of drunken noodles, we learned that they aren’t Thai in origin! Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) was made popular by ethnically Chinese residents in Laos and Northern Thailand. It’s similar to Pad See Ew, but has more flavor and uses broad noodles. So, actually aside from being made by permanent residents in Thailand, it isn’t a staple of Thai cuisine – just wildly popular.

According to Wisegeek, in order for a drunken noodle dish to be legitimate, it must contain Thai basil, although Holy basic is more common and traditional and sweet basil is also used. Vinegar, sugar, and oyster sauce is also sometimes addend.

There’s a lot of debate regarding where the name comes from. Wisegeek says that ”most people say that the name of the meal refers to the spiciness it tends to have, making diners heavily drink to combat the heat.”

Wiki Answers writes:

No one is sure where the name of this dish comes from. Some believe it is called drunken noodles because it’s an excellent hangover cure. Others believe that it is so hot that the eater has to be drunk to be able to stand it, while some are sure that it’s because one becomes drunk trying to drown out the heat with alcohol. Still others believe that the name comes from the wide assortment of ingredients the dish contains: The chef is drunk enough to throw in a bunch of vegetables and spices without thinking it over. The most probable explanation is that this is one of the only foods available on the streets of Thailand late at night and in the very early morning, the times when inebriated revelers are leaving places of celebration. It is very possible that the extremely “wobbly” noodles themselves give the dish its name.

The different regions of India have markedly different cooking techniques and foods. Staples across all of the regions include rice, whole wheat flour (atta), and pulses (red lentil or masoor, channa or bengal gram, pigeon peas/yellow gram or toor, black gram or urad, and green gram or mung). The most common spices used in India include chili pepper, black mustard seed (rai), cumin (jeera), turmeric (haldi), fenugreek (methi), asofoetida (hing), ginger (adrak, coriander (dhania), and garlic (lassan). Often these are combined to form masalas.

North Indian cuisine includes Punjabi cuisine, Mughlai cuisine, Kashmiri cuisine, Awadhi cuisine, Uttar Pradesh cuisine, Rajasthani cuisine, Bhojpuri cuisine, Bihari cuisine, and Sindhi cuisine. All these cuisines share a higher use of diary products, the use of the tawa (griddle) to make flat breads (such as roti, paratha, and kulcha, the use of the tandoor, deep fried breads like puris and bhatoora, and the use of goat and lamb. North Indian desserts include gulab jamun, jalebi, peda, petha, kulfi, falooda, ras malai, barfi, laddu, and halwa. Kebabs can also be found in North Indian cuisine.

East Indian cuisine includes Assamese cuisine, Bengali cuisine, and Oriya cuisine and is most famous for its desserts like the rasagolla, chumchum, chhena poda, chhena gaja, etc.

South Indian cuisine includes the cuisine of Kerala, cuisine of Karnataka, the cuisine of Tamil Nadu, and the Cuisine of Goa. South Indian cuisine has considerable variation, most notably its emphasis on rice, use of coconut, pickles, vegetable stews, and curries. The dosa, poori, idli, vada, bonda, upma, and bajji are all South Indian staples. Due to the emphasis on rice, biryanis are southern dishes. Paneer (a soft cheese) is also common in southern cuisine.

Western India includes Goan cuisine, Maharashtrian cuisine, Saraswat cuisine, and Gujarati cuisine. Dishes, depending on the region, may rely more on rice, coconut, and fish (especially coastal regions). Goan cuisine reflects the influence of Portuguese colonization. For example, chicken vindalu is a Konkani/Goan dish whose name is derived from the Portuguese dish “Carne de Vinha d’ Alhos,” which is typically made with meat, pork, wine, and garlic and served on special occasions.

Delhi Dhaba’s special Punjabi cuisine includes a tandoor specials menu with a variety of meats, fishes, and shellfish. Additionally, the infamous butter chicken is a typical dish that is thought to have come from Delhi and to have originated during the Mughal Empire. Delhi Dhaba also has cuisine from other regions of India, like biryanis and on Sundays boasts over 45 different types of Indian cuisine for $10.95.

We ordered the Quick Pick (which is two curries with rice and a choice of naan, roti, or rice), which is $5.95. Ours featured butter chicken, saag paneer, and rice. We found the meal to be flavorful. We also ordered pakoras, which they cooked fresh for us and were yummy. The pakora is a fried snack food that typically consists of potato, spinach, onion, or chicken dipped in a batter of gram flour and deep fried. Delhi Dhaba serves both meat and vegetarian pakoras, although we tried only the vegetarian types. We also ate samosas, which are piping hot. We learned that the samosa is the most infamous North Indian snack food. The word “samosa” is traced to the Persian word “sanbosag,” and similar sounding terms exist for similar stuffed items throughout the Middle East and South Asia, as well. In fact, the samosa was thought to have existed prior to the 10th century. Abolfazi Beyhagi, an Iranian historian, mentioned it during his lifetime, which was from 995-1077.

We were also offered samples while we waited for our food to be cooked and were able to sample some delicious mulligatawny soup. We learned that the soup is Anglo-Indian in origin (the soup preparation is probably the British influence). The soup’s name is translated literally from Tamil and means “pepper water.” Millagu means pepper and Thanni means water. They also kindly gave us samples of chole, or chana masala, which was rich and flavorful. Chana masala is an extremely popular dish in the Punjab region. Finally, to round things off, they also gave us a taste of their dessert of the day, which was kheer. Kheer is similar to rice pudding and is made by boiling rice, milk, sugar, and seasonings together. Their kheer was thin and sweet. The word kheer is derived from the Sanskrit word “ksheer,” which means milk.

We loved the fact that on the weekends they have a special menu that features popular Indian street foods from different regions. Included in this menu is bhelpuri, a puffed rice snack served with potatos and a tamarind sauce. This dish is tyupical of Bombay. They also papri chat, a favorite North Indian street food of fried dough cut into strips and fried, then served with potatos, chick peas, chili, yogurt, chutney, chaat masala, and sev. Finally, they also serve panipuri (or gol gappa), another street food common in the North and West of India. The snack is served with a thin hollow fried ball that is then filled with water, tamarind, chili, chat masala, potato, onion, and chickpeas and then eaten before it dissolves. The fried ball is bite-sized and the entire snack is made to be eaten in one bite. We thought these foods are fairly uncommon, and liked the fact that the service was firnedly and seemed to enjoy their jobs.

TOTAL: $5.95 per person for the Quick Pick, otherwise between $5.95-$15, depending on the entree

One theory advanced at the seminar is that the name comes from the French feu (fire), as in the dish pot-au-feu, which like phở uses the French method of adding charred onion to the broth for color and flavor, one of the techniques which distinguishes phở from other Asian noodle soups. Some believe the origin of the word to be the Chinese fen (this character is pronounced phấn in Vietnamese.

There are some regional variations in pho, particularly between the different regions of Vietnam. Wikepdia notes that there are three regions and types of pho: “northern (Hanoi, called phở bắc or “northern phở“; or phở Hà Nội), central (Huế), and southern (Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon).”  Regional variations include sweeter pho or using bolder and spicier flavors. Northern pho uses wider noodles and green onions. At Pho 75, the noodles did not look particularly broad, but our pho did contain green onions. Southern pho has the thinner noodles as compared to Northern pho. Our pho seemed to be the Southern pho variation, despite the green onions. Southern pho tends to have bean sprouts, a greater variety of fresh herbs (such as hung que, or Thai/Asian basil), meat/broth variations, and tuong (bean sauce/hoisin suace). Pho 75 has a large variety  of different types of meats available and all of our pho came with herbs and spouts, etc., which was served on a communal plate. Despite all these variations, pho didn’t actually become popular in South Vietnam until the mid-1950s.

Our pho was served in large steaming bowls and came with green onions. The side dish of herbs and vegetables included sprouts, basil, and green chilies. The table also had a selection of condiments, including sriracha and hoisin sauce.

At Pho 75, seemingly one surly man runs the whole place and waits on all he diners, which can be quite a few during peak hour. The servings were large and steaming. Ordering a large bowl and being able to eat the whole thing would be difficult. We ordered well-done brisket, which featured thin slices of beef, allowing it to stay tender. The pho by itself was not particularly flavorful, but the addition of the herbs, sprouts, and condiments made it sweeter, spicier, and more textured. The bean sprouts gave it a pleasing crunch. We also tried the pho containing meat balls, which were fattier than typical meat balls and made the soup a little greasier. Pho 75 also serves the following meat variations: eye-of-round steak, well-done flank, fat brisket, soft tendon, tripe, skirt flank, and chicken noodle soup. We ordered the regular bowls and were completely filled. In fact, no one could completely clean their bowls.

The red bottle of sriracha sauce made us wonder about the history of this sauce and what country it originates from, since it seems over present in a variety of restaurants. The New York Times had an interesting article explaning the sriracha’s history. Actually, sriracha is manufactured by Huy Fong Foods and was created by a mysterious Mr. Tran, who was Chinese but born in Vietnam. He said that he invented the sauce for the Asian community after coming to America and being inspired by Heinz 57 ketchup. He developed the sauce in Los Angeles in the early 1980s as his own version of a traditional Asian chili sauce. Sriracha is a town in the Chonburi Province of Thailand where, ironically, they do not recognize the infamous sauce and prefer to make their own homemade hot sauces. Evidence of sriracha’s multicultural focus is reflected on the bottle, which displays ingredients five languages and suggests using it on pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and more. Mr. Tran added the rooster as a formal symbol of his product.

In addition to pho, we also tried some of the drinks listed on the menu. Pho 75 features some of the most traditional dishes and desserts, like sticky rice based desserts and gelatin based desserts. We ordered Vietnamese coffee, which was extremely strong. We also ordered a canned sweet and mild soybean drink and a refreshing coconut water drink, which came with a slice of young coconut.

Although we did not get to try any other Vietnamese cuisine, we learned that the yin yang balance applies to preparation of traditional meals, designed to match ingredients to seasons, climate, and the health of the diner. In addition to pho and noodle soups, Vietnamese cuisine also includes congees, rice dishes, dumplings, pancakes, wraps, rolls, sandwiches, pastries, seafood, curries, and pickled vegetable dishes. We’re particularly curious about Vietnamese sandwich stands, and hear there are several in the Eden Center area of Falls Church.

TOTAL: Large bowl is $7.20, regular bowl is $6.20, drinks are between $1.50-2

UPDATE

We decided to venture further into Vietnamese cuisine and try bánh mì, the infamous Vietnamese sandwiches, at Song Que in Eden Center (Falls Church adjacent to Seven Corners). Song Que is clean, well-lit, and packed with Vietnamese dessert and snack foods on long tables, as well as heated pastries, bubble tea, produce, banh mi, and more.

Bánh mì is a sandwich served on a baguette (made form both wheat and rice flour) which contains vegetables (like pickled carrots, daikon radish, lettuce, cucumbers, cilantro, chili peppers, etc.), a meat or vegetarian filling, and condiments (ncluding mayonnaise, fish sauce, etc.). The sandwich is a direct result of the colonial impact of the French on Indochina, which brought its sandwich tradition. Battle of the Bánh Mì notes that most sandwiches seem skimpy on the meat, but these sandwiches are made to Vietnamese tastes, which lean towards light meat fillings.Battle of the Bánh Mì of the lists the following fillings as traditional:

1. 1. Chả or Chả Lụa (Pork Roll)- Ground up pork is packed tightly into a roll, and wrapped with banana leaves (and or aluminum foil) then steamed or boiled, hence producing the dense “pork roll”. Sliced thin like bologna, these make up one of the most common cold cuts found in bánh mì.
2. 2. Thịt Nguội (Cured pork cold cuts)- Thịt Nguội (translated as “Cooled Meats”), is the second most common cold cut filling. Usually made of cured pork & layered with strips of fat. Some makers will call itBa Chị, which is more like pork belly.
3. 3. Giò Thú (Headcheese)-These cuts are usually a Vietnamese combination of pork ears, tendons, skin, fats and other extra pork head meats. It’s all processed together into a roll, then sliced.
4. 4. Dặc Biệt (Special or Combination)- Every menu has a Combination or House Special, which is a combination of at least one of the following: the pork roll, headcheese and/or cold cuts. Some shops offer ham as an offering to the cold cuts, as well as adding their special house touch of other meats.
5. 5. Thịt Nướng (Grilled Pork)- Vietnamese marinated grilled pork. Cuts of pork meat can be anything from pork belly, pork shoulder, pork chops or pork butt.
6. 6. Xa Xíu (Bar-B-Que Pork)- Sweet, pinkish colored pork cooked to the style of chinese bar-b-que. Cuts of pork can also vary like those of grilled pork.
7. 7. Xíu Mại (Pork MeatBalls)- Moist Pork Meatballs cooked in a usually, sweet, often lightly tomato based sauce. Ground pork is marinated Việt style.
8. 8. Bì (Shredded Pork Skin)- Most traditional Bì is a creation of dry, thinly sliced pork skin. To accommodate the more American palettes, some bánh mì creations come with traditional Bì along with more moist, shredded pork pieces.
9. 9. Nem Nướng (Grilled Pork patties)- These versatile, garlic, ground pork patties are popular in many fresh springroll and herb noodle salad dishes. They make a very tasty in bánh mì.
10. 10. Nem Chua (Sour Pork) – Usually eaten as a snack with raw garlic, these little squares of sour pork meat are showing up on banh mi menu’s more often. Starting with mostly raw pork skin and some meat, a seasoning mixture of yeast, vinegar, garlic, fish sauce, salt, sugar & pepper are added. The raw meat mixture is then wrapped (usually in banana leaves or plastic) into small squares are left to pickle and ferment for about 3-7 days. The product is a small, dense square of sour, pickled pork meat with a garlic punch!
11. 11. Gà Nướng (Grilled Chicken)- Vietnamese marinated and grilled brown meat chicken.
12. 12. Thịt Bò Nướng (Grilled/Bar-B-Que Beef)- Vietnamese marinated style beef. Grilled meat options are usually pork, but more places are offering beef as an filling.
13. 13. Cá Mòi (Sardines)- Usually, the sardine selections (bones included, but cooked) are pulled straight from the can. Nothing really homemade. Once favored more by Vietnamese, sardine banh mi are now becoming more popular by non-Vietnamese because of the moist and flavorful fish texture.
14. 14. Paté – Ranging from chicken to duck liver ingredients, pates can normally be a part of every sandwich as a spread, but some menu’s offer pate in larger quantities, making it the main savory filling ingredient.
15. 15. Trưng Chien (Fried Egg)- Eggs are usually prepared as a scramble, well done sunny side up (but cooked on both sides), omelet style or a little bit of all three.
16. 16. Chay (Vegetarian)-Meatless choices can be offered in a combination of the ways:
    1. Tofu Chunks – Chunks of tofu are deep fried, then sauteed with a vegetarian, Vietnamese marinade (Soy Sauce, Veggie Oyster or Veggie Mushroom Sauces).
    2. Shredded Tofu (Bì Chay) – Like the Bì (Pork skin), this vegetarian version is made with thin slices of dry tofu, then mixed with stir fried sliced jicama, carrots and/or glass vermicelli noodles. This type of filling usually is VERY dry, so ask for some extra soy for added moisture and flavor.
    3. Veggie “Ham”- These thinly sliced salmon colored (or cream) pieces of processed bean curd mimic the meat version quite well, but the flavors will dictate the differences. Just try it, you just might like it.
    4. Wheat gluten- Gluten pieces are prepared in the same way that tofu usually is

We ordered the barbecued pork (the red and sweet style of barbecue). The sandwich was prepared fast and came rolled up. The meat was sweet tasting and sparse and the inside of the sandwich roll was covered in what looked like a yellow oil. The meat was quite sweet, flavorful, and extremely moist. It was also very hot and soft, with a thick layer of fat attached to all the pieces. The vegetables were fresh and helped offset the richness of the meat.

We also ordered bubble tea and a few of the meat filled pastries. Bubble tea is a sweet drink made from either a millk or fruit juice base available in many flavors. The bubbles or “boba” in the tea are marble-sized dark brown tapioca balls designed to be consumed through a large straw with the tea. These balls are chewy and slightly sweet. We looked up the history of bubble tea and found that it is actually a fairly recent invention and was not invented in Vietnam. According to Wikipedia, bubble tea was invented during the 1980s in Taiwan and spread throughout Asia. We tried taro and watermelon. Both were frozen and similar to bubble tea frappuccinos. The watermelon tasted exactly like the inside of  a watermelon and the taro tasted richer and much milkier.

We also tried some of the other meat pastries sold at Song Que. These included a very round and smooth bun filled with the same sweet and red barbecued meat as the sandwich. Another was a steamed bun, banh bao, similar to Chinese steamed buns, which was filled with sausage and quail eggs. Wikipedia describes banh bao:

Bánh bao (literally “covering cake”) is a ball-shaped dumpling with pork or chicken meat, onions, eggs,mushrooms and vegetables inside, in Vietnamese cuisine. The steamed bun often has ground pork or chicken, Chinese sausage, and a portion of a hard-boiled egg inside. This delicacy originated with the baozifrom China but was adapted by the Vietnamese and is also available in most other countries with Vietnamese populations. Bánh bao are generally smaller than baozi, and are filled with savory fillings, the most popular of which is seasoned ground pork. As in China, pork is the most popular kind of meat inVietnam.

Bánh bao is an old fashion Cantonese dim sum call Tai Pao 大包(meaning big bun) brought to Vietnam by Cantonese Immigrants, it was invented during the hardship days of old China to feed the ordinary people.

Cafe Society notes that some bakeries will use halved chicken eggs instead of quail eggs. We found the bun bland after the flavorful banh mi.

Song Que also had a huge amount of Vietnamese desserts. Foodofvietnam.com writes:

Fresh fruits are the most popular desserts in Viet Nam, but “Chè” is the most traditional Vietnamese dessert. It’s a sweet pudding usually made from beans, bananas, coconut milk, pearl tapioca, sweet yam or yucca root vermicelli and sugar. There are shops which sell nothing but “Chè”. “Chè” is also a popular snack for the Vietnamese. In high-priced restaurants you can also find European cakes and ice cream.

Song Que serves both chè, cakes, and ice cream. Bright green desserts and other foodstuffs line the tables and they also have a dessert bar with both hot and cold desserts. These feature colorful porridges, jellies, etc. The ice creams were exotic flavors like Thai iced tea and ginger. We weren’t able to try any, but were curious about these colorful desserts. Monster Munching has descriptions of their experience eating Vietnamese desserts.

TOTAL: $8.25 (for one banh mi, one steamed bun, and one bubble tea)

We ordered the Confit Pork Belly and the dinner meat pie (there are several varieties, including vegetarian, but we chose lamb). The Confit Pork Belly was rich and had a meatball like texture and was served with mashed potatoes. The meat pie is an iconic food in New Zealand (and Australia) and are hand-sized (like this one was). According to Wikipedia, the average Kiwi consumes 15 meat pies per year. Traditional meat pies are known for their low nutritional value and quality, in fact, “former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr launched a Childhood obesity Summit in 2002 where he told participants that feeding children a diet of meat pies, sausage rolls and chiko rolls was akin to child cruelty” (Australian & New Zealand Meat Pie). However, Cassatt’s ingredients tasted high quality and the meat pie was served with a fresh salad and chutney, rather than gravy. Meat pies are so integral to New Zealand culture that there is even an annual meat pie contest, judged by celebrities:

In New Zealand an annual pie competition is held since 1997, the Bakels New Zealand Supreme Pie Awards aims to recognise the best pie manufacturers in New Zealand and assisting them in producing award-winning pies and continuing to help foster and encourage developments within this category of baking.

[There are] 11 categories – mince and gravy; chicken and vegetables; gourmet meat; bacon and egg; gourmet fruit; steak, vegetable and gravy; steak and cheese; vegetarian; mince and cheese; seafood and commercial wholesale pies. The pies were judged on presentation, the pastry on the top and bottom, the filling and the profile.

We finished the meal with tea and pavlova. The tea, disappointingly, was a standard bag of Stash tea. The pavlova tasted delicious and appeared quite legitimate, served with kiwi, strawberry, and blueberry on top along with raspberry syrup. The pavlova is purported to have been in invented in New Zealand and is named after the ballerina, Anna Pavlova. The Pavlova:

is made by beating egg whites (and sometimes salt) to a very stiff consistency before folding in caster sugar, white vinegar, cornstarch, and sometimes vanilla, and slow-baking the mixture to create the meringue. This makes the outside of the pavlova a crisp crunchy shell, while the interior remains soft and moist. The pavlova’s internal consistency is thus completely different from that normally associated with meringue, having more of a soft marshmallow texture.

A Pavlova is traditionally decorated with a topping of whipped cream and fresh fruit of sweet/tart flavours, such as strawberries and kiwifruit, or passionfruit and banana or berries and peach slices. Raspberry is a popular topping in the United Kingdom, with the tartness of raspberries contrasting with the sweetness of sugar. Factory-made pavlovas can be purchased at supermarkets and decorated as desired. A commercial product is available that includes pre-mixed ingredients for baking the meringue shell, requiring only the addition of water and sugar.

The secondary influence in New Zealand cuisine, which was not available at Cassatt’s, is Maori cuisine. This style of cuisine is called Hāngi. Newzealand.com describes this cuisine:

Another style of all-year-round outdoor cooking is the traditional Maori hangi (pronounced hung-ee), cooked underground on hot coals, usually prepared for special occasions. It includes a vegetable called the kumara (sweet potato, pronounced ‘koo-murra’) in its feast, along with chicken, pork, lamb, potatoes and other vegetables. The smoky flavour of the hangi is delicious and an essential culinary experience while in New Zealand. Several tourist locations, including Rotorua in the North Island, put down hangis for groups of visitors. A deep hole is dug in the ground, lined with red-hot stones and covered with vegetation. The food is then placed on top. The whole oven is sprinkled with water and sealed with more vegetation. The hole is then filled with earth and left to steam for several hours. Traditionally, men dig and prepare the hole, and women prepare the food to go in it. All members of an extended family (whanau) help out for such a feast. The occasion is relaxed, friendly and fun, with people often eating the meal under a marquee.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any restaurants in the D.C. area that offer this style of New Zealand cuisine we could find.

Total: $33.34, excluding tax and tip (two entrees, one tea, one dessert)