Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About
    • About Me
    • Tiny Urban Kitchen’s Favorite Equipment
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Asian
      • Chinese
      • Taiwanese
      • Thai
      • Malaysian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
    • Appetizers
    • Soups
    • Salad
    • Pasta
    • Noodles
    • Rice
    • Vegetarian
    • Meat
    • Sweets
      • Baking
      • Ice cream
      • Cookies
    • Misc
    • Kawaii (Cute)
  • Travel / Restaurants
    • United States
      • Boston
        • Jen’s Picks
        • Boston
          • Allston
          • Back Bay
          • Brighton
          • North End
          • South End
        • Cambridge
          • Kendall Square
          • Inman Square
          • Central Square
          • Harvard Square
          • Porter Square
          • North Cambridge
        • Somerville
          • Davis Square
          • Union Square
        • Greater Boston
          • Brookline
          • Arlington
          • Belmont
          • Watertown
          • Newton
          • Lexington
          • Concord
          • Burlington
          • Natick
        • Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Berkshires
      • Vermont
      • Maine
      • New York
      • Washington DC
      • Philadelphia
      • Orlando
      • Chicago
      • Las Vegas
      • California
        • Los Angeles
        • San Francisco
        • Napa
        • Sonoma
      • Seattle
      • Hawaii
    • Canada
      • Montreal
      • Canadian Rockies
      • Toronto
    • Argentina
    • Europe
      • United Kingdom
        • London
        • Oxford
      • Italy
        • Rome
        • Piedmont
      • France
        • Paris
        • Bordeaux
      • Spain
        • Madrid
        • Barcelona
        • Catalonia / San Sebastian / Girona
      • Germany
      • Belgium
        • Brussels
      • Switzerland
      • Greece
      • Finland
      • Norway
      • Denmark
    • Japan
      • Japan Guide
      • Tokyo
      • Osaka
      • Kyoto
    • China (Mainland)
      • Beijing
      • Chengdu
      • Shanghai
      • Shaanxi
      • Shenzhen
      • Xiamen
      • Yunnan
    • Singapore
    • Hong Kong
    • Malaysia
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Australia/New Zealand
  • Michelin
    • Formerly had a star
    • Michelin Recommended
    • 1 Star
    • 2 Stars
    • 3 Stars
  • Jen’s Eating Guides!
    • Boston Restaurants
    • Boston Dishes
    • Tokyo
    • Hong Kong
    • Las Vegas
    • Napa / Sonoma
    • Taiwan (night markets)
    • Taiwanese (casual eats)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part I)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part II)
    • Kitchen Equipment
  • Trip Reports
    • All trip reports
    • Around the World Trip Report
    • New England
    • New York
    • Washington DC
    • Las Vegas
    • California
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Florida
    • Japan
    • China

A&J Restaurant (Taiwanese)

September 7, 2013 by Jennifer Che 5 Comments

A&J
This is the second post in the short series A Weekend in Our Nation’s Capital, which covers the few meals I caught in DC while visiting the city for a wedding. Other posts in this series include Zaytinya (Jose Andres).

There’s something about cozy, simple, and authentic Taiwanese places that just warms my heart. It’s not like I grew up with these places around me (I did grow up in Northwest Ohio, after all), yet I feel a sort of nostalgia that probably comes from my Taiwanese heritage.

We had just arrived in DC and it was already pretty late. We were extremely hungry and yet had decided not to eat before arriving in DC, even though it was closer to 8PM by the time we finally sat down.

Our dear friends (who grew up in Taiwan but have been in the US for decades), took us to one of their regular haunts, a well-known chain in Asia that also has locations in Cupertino (Northern California), Irvine (Southern California), and Annandale (Virginia).*
Chua Bing
We started out with one of my favorite dishes – this beautiful flaky scallion pancake of sorts, which I believe they call the Thousand Layer Pancake. I think in Mandarin it’s called a “chua bing”, which literally means a “grab” cake. I think the idea is that you can grab the flaky layers with your hands, but I’m actually not exactly sure why it’s called that. (Does anyone have any insight they can offer me?)

What I can say is that this was delicious. It was crispy and flaky on the outside, yet moist and chewy on the inside. Granted, we were starving, so I’m sure it tasted even better than normal.
Pan fried dumplings
I love postickers that are made this way – long, sort of stuck together, and fried to a gorgeous golden grown at the bottom. These were very good as well.
Homemade noodles
Their noodles are handmade (yay!), and you can choose between thin noodles and thick noodles. Bryan loves thick chewy noodles, so it was no question we were going to get that. These had a nice chewy “Q” bite to them, and the accompanying simple sauce of ground pork was satisfying and delicious.
Soybean mustard greens tofu sheets
Even though this is a simple dish of just salted mustard greens, edamame, and tofu sheets, I love it. It’s one of those dishes that tastes like homestyle cooking and just totally hits the spot. It doesn’t hurt that I have a soft spot for anything made with tofu sheets.

Shaobing
For fun we ordered a sesame pancake filled with beef. This dish was solid as well. The sesame pancakes were flaky and crispy but not too greasy at all. The entire thing may have been just a tad dry, but overall the flavors were good (though still not as good as the best beef roll I’ve ever had).

We both really enjoyed our dinner here. I’m jealous of my DC friends who live so close to this place. It’s simple, inexpensive, and serves up very solid Taiwanese dim sum style snacks. The handmade noodles are a huge plus – something that is still pretty rare in Boston (though there are a few places). All in all, it’s a solid Taiwanese restaurant and would definitely be a welcomed addition to any neighborhood.

*To be honest, I’m not sure if these are all owned by the same people, though the type of food sold at all the A&J’s I’ve been to are pretty similar.

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Restaurant, US Travel, Washington DC Tagged With: Asian, Taiwanese

« Zaytinya (José Andrés)
In Remembrance »

Recent Posts

  • Summer Palace Iconic Wine Lunch – Hong Kong April 29, 2022
  • Lucciola – Italian food at The Hari Hotel in Wan Chai March 22, 2022
  • Studio City by Cali-Mex Causeway Bay Hong Kong March 17, 2022
  • Petrus Hong Kong March 8, 2022
  • Ichiran Tonkotsu Ramen Hong Kong March 6, 2022
  • James Suckling Wine Central – Hong Kong March 2, 2022
  • Birthday at Roganic Hong Kong February 23, 2022
  • Caprice Hong Kong – Four Seasons February 19, 2022

Latest Chinese recipes!

Comments

  1. joyosity says

    September 8, 2013 at 9:37 am

    I think the “grab” has to do with how they “grab” at the pancake after it’s cooked to make it extra flaky. When I used to watch the street vendor do it in Taiwan, they actually beat at the pancake with two metal rods. It’s pretty much my absolute favorite street food from Taiwan!

    Log in to Reply
  2. youngmi says

    September 9, 2013 at 11:51 am

    ah! hoping to visit DC in november. i definitely need to try this place out. those potstickers look like perfection.

    Log in to Reply
  3. Julie @ Table for Two says

    September 10, 2013 at 11:06 am

    One of my favorite places to dine for authentic Taiwanese food! You should check out Bob’s Noodle in Rockville too for Taiwanese food if you’re ever back in the area!

    Log in to Reply
  4. Sarah @ Savoring Spoon says

    September 11, 2013 at 3:26 pm

    This place is really yummy! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I think you’ll like Bob’s Noodle as well ~ try their papaya milk and oyster pancake!

    Log in to Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    September 23, 2013 at 12:26 am

    I’ve always eaten it with my fingers. If you grab the center piece and pull up, the pancake sort of unravels into a long ribbon.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Archives

Categories

Awards

Saveur
PFB

BostonGlobe

Most Recent Posts

Summer Palace Hong Kong Iconic Wine Lunch

Summer Palace Iconic Wine Lunch – Hong Kong

Lucciola The Hari Wan Chai

Lucciola – Italian food at The Hari Hotel in Wan Chai

beef quesadilla

Studio City by Cali-Mex Causeway Bay Hong Kong

Petrus Hong Kong

Petrus Hong Kong

Ichiran Hong Kong Ramen

Ichiran Tonkotsu Ramen Hong Kong

James Suckling Wine Central Hong Kong

James Suckling Wine Central – Hong Kong

Roganic Hong Kong

Birthday at Roganic Hong Kong

Caprice Hong Kong

Caprice Hong Kong – Four Seasons

Majordomo Los Angeles – David Chang’s Foray into the West Coast

Playa Amor Los Angeles

France!

Restaurant Le George Paris
Yam'Tcha Paris
David Toutain Paris
Divellec Paris
Breizh Cafe Paris

Kawaii! (Cute)

Norway!

logo
Food Advertisements by

Chinese Recipes

Okra with Chicken
logo
Food Advertisements by

Shop & Support us!

Spain!

Girona Spain
Amelia San Sebastian

Japan!

Bulgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin
Sukiyaki Imafuku Tokyo
Sushi Ishimaya Tokyo
Disney Sea Tokyo
Tempura Fukamachi Tokyo
Shinjuku Gyoen

Cambridge restaurants

logo
Food Advertisements by
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress