After Chopsticks: Chinese Quisine Opens Up

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IT'S STATING THE OBVIOUS to say that China is a huge country. But here in this huge country, when we hear "Chinese food," we still think only of General Tso's sweet, gloppy chicken and Eastern-Western mash-ups like chop suey. Fortunately, there are Chinese restaurants that refuse to dumb down their food for Western palates.

A&J Restaurant in Annandale features traditional Taiwanese cuisine perfect for a weekend morning or afternoon brunch. Put aside the English-language menu; the Chinese one has more enticing grub. The flaky thousand-layer pancake is topped with sesame seeds and filled with pork. Scallions are mixed into the batter of the savory scallion pancakes; they're also used to fill sesame balls.

Dinner choices include dishes from China's Sichuan province, such as beef noodle soup with handmade noodles, and spicy dan dan noodles.

For more Sichuan-style food, visit Peking Village Restaurant in Falls Church where the chef hails from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.

Traditionally prepared pork dumplings arrive at your table covered in a super-thin sheet of deep-fried dough. Another must-try is the whole fish — a local fish steamed in a moderately spicy soybean-scallion sauce. Ask for whichever fish is written on the wall in Chinese; it can be found underneath a picture of a fish.

If it's Chinese hot-pot you're craving, head to Bob's 88 Shabu Shabu in Rockville. While "shabu shabu" is a Japanese term, chefs in Hong Kong, Mongolia, Taiwan and mainland China all have their own versions. At Bob's, patrons choose from an array of meat, seafood, dumplings, noodles, tempura, vegetables and condiments.

One concept that has permeated mainstream American Chinese food is dim sum, an eclectic collection of small dishes meant to be shared for brunch, that originated in Cantonese cooking.

Both A&J and Peking Village offer dim sum, as does the Falls Church restaurant Mark's Duck House. Mark's is consistently packed for weekend brunch, but groups willing to share tables are accommodated fairly quickly.

» A&J 4316 Markham St., Suite B, Annandale; 703-813-8181
» Peking Village Restaurant, 2962 Gallows Road, Falls Church; 703-698-9220
» Bob's 88 Shabu Shabu, 316 N. Washington St., Rockville, MD 20850; 301-294-5888 (Rockville)
» Mark's Duck House, 6184 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church; 703-532-2125

Written by Express contributor Suemedha Sood
Photos by Suemedha Sood for Express