Hai Duong - Falls Church, VA

Last meal of the trip...definitely wanted some pho. We got up pretty early and our first restaurant choice was still closed. So we ended up going back to Eden Center and chose this place. Btw, Eden Center is a small outdoor shopping area with a bunch of viet restaurants and shops.

Iced Coffee

Bro got this. I remembered how sweet my last iced coffee was so I opted not to get one.

Typical plate of "veggies" for our Pho.

Standard Pho - $6.95

Pho after mixing everything

I know I'm sounding like a broken record but I was disappointed once again. There wasn't anything special about this pho. The broth had some flavor but not one that I particularly liked. There was something strange about it but I can't pinpoint what it was. The noodle was also stuck together. I had to separate them with my chopsticks. The meat didn't seem fresh either. It looked a bit old. There wasn't also a lot of noodles. I ended up eating the noodles and ignoring most of the meat.

Hai Duong

6795 Wilson Blvd

Falls Church, VA 22044

Huong Viet - Falls Church, VA

Second meal (dinner) of the trip. Went to Eden Center again and I saw a group of people outside of this one so we decided to eat there.

Rainbow Drink - $3.50

Eh - not the beat rainbow ice ever. It was somewhat watery and it just didn't seem very fresh. They didn't have those big straws so I had to use my spoon to "drink" it.

TsingTao Beer

Parents and bro got this.

Salted Fried Squid With Chilli - $12.95

I guess when they name part of a dish "salted", they really mean salted. I wanted some fried squid and this was the only dish that came close. The squid wasn't too bad but it was definitely on the salty side. My mom didn't like it and I'm thinking it was because it was a big chewy. I ate a good amount of this even though I probably shouldn't have.

Drunken Noodle - $11.95

Not sure why I ordered this. I must have spent at least 5 minutes looking at the menu and nothing stood out. The waiter had already came by two times so feeling the pressure, I picked this dish. It was alright. It didn't taste anything like the thai drunken version. The sauce was a bit watery and it was also kinda salty.

  

Stir-fried Chinese Broccoli With Shitake Mushrooms - $10.95

Bro ordered this one. I liked the veggie but again, it was on the salty side. I guess the chef must really love salty dishes!

Another disappointing meal...

Huong Viet

6785 Wilson Blvd

Falls Church, VA 22044

http://www.huong-viet.com/

Viet Bistro - Falls Church, VA

When my bro asked me if I wanted to Washington, D.C with the parents, I gladly agreed. I figured it would be nice to spend time with my parents and...it would be great to eat some viet food in virginia!

We got there later than we wanted to...around 3pm. We went to the Eden Center for our first (and all) meal.

This wasn't your typical local viet place. It was a bit modern and I think they were trying to go for a semi fancy feel. The place had a few customers and the staff was somewhat attentive. 

Iced Coffee

This was really sweet. I was hoping that the melting of the ice would make it less sweet but it didn't.  

Crispy Spring Rolls - $3.95

Sadly, this was the best dish imo. It wasn't the greatest spring rolls but good enough. The meat didn't have that "uncooked" taste to it which I liked and the skin was crispy.

Chicken Wings in Fish Sauce - $9.50

  

  

When this dish came, I was pretty excited. It looked good but I was kinda disappointed. It was on the salty side and there wasn't much flavor. I ended up thinking about those korean wings while chewing on this...

Sweet and Sour Shrimp Soup - $12.50 

Don't ask me why but I was expected something that was similar to tom yum soup. This was nothing like that. It wasn't sour or spicy (which I thought it would be for some reason). The soup had some flavor but it was a little bit on the bland side.  

Beef Medium Done in Tamarind Sauce - $9.50

Blah, this was my least favorite. I hate meat that's not well done. I barely ate one piece.

  

Pork Chops

This was eh also. I like my pork chops very thin and this was on the thick side. The meat was a bit chewy, dry and tasteless. Didn't eat much of this either. 

Caramel Fish Fillet - $10.50

This was also pretty salty so I only had a piece or so. That's all I can really remember about this.

  

"Shaky" Beef - $13.50

  

The meat was cold which I didn't expected. Again, it tasted too "meaty" for me. It didn't have much favor and the meat was a bit too thick for me.

  

I liked the tea. It came in a cute pot, which was pretty hot. Good thing I kinda knew and slowly touched it.

So overall, I really didn't like my meal. My bro ordered the majority of the dishes and I think he either ordered the wrong dishes or the cooking was a bit off. In the end, everyone was a bit disappointed.

Viet Bistro

6799 Wilson Boulevard #11

Falls Church, VA 22044