Over the long Weekend, I spent my time judging the NCFL 2011 Public Forum debates with my good friend Carol in Washington, DC. The weekend was jammed with activities to keep me busy. But when we all had a break that was a little over an hour, we decided to leave the hotel grounds and look for a bite at a nearby restaurant.
Jandara. Now, it WOULD make sense to research a restaurant BEFORE you dine there but when we were seated we looked up the restaurant (to check in) and see the reviews. The reviews werent great but most of them were regarding service. We were more than willing to have a great meal minus good service… we really didnt have time to go anywhere else.
Carol and I started with a Thai iced tea. Despite its Bright Orange color, the tea was actually quite delicious. Just the right amount of sweet with the rich earthy flavor of the black tea leaves that had time to develop in flavor. The thickness from the addition of coconut also made for a pleasantly thick beverage- but not too thick where its overwhelming.
Our party of four collectively decided that we were going to order a few dishes and share them. Since the majority of the diners were vegetarian, i obliged and stuck to their dietary requests. I ordered the Pad See Ew which is broad rice noodles with sautéed veggies in a garlic and squid ink sauce. I usually love this dish everywhere else i go, but this was a little bland. Perhaps just overly sweet instead of savory with a touch of sweetness.
Next we ordered the vegetable red coconut curry. It was pretty mild compared to most curries that I have tried- it wasnt the best red curry ever but it certainly wasnt the worst.
Next up we had a spicy rice noodle dish, the exact name escapes me, but it wasnt a favorite of mine. I thought the rice noodles were a little overcooked and the spicy sauce was not spicy at all.
The service here was piss poor. The owner/manager looked inconvenienced whenever we requested anything. He brought it over without so much as a smile. Also, the joint was EMPTY during lunch time. A clear sign that this place is not really popular.
I really wanted to like this place. While it wasnt a complete waste, i ate well for a very reasonable price. If you can tolerate the mediocrity, this place has a really good prices on lunch specials (even on holiday weekends!) Because of its convenience, i might patron this establishment again, but for TAKE OUT.
