Silver Spring MD – Wong Eats

Addis Ababa

A recent visit to a new discovery was in Silver Spring, MD, an area chokeful of Ethiopian eateries of which some I have enjoyed eating at. When I read up the online reviews for Addis Ababa Restaurant, I was reassured by its high ratings and effusive reviews. Walking into its door was an immediate transportation to a different world and time frame due to the decor and furniture, all speaking of authenticity and pride of the Old World. My eyes were already immediately feasting on the visual candy, especially the table of coffee cups that hinted of the Coffee Ceremony that I was lucky to partake in before.

We quickly narrowed our choices to the Vegetable Platter with a couple of meat dishes. The true litmus test, for me at least, of Ethiopian food is the flavors and treatment of the different pulses and vegetables that I am extremely fond of. The red lentils were made spicy and smokey by the use of the berbere pepper sauce, with a hint of sweetness to balance the heat. The yellow lentils were cooked just right with lots of savoriness complementing its onion sweetness that made this mild bite very irresistible. The injera bread was fresh with its usual sour note that made it the perfect foil and eating scooper for the various elements on the large platter.

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The rest of the vegetable elements were equally impressive. The beans were extremely exquisite with a high degree of savoriness that made me coming back to it often. The cabbage and carrots were cooked just right without any mushiness that exuded their natural sweetness with a good amount of garlic that I enjoyed. The collard greens were cooked to the right degree of doneness, but it was missing the right amount of vinegar sourness that would have elevated its flavor and lightened its mouthfeel. Admittedly, at this point, I would have been completely satisfied by this vegetable platter and nothing else.

The first meat dish was Awaze Beef Tibs. Pieces of beef are sautéed with the berbere pepper paste, onion, and jalapeño pepper. The flavor profile was just right with the proper heat and smokiness from the pepper paste, sweetness from onion, and the fresh green pepper adding more heat and its fresh vegetal note. The choice of meat cut was unfortunate as it was a bit gristly for my liking. But I kept returning to it due to its wonderful flavor and its generous portion.
A must order and litmus test in any Ethiopian restaurant is a chicken-and-egg dish – Dorowat. When ordering, I was surprised to find out that there is a mild version to the usual spiced up version called Alicha. What arrived was completely unexpected and a far cry from its usual fiery looks, but its mild yellowish sauce came with its usual drumstick and single egg. From my experience in other establishments, this dish is really about the sauce itself, and this version did not fail in this regard. It tasted very savory and slightly sweet from a good amount of onion that also added some textural body to the whole mix. The chicken and egg were properly cooked, but they played second fiddle to that awesome sauce. This mild version wowed me as much as the spicy original one, and I would not hesitate ordering it in future visits.

My meal at Addis Ababa Restaurant checked off many boxes in my books. The decor was transformative and extremely appealing to this world traveller, complemented by an amiable service. The Vegetable Platter was as good as it gets with the different pulses and vegetables having a differentiated flavor profile and cooked to the right degree of doneness. The Awaze Beef Tibs had the right flavors but a slightly better cut would have made it perfect. The mild Dorowat chicken dish was a total surprise, and its savoriness equaled the usual spicy version. With this type of cooking in a warm inviting environment, I will be returning to this wonderful place for one of my favorite cuisines.

Mandalay

Food, Restaurants

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I’ve known Mandalay Restaurant for many years, even before its formal existence. After my college days, I discovered that the owners of a doughnut shop in College Park served some Burmese fare on Sundays as the result of some customers’ demand. After a few years of popularity, it closed its carry-out joint and opened a formal space in downtown Silver Spring, MD. I must admit that I have forgotten to pay them a visit to write this blog even though I have been meaning to for the longest while. So, here it is.

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I remember a couple of appetizers from my visits years ago. The first was Squash Fritters. Pieces of zucchini-like vegetable have been battered and deep-fried, served with a spicy sauce. The vegetable exuded a mild flavor while the batter was both uniquely crispy and slightly elastic by the use of rice flour; unfortunately, the batter was a bit oil-logged. The chili sauce, tasting house-made, was sweet, spicy, sour, and salty, being the necessary condiment to add a good punch to the mild bites. The comrade to this appetizer is the eggplant version. Here, instead of the firmer squash, the bites had a creamy smooth interior, and this time the frying was expertly done with less of a greasy feel.

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An appetizer that sounds unique and exotic is the Green Tealeaf Salad. The plate arrived with a cornucopia of ingredients and textures: crunch cabbage leaves, crispy fried lentils, slices of tomato, caramelized garlic slivers, all brought together with crushed tea leaves and a splash of fish sauce (an option provided by the server). The first bite can be disarming for the uninitiated with the rather strong tannin from the green tea leaves. But after a few mouthfuls, the palate picks up the other elements and the fish sauce that balance out the stringency. This is definitely up my alley as something gastronomically adventurous that spells uniquely Burmese.

20180617_132255 Another small bite that caught my attention was Gram Fritters. One bite into them took my by surprise as it was beyond what I expected. Instead of a stodgy dough, what I tasted was crispy on the outside and fluffy light and savory in the middle, with an airy sponginess to the mix that made them very appealing. The lentil flour mix was well-seasoned and made aromatic and interesting by the use of curry leaves. Here, we have a dish that clearly points to Burma’s location as neighbor to the South Indian continent with this Indian-influenced dish. With textures and flavors like these, I wouldn’t hesitate to make this a regular order on my visits.

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Another well-known Burmese dish is a soup called Mohingar. I tried it years ago at this place, and I give the dish a revisit. The first sip this time was a bit of a shock: the soup was very fishy and there was an interesting funk to it that somehow reminded me of chitterlings, if that is possible. The slices of onion added some sweetness, and the cilantro added some herbaciousness while the lime juice the necessary brightness that cut through the strong fishiness. Despite the overwhelming flavor, I quite enjoyed the noodle soup. Perhaps, this batch was cooked and reheated for a bit too often since my online research pointed towards freshly made recipes with chunks of fish, instead of being pureed in this version.

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My order on one visit was Pork and Pickled Mango Hin. I have had this dish a couple of times before, and this time it didn’t fail on its promise. The chunks of meat were not too porky but fork tender without being overcooked. The sauce was a unique combination of chili heat, a bit of sourness from the pickled mango made tender from the stewing, and a unique brininess from the mango pickling that added more allure to the dish. A note of fennel seed added some punch to this mix that kept my interest with each bite. My companion’s order was Catfish ChoyChin Gway. Pieces of fresh catfish has been fried slightly crisp and then stir-fried with some sweet onions and green peppers. The sauce was the binding element that brought everything together with its slight sweetness, a good heat of chili heat (perhaps dried chili paste) and a fruitiness from perhaps crushed tomatoes. This flavor combination was subtlely unique without over challenging the taste buds, and I kept going back to that wonderful sauce.

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20180617_133452 DanPauk was a dish I remembered as the establishment’s signature dish that was first served in its early days as the donut shop. Here we have pieces of chicken thigh cooked tender and tasting well-marinated with a sauce made sweet with a chockfull of caramelized onions. But its rice companion pretty much steals the show with its heady perfume of cardamom, cumin, and saffron, along with bits of peas and plump raisins that made each forkful very foodgasmic. A beef dish called Ame Thar Hnut was a friend’s order. The beef was a quality cut cooked until fork tender, slathered in a sauce reminding me of Malay rendang with its root and spice herbs. Although it lacked in spice heat (my friend’s request), this dish was another winner.

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A dessert harking to Indian cuisine is Shweji much alike the Indian Sooji. Instead of the milk and butter version semolina pudding of its neighbor, what we have here is a version made with coconut milk. Pieces of raisin echo the appropriate sweetness that is not cloying at all. The topping of poppy seeds add a slight crunch to this warm sweet goodness – make sure to save some room for this happy ending.

20180615_194548 Mandalay is one of the handful of Burmese establishments in the DMV area, and it does a wonderful job with its offerings which were well-prepared, tasting unique to that part of the world, and exciting to the palette. The appetizers of the fritters were a good start with fresh vegetal qualities paired with that awesome chili sauce, as well as the one made with lentils that blew me away. Yes, the Mohingar soup here was a bit of a challenge, but a fresh pot of it would probably win anyone over. As for the entrees, the ones we ordered checked the right boxes, including the Sunday special and the signature dish, DanPauk, which would make anyone make a special trip just to savor it. And don’t foget to always leave room for that warm Shweji.

Lesaac Ethiopian Cafe

Food, Restaurants

Ethiopian cuisine poses a few challenges on different levels. First, there is a plethora of restaurants serving this fare due to the influx of immigrants from that East African region resulting in a boom of restaurants beginning from the 1980’s. With so many to choose from, it has been a challenge for me to pick a place to write on. The other issue is that Ethiopian food, especially the spongy injera bread, creates a textural challenge for most Americans who tend to steer away from this soft or mushy feel especially when eaten customarily with the bare hand. With this said, I have problems finding enough friends to join me to partake in this type of meal. But last weekend, I managed to corral a couple of die-hard friends for this rare treat.

Downtown Silver Spring, MD has taken a transformation the last few years, and it has become the hub of Ethiopian gastronomic and social life judging by the high number of such establishments dotting its square blocks. When I noticed an online offer for Lesaac Ethiopian Cafe, I knew I couldn’t bypass such a deal especially from an establishment in that area. Walking through its doors, you notice the strong rich colors on the walls, the photo mural on the ceiling and vibrant tile work on the wall, all decorating the booths and tables in the rather narrow shotgun space. I was tempted to sit outside on its sidewalk patio, but with a friend suffering from seasonal allergies, we chose to go inside instead.

Having savored Ethiopian food a number of times over the years, I have got familiar with some of their regular dishes. Cooked vegetables stand out in this cuisine, and we ordered the Lesaac Veggie Deluxe. What arrived was a large platter layered with the sourdough injera bread topped with nine bean and vegetable dishes. The collard greens tasted quite savory and were not too mushy but cooked well. The red beets were a novelty for me since I never encountered them in this cuisine: they were naturally sweet, tasting slightly earthy, and enriched by some butter that took them to another level. The Yellow split peas were well-seasoned and also well-cooked, cooked to a level of doneness without being mushy. The same level of doneness were the red lentils that were mixed with some Berbere chili paste and tasted a bit tangy, which made them interesting. The green beans and carrot were cooked well-done without being too soft and tasted vegetal sweet and garlicky. The salad was really tangy and salted from a vinaigrette made of citrus juice and herbal seasoning, making it a palate cleanser in between bites. The cabbage was soft, naturally sweet and quite garlicky. The green beans were quite mushy, slightly under seasoned and reminded me of lentils. The middle mound of red split peas was a puree seasoned with a smokey spicy concoction. With such variety in offerings, flavors, textures, and seasoning, my dining friends and I were in hog heaven with this dish that tasted the best that I have ever savored, and I could have been perfectly content indulging on this vegetarian platter.

Another recognized dish from my foray into this cuisine is a popular one – Doro Wat. The bowl arrived with a heaping amount of thick sauce covering a lone piece of chicken and boiled egg. One taste of the sauce put everything into perspective. The customary scant piece of chicken with the lone egg always perplexed me with its small portion of protein. But this time, I realized what this dish was really about – the sauce. It tasted smokey and spicy from the Berbere chili powder, rich from butter, and quite sweet from a copious amount of onions. In addition, there was a slight burn after each bite coupled by a mild tanginess from the dried peppers, which made the sauce totally irresistible and reminding me of good Mexican molé sauce. The side of crumbled cheese was interesting since it was devoid of salt or cheese pungency, but it played a minor role of adding more richness and making the spicy sauce milder to the palate. The side of injera bread was the perfect vehicle to mop up all the goodness, which I would have done so if weren’t for the other dishes. Finally, I have savored a damn good version of this famous dish which has revealed its real gastronomic truth to this diner.

For my pescatarian fellow diner, we order Fish Gulash upon the waitress’ recommendation. The large bowl arrived with pieces of fish covered by a rather thick red sauce and studded by bits of jalapeño peppers. The bits of fish were mild tasting and a bit crispy from some frying, covered with a slightly tangy tomato-based sauce made sweet with lots of onions and spiced by the peppers. My fellow diners raved about this dish for its fresh tasting seafood, confirmed as fresh tilapia (surprise!), and the bright tasty sauce that married well with the fish. The side of salad was a bright mix with a tangy vinaigrette that was the perfect companion to this dish. This was definitely a hit with us and I’m looking forward to savoring this new dish again.

With some credit left on the coupon, the waitress suggested an item from the breakfast section – Meat Omelet. The omelet arrived with some toast to complete the meal. The egg mixture was quite savory with pieces of slightly seasoned and tasty beef, mixed with onions, green peppers, and tomato that lent their vegetal sweetness, tanginess, and slight crunch that made each mouthful interesting and comforting. The egg was a bit firmer than the usual French version, but it was nearly greaseless and something that I enjoyed after having eaten egg cooked this way growing up in Asia. This dish would be an order when I’m in the mood for some Ethiopian breakfast.

Finally, I have found an Ethiopian restaurant that I could say really justifies what this Eastern African cuisine is all about. The Veggie platter blew us away with the variety of vegetable dishes with their freshness, flavors, and cooking. The Doro Wat dish was completely revelatory for me with the secret being the sauce, and I waited all these years to savor a version that spoke volumes to me. The Fish Gulash was definitely another hit with its mild sweet fillets covered by a savory bright sauce. For breakfast, I would not hesitate ordering their Meat Omelet that was both comforting and satisfying. With food this good and definitely authentic, judging by the nearly all Ethiopian clientele (interestingly nearly all male, but a cultural norm), this is another new-find and a favorite locale for this cuisine.

Ikko Sushi

Food, Restaurants

It has been quite a while since I have blogged on a Japanese establishment. My regular Japanese haunt folded up after there was a change of management, and consequently, the service and food quality went downhill. Since then, it has been challenging finding a spot worth writing about, in addition to the gastronomic wanderlust that has taken my attention in many directions. However, recently, I read reviews on Ikko Sushi located near downtown Silver Spring, MD, and I paid it a visit for lunch during a warm Saturday afternoon.

Situated on the ground floor of a recently built apartment building, it holds a sushi bar and a few tables inside. But I chose to sit in the patio facing the building courtyard in order to take advantage of the light for the photos, and to enjoy the balmy temperatures, a nice change from the frigid week before. After taking a seat, I perused the menu which seems to cover many categories of the cuisine that I am familiar with. With the help of online recommendations, I honed in on some of the raved dishes that this place seems to get right. The serving of a complementary salad set the right mood, although I found it rather pedestrian and lacking in “hand flavor” or a sense of proper attention to the ingredient no matter how lowly a lettuce leaf could be. However, the well-made ginger-miso dressing was the right element that perked the leaves into something quite palatable.

For my first course, I ordered the Yellow Tail Carpaccio. The beautiful plate arrived with raw slivers of the mild fish dressed up and sitting on a pool of sauce. One bite into a piece pointed to the quality of the sushi. The slices of seafood were cut to the perfect thickness that exuded its mild clean ocean flavors. The accoutrements on top added more interest with the right crunch from the sweet red onion, spicy jalapeño pepper, and herbal micro green, along with some creaminess from the ripe avocado. Each packet was perfectly liaisoned by a sauce made from citrusy yuzu juice, soy sauce, and a tinge of sesame oil, making it the perfect complement to the fish’s clean flavors. This was a great starter indeed, and I was looking forward to the next dish.

Fire Mussels was high on the online recommendation list and I decided to follow the suggestion. When it arrived, I was not too keen of the amount of stuffing on top as well as its fiery color. But with one shell, my mind took a U-turn. The mussel tasted fresh and was rather moist from the proper cooking and the small pool of moisture under the flesh. The topping took me by surprise by its seasoning, replete with some spice heat, a tinge of sweetness, and creaminess in the flaked Surimi stuffing, which did not overtake the seafood despite its bright appearance. Despite the overwhelming quantity of stuffing, which I eventually scrapped off some of it, I agreed with the online raving comments on this appetizer, and I finished off every shell with some degree of satisfaction.

Initially, I thought of critiquing on a Ramen noodle dish. But with the advent of Spring, I quickly changed my order to some lighter sushi rolls. My waiter was quick to recommend the ones made with multiple of ingredients lathered with quantities of sauce, which I find such Westernized creations to be overwhelming and quite an assault to the simplicity and purity of flavors. Getting away from the “hits list”, I went a la carte and ordered two rolls. The first was Eel roll. The flesh was tasting very clean in flavor, devoid of the excessive Omega oil that a less-than-fresh cut would exude. The traditional sweet brown sauce was not too sweet or excessive without overwhelming each bite. The other roll was Spicy Tuna. The mashed tuna mix was spicy, had a hint of acid and a good amount of sesame oil that matched the oily seafood. The finely julienned cucumber was the perfect cooling complement to the spicy mix, and this flavor and textural combination made each bite irresistible. For both rolls, the sushi rice was perfectly cooked with its grain retaining its integrity and not mushy at all, properly seasoned with a hint of sugar and vinegar. The nori weed was aromatic and slightly nutty from some toasting. All in all, this was proper sushi and it definitely points to a skillful hand.

Ikko Sushi is a wonderful find. Despite its large menu, it seems to get it right judging by the dishes that I tasted that day. I still recall the wonderful mild yellow tail fish that was made more flavorful by the crunchy toppings and that sippable citrus sauce, the moist large mussels topped by a fiery and creamy faux crab stuffing, and the well-executed sushi rolls with the mild tasting eel and the perfectly balanced spicy tuna mix. Sometimes the success is in the simple details without overwhelming the senses with overly layered flavors that tend to mask the ingredients – their integrity is the canvas itself. This attitude was even evident in the complementary fruit consisting of a single sweet slice of orange and an equally delectable piece of cantaloupe. With such venerable approach to Japanese cooking, Nikko Sushi is definitely worth more visits on my part.

Samantha’s

Uncategorized

Some time ago, I posted on a Pan-Latino restaurant located in the Dupont Circle area (read blog), serving tantalizing dishes hailing mainly from the lower half of Latin America, notably Bolivia, Peru, and Venezuela. But another Pan-Latino restaurant had been on my mind for some time, making its presence on my radar for quite a while even before writing on the above locale. Since a former colleague lived in that neighborhood and had invited me there for lunch a couple of times, I paid a few visits to this establishment for dinner before writing this blog.

Samantha’s Restaurant is located on the traffic-laden University Boulevard, the congestion further exacerbated by its location on perhaps the busiest intersection in Silver Spring/Takoma Park, an area renown for its immigrant population especially from Central America. But it is very easy to miss the restaurant’s location due to its shotgun building, compounded by its storefront sign blocked by a verdant healthy-looking tree. But unlike Café Citron which was featured in the above-mentioned blog, Samantha’s menu focuses on dishes from Central America and Mexico, primarily dishes from El Salvador. Here are some of their offerings.

One senses the place’s Central American identity off the bat from its drink offerings. The usual regional drinks can be found here including Horchata (made with almond, milk and cinnamon), Tamarindo (a sweet tamarind drink), Maracuya (Passion fruit juice) and Marañon. The last item is made from the Cashew fruit which is popular in El Salvador, a juice not heard of from the region in Asia that I hail from even though only the Cashew nut is widely consummed. The flavor is a bit tart with tannin-like qualities, leaving behind a slight camphor-like aftertaste that reminded me of nutmeg juice that I tasted last year in Malaysia. I have to admit that I enjoyed this juice with each sip playing a guessing game on my taste buds due to the novelty of its flavors. This glass of fruity sip was what I needed to set the tone for my meal as it whisked me away to another world of flavors.

With a sizable Salvadorian presence in the DMV region for some time now, Pupusas have made its foray into the local diet, both to non-Salvadorian Latinos and the Gringo. For the uninitiated, it is basically a grilled stuffed tortilla. Here, there is a wide offering of Pupusas stuffed with either cheese, beans and cheese, meat and cheese, meat, zucchini, chicken, spinach, seafood, or Loroco. The latter is a flowering bud that grows on vines commonly found in El Salvador and Guatemala. A bite into my order was a complete revelation: the Loroco leaf exuded a smokiness that astounded me for being a flower that was capable of piquing my curiosity, while the mild yet creamy cheese played a complementary background partner, encased by the moist and fresh tasting corn masa harina exuding its hominy notes. The pickled cabbage, chili and carrots strips, curtido, was the necessary acid relief to the starch and diary. Another order made with seafood was equally eye-opening for this diner, having savored it for the first time in this restaurant. The stuffing was a combination of mild creamy cheese, fresh shredded crabmeat and studded with pieces of small shrimp. My tastebuds were impressed by this combination which beckoned the diner to anticipate another plateful of the same order in future visits. My friend’s order made with zucchini was equally satisfactory for her. Pupusas are definitely the strong suit in this house.

Another Central American and Salvadorian favorite offered here is Tamales. The versions that I have eaten in other locations have usually been a bit disappointing due to its dryness and compact dough which made only a few bites the necessary quota for its tasting. However, what landed on my plate at Samantha’s was au contraire. This version was wrapped in banana leaves which exuded its vegetal aroma while imbedding its leafy goodness into the dough. Each bite into this concoction only brought me a wider smile with its silky smoothness as well as the dough’s lightness, tasting savory from the use of stock and strips of moist chicken. This well-made rendition reminded me of those prepared by the grandmother of a Salvadorian friend whose tamales are a hit in her Gaithersburg community. Well, this version here definitely hit the right notes for me.

During a visit for dinner, a companion’s order was Chuletas de Puerco. Two pieces of fried pork chops arrived slathered with a light tomato-based sauce coating sauteed pieces of tomato, onion, and green pepper. Cutting into a piece of his meal, I could taste that the chops were marinated and seasoned well, hinting of notes of soy sauce which is popular in some Latin American cuisines, which added to the right Umami savoriness to the meat. The pork was well-cooked without the tough leatheriness one finds in other versions. However, the porcine flavor in each bite was a bit strong for me, which seems to be a common reoccurring theme with this meat in this country. But such inherent flaw did not deter my friend who enjoyed every bit of his dish.

For my order, I decided to try the Stuffed Chicken with Spinach and Mushroom. A huge piece of chicken arrived on my plate which seemed rather daunting on first impressions. But cutting into it revealed its true nature: a piece of chicken breast had been pounded very thin wrapping a stuffing of spinach, mushroom, onions, and bits of green pepper. The piece of poultry was still rather moist (amazing for sauteed breast meat), lightly seasoned with a hint of cumin in the seasoning mixture. But what really grabbed my attention was the filling consisting of fresh spinach leaves (thank goodness not the frozen kind), woodsy mushrooms, sweet onions, and vegetal notes from the green pepper. The thin coating of a lightly creamed spinach sauce added the necessary moisture and savoriness to the whole mix, which made for a rather quick disposal of my portion of this dish. This was definitely a light and tasty poultry dish worth ordering.

Another companion’s dish was Zarzuela Andaluza. A bowl arrived with pieces of seafood gently stewed in a yellowish sauce and topped with strips of roasted red pepper and the unnecessary green pepper ring which was purely decorative – basically, a seafood paella dish without the rice and saffron, an obvious tribute to La Madre Patria, Spain. What impressed me about the dish was the pieces of scallop, salmon, and shrimp that tasted fresh and cooked just right without getting tough. The stew soup was very savory tasting of a good seafood stock made creamy from a hit of diary. However, after a few spoonfuls, the hot liquid did start to taste rather one-note and it was crying for some herbal notes. My friend did complain about the mussels and clams that appeared anemic to my eyes, which was not exactly tempting for this reviewer to give them a try. Fortunately, with no casualty from my friend’s health the following day, I can confirm that the mollusks were just fine, just a bit sad-looking and beyond their prime. The ubiquitious Paella is also on the menu, if you are in the mood for more Iberian-inspired cuisine.

For dessert, one of my dining companions went for his perennial favorite – Tres Leches. A taste of this standard Latin dessert revealed a skillful hand in its making. It was incredibly light, sweet without its usual cloying quality, a bit heady from a good hit of vanilla, and creamy rich without the stodginess. The above qualities of this uber-cake totally defied the nuclear potential that this sweet bite possessed, and the other diners, including me, were tempted to dig more into the sweet square, if were not for the protection of the orderer of his prized finale. My motto of “Desserts should only be consummed when the calories are worthwhile” holds true here, albeit the caloric count is in the thousand. But this is probably the best Tres Leches to this day, and worth every morsel of it.

Samantha’s Restaurant stands above the usual Central American eateries for its offering of standard fares with a level of culinary skill not usually found in most places of this cuisine. The simple and humble Pupusa and Tamal are elevated to something exciting by the inventive addition of seafood as well as proper attention to their making. Even the main dishes of Pork Chops, Stuffed Chicken, and Seafood Stew showed a level of refinement that elevated these rather simple dishes, notwithstanding some minor flaws. The ending dessert of Tres Leches only confirmed that the kitchen knows what it is doing and that there is a knowledgeable hand in there. Looking around the dining room, you sense that the customers are locals who frequent this establishment. The decor maybe incongruent with its large Art Deco Italian/French posters but the smart and efficient service makes up for it. Ah, not to mention the cooking and the dishes that would tempt most diners to go back for more of their delicious offerings.

Tropical Ice Cream Cafe

Food

For a number of years, I have been hearing good things about a certain ice cream store that has built its reputation on its unique offerings that are not found in most establishments. However, I never made the trip on the busy beltway to it despite my curiosity for such tempting offerings. But recently, I opened an e-mail with an offering of coupons for said place which I bought three of them immediately. The reasons were twofold: to force me to make the trip to Tropical Ice Cream Cafe, and, the other, to satisfy my curiosity of what its unique ice creams would taste like. For this blog, I made a couple of trips to Silver Spring, MD, just off the beltway, and here are the offerings that I sampled. Advisory: No animals were harmed in the process, except this sole reviewer who had to endure savoring these cold sweet samples.

The pictures of these twin scoops will read from left to right.

Tamarind/Lychee: The tamarind version has its characteristic sourness of this Southeast Asian/Central American pulpy pod that I enjoyed in this mix. Its fruity sour qualities are tempered by the right amount of sugar along with the richness of the cream. Bits of the pod fruit are studded in the scoops giving off hints of clove-like qualities in each bite. The lychee version is a floral bite with its unique exotic but quite subtle qualities, with heady gardenia-like hints on the palate. Bits of this Far East Asian fruit in the ice cream reinforce the mild floral and exotic qualities that I particularly enjoyed savoring with each spoonful.

Rambutan/Durian: The flavor of the Southeast Asian Rambutan is very subtle but containing a rather high sugar content. The ice cream version is close to the Lychee version but lacking in the floral notes of the latter. However, knowing what the fresh Rambutan tastes like, I could detect a bare hint of the fresh fruit qualities. The Durian version was far from subtle. Here, the pungency of this fruit leaves its mark without any shadow of doubt. The assertive sulfurous flavor is much evident in the spoonful, an acquired taste that I grew up on in the tropics, without overwhelming the palate. I indeed relished every bite of this bold flavor, but make sure to taste a sample before venturing into palatal terra incognito.

Mamey Sapote/Jackfruit: The flavors from this Central American fruit were completely new and interesting to me. The only way I can describe its flavor is that it reminds me of a slightly fruity bubblegum, with its pink color adding to that impression. The slightly rough texture of the ice cream is an indication of the fibrous fruit. I found each spoonful intriguing, wondering what the fresh fruit must really taste like. The Jackfruit version was brimming with the flavors of this South American and Southeast Asian fruit. Just like the Durian, its flavors are quite heady but, in this case, not sulfurous at all. Like the Durian, its notes hints of something fermenting but it is more subtle with the Jackfruit.

Passion Fruit/Soursop: Another fruit from the both Caribbean and Southeast Asia is the Passion Fruit. This sorbet version packed a lot of punch with each spoonful filled with the citrusy fruity flavors tempered by its sugar content. Its unique fruit flavors are still fresh tasting in this frozen version and I could not get enough of it. Similarly, the Soursop comes these same tropical regions. The flavors are more subtle than the above scoop with a distinctive subtle fruity note. A rich custard-like quality is also evident which points to this fruit’s other name – Apple Custard. Subtle but still exotic.

Rum and Raisin/Mango: Back to the Caribbean with this spoonful. Rich ice cream is studded with large rum-soaked raisins tasting sweet yet boozy from the alcohol, further reinforced by the rum running through the cream, leaving a slight bitter foil to the sweet flavors. I must say this is one of the most alcohol-tasting R&R I have ever had, fit for any adult aficionado of this flavor. The Mango version was a bit too subtle for me at first. After trying a few bites, I could detect its unique flavors, much like a creamy Mango puree rather than the fresh fruit bits. This reminded me of a yogurt-based Mango Lassi I have tasted in some Indian eateries.

Mango-Lemon/Ginger: This joint offers no-sugar-added ice creams and this version had a combination of mango and lemon flavors. The taste was slightly fruity, creamy, with a mild taste reminding me of sherbet. I must say that the lower sugar content was barely noticeable from a regular version, and this would be high on my list if I were on a low sugar diet. The ginger ice cream vowed me with the first spoonful. The pungent ginger bite permeates every molecule of this frozen treat with notes of mature ginger and molasses-like brown sugar, with pieces of ginger studded throughout it tasting like crystallized bits – I could not get enough of this biting treat.

Guinness/Pistachio: When I saw this version made from the dark stout, I knew I had to taste this Jamaican favorite. Since I was familiar with this alcoholic drink, I could detect the subtle dark notes along with a distinctive hopsy flavor in each mouthful. This reminds of sneaking a few sips from my grandmother’s favorite brew (despite my father’s disapproval) but in a frozen version. The Pistachio ice cream was green in color, well-flavored with its nutty oil. Bits of the toasted nut punctuate the cream with its strong heady flavor and aroma. Green jelly bits were mixed in the ice cream that made this frozen custard more interesting than just the singular nut flavor itself.

French Almond/Harambe!: Another nut flavored ice cream was French Almond. This was not as subtle as the Pistachio as it was packed with the assertive flavor of almond oil which I enjoyed by itself – it overpowered the other flavors that I was tasting. The creamy body is mixed with toasted almond slivers that further accentuated the nut flavor. On one visit, the special was Harambe! consisting of Orange, Pineapple, Banana, Coconut and Rum flavors. No individual flavor was too prominent as all the ingredients performed a well-balanced act with each individual component exerting an equal presence. There was a slight Piña Colada and Orange flavor that made this special offering very enjoyable and worth tasting.

Behind the large display cases of the frozen treats, Tropical Ice Cream Cafe also offers other sweet treats like Rum Cake, Carrot Cake, and Lemon Cake. Amidst all the sugariness, there is a large sign displaying a savory offering – Ghana Fish Pie. This struck my curiosity and I had to try it. Very short flaky pie dough encase a rather moist stuffing made from salmon, flavored with sweet onions, spiked with bits of fresh chili, and colored and flavored with the ever-present West African ingredient – palm oil. I did enjoy these crumbly bites that brought back memories of a similar version made with sardines which I grew up on. I can see why the owner, who hails from Ghana, is proud to sell these warm turnovers, and look out for these while you are there.

Tropical Ice Cream Cafe is the United Nations of ice cream for it offers frozen treats that are skilfully made with the bold flavors of fruits from all regions of the world, from the Lychee of Far East Asia, to the Durian, Rambutan, and Soursop of Southeast Asia, to the Mamey Sapote, Passion Fruit, and Tamarind of Central America and the Caribbean, and to the Jackfruit of South America. In addition to the exotic flavors, I also enjoyed the standard fares with the nutty French Almond, Rum and Raisin, and Pistachio versions, amidst the low-sugar or no-diary offerings. The seasonal specials too were worth tasting, like the Rambutan and Harambe! This is indeed a most unique ice cream store that makes a gourmand’s eyes like mine light up and go into a frenzy with indecision. I’m sure after a few samplings you will be returning back to explore the other missed flavors.