Thursday, December 1, 2011

A&J @ Rockville

I wanted to write a review about A&J mostly because after all these years of going there, I have finally tried their breakfast menu which is only served on the weekend and with limited supplies only!


Sweet Soybean Milk
Other than coffee, soybean milk is definitely my favorite breakfast beverage.  I only like the sweet soybean milk, but the menu also offers a salty version.


Sticky Rice Roll


Just like the soybean milk, the sticky rice roll also comes in sweet or salty.  While I like my soybean milk sweet, I like my sticky rice roll salty (they balance the tastes of each other).  The salty version of sticky rice roll is made of Chinese bread-stick and pork or fish floss, wrapped with seasoned sticky rice.  The A&J version is good enough to suppress the craving but it's nowhere close to what I had before in HK or Taiwan. The sticky rice roll I love usually comes with egg and pickled mustard.  But other than making my own (which I have tried before), this is probably the easiest way of tasting one.   
Egg Wrap
Sesame Biscuit
The egg wraps and sesame biscuits are the other two breakfast entrees we ordered.  I was not a big fan of either one, especially the American version of egg wraps.

Beef Tripe with Hot Sauce
Let's talk about some of the regular dishes I always get at A&J, the spicy beef tripe is a MUST, and I am not even a big fan of spicy food.  The tripe are thinly sliced, tender yet still has the nice chewy texture to it. You will find yourself slowly picking at the dish and the next thing you know, it's gone already.

Pot Stickers
The pork dumpling is another dish I always get.  The skins are crisp pan seared, and the meat are juicy and well seasoned.  I dip mine in white vinegar but it's good on its own.
 
Bean Noodle & Chicken Salad with Sesame Sauce
Another typical Taiwanese small plate which I love, however I don't like the A&J version. Very disappointing.

Fried Pork Chop Noodle Soup
Their pork chop noodle soup is pretty good, and the large portion is definitely worth your money. This is one of the noodle soups I would recommend, my other favorites are all their beef/tendon noodle soup and their Dan Dan Mian (noodles in spicy and sesame sauce topped with peanuts).

Noodles with Ground Pork& Bean Paste Sauce
Not a fan of this one, it's a little bland to my taste.  It looks healthier than the other noodle soup though.