Choong Hwa Won (Korean & Chinese Restaurant) | 중화원 (한국식 중화요리-중식,한식) — Restaurant in Annandale

INTRO: Choon Hwa Won has the BEST black bean noodles (called ja jang myun in Korean) in ALL of the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia) area. (If you disagree, please DM me because I'm always searching for better food.) Not only are their portions of the black bean noodles GIGANTIC, but also their flavor is SUPERB. I've been to a few Korean restaurants where the black bean sauce hadn't penetrated the noodles, so the flavor is immensely lacking. You don't experience the harmonious synergy that exists between the noodles and the sauce, which manifests as a lackluster and unsatisfying meal. As a second-generation Korean-American who loves embracing his cultures cuisines, no black bean noodle experience is complete without a serving of sweet and sour chicken or pork (called tang soo yook in Korean). Their tang soo yook is perfectly fried to a golden crisp, and the consistency of their sauce is perfectly balanced - not too watery and not too viscous. Personally, I prefer to dip tang soo yook in the sauce rather than pouring the sauce all over the fried meat because it helps retain their crispy, breaded exterior. Although I reside in NC, I dine at Choong Hwa Won every time I drive to NOVA (Northern Virginia), and sometimes, I eat here multiple times per trip. THAT'S how good they are.

ENTREE 1: Ja-Jang Myun ($8.99 - Regular) - I said this before, and I'll say it again. These are the BEST black bean noodles you'll eat in the DMV area. The prices are cheaper if you dine here during their lunch hours. I always get the LARGE option for the black bean noodles, which cost $3 more, but it's worth it since they basically give you 50% more noodles.

ENTREE 2: Chicken Tang-soo-yook ($18.99) - This price is for during the weekdays. During the weekends, it'll cost you a few more dollars. As seen above, you HAVE to get tang soo yook when you get the black bean noodles. It's literally yin and yang. It's a crime not to order them together because they pair perfectly with each other. The sweetness of the fried, battered meat complements the saucey, umami black bean noodles.

VENUE: The interior is a bit outdated, but honestly, who cares what the inside of the restaurant looks like when the food is this good.

PARKING: They have their own parking lot. More than enough parking spots for their customers.

WORTH IT? YES, YOU WON'T REGRET IT. If you go during lunch hours on a weekday, you'll save some money compared to dinner or weekend hours.

PLEASE NOTE: THEY AUTOMATICALLY ADD AN 18% GRATUITY TO YOUR BILL. I was shocked that they automatically added an 18% gratuity to my bill for a party of 2 during weekday lunch hours. I'm not sure about their reasoning behind this, especially since it's the furthest thing from fine dining, but anyways, consider yourself warned.

4 stars because of their added gratuity during weekday lunch hours for...

TLDR: Restaurant with the blue tiled roof, fast service, #76 half half bowl, and really delicious!

When you are driving down John Marr Drive or Little River turnpike do you ever notice the popeyes and a building with a blue roof behind it? Up until 2010, I didn't know what this place was, I just called it the blue house. How silly of me right? Luckily, I have an awesome best friend who takes me out to eat, and introduced me to this hidden gem. Ever since then, when ever I have a hankering for some really good Tangsuyuk (sweet and sour deep fried pork) and Jajangmyeon (noodles with black bean sauce ) I come here.

When walking in during their lunch rush, no matter the day of the week, it's always super crowded but they manage the rush really well. If there are tables vacant, they will seat you the moment they make eye contact with you at the door. Once seated we were asked what we would like drink and order. I almost always order #76 (Tang-Ja Myun, Half pork tang-soo-yook, half ja-jang myun). In less than 10 minutes the food came out of the kitchen piping hot. The pork is still slightly crispy despite being covered in sweet and sour sauce, and the black bean sauce is indescribably delicious. No matter how hungry I am when come here, I can never finish the noodles and pork. I always have to take the rest of it home with me. It's safe to say, this is one of my favorite spots to get jajamyeon. Till this day, we still call it the blue house even though the only thing blue about it,...

I happened to go to this restaurant for the 4th time yesterday, and was joined by two friends. Together we decided to order some classic Korean-Chinese (and Korean) dishes - japchae, pork tangsuyuk (large size), and seafood jjampong. It was an enjoyable meal overall (my friends especially liked it) and we all went home feeling quite full while the price was quite reasonable.

The japchae was probably the highlight of the meal - everyone in the group loved it and for good reason. The noodles were quite fresh and tasty while the vegetables and meat were given in decent (but not overwhelming) quantity. We made the mistake of ordering the regular japchae over the gochu japchae, hence were initially confused about the lack of small buns that come with the dish. Regardless it was enjoyable.

Personally I like the tangsuyuk at Choonghwawon more than the other Korean-Chinese places I've been to - the meat seems more consistently fried, decently breaded (but not overwhelmingly so), and the sauce has a richer taste to it.

As for the jjampong? I suppose the description of "hit or miss" may be true. This time it was pretty fine - I wouldn't say the best I've had, but certainly not the worst. My recommendation? Go try it yourself and see!

Anyways, all in all the meal was good and I will continue coming back to this restaurant and recommending it to my friends. I hope this review comes...