Reren Lamen n Bar (Georgetown) — Restaurant in Washington

Ah Reren....I have so many mixed feelings about this place. It's one of the only Chinese noodle soup spots in Georgetown, so if you're really craving a classic(-ish) bowl of lamen, then Reren is a pretty solid stop. They have a diversity of toppings, including two vegetarian choices -- a buddha-style lamen soup and a spicy sesame cold noodle for the hot summer days. I've tried the buddha style lamen a couple of times and it's honestly just very...average. The shiitake broth isn't doing too much for me, and the carrots, peppers, and brussels sprouts were still crunchy, which is great in a stir fry but less ideal in noodle soups (at least for my taste). The tofu was also quite bland and seemed like it had just been plopped into the soup right before serving. As far as vegetarian noodle soups go, this one is definitely toward the bottom of my list.

The green tea vegetable dumplings made a stronger showing, with their cute green dumpling skin and decently flavorful fillings. They seemed to be stuffed with bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and a few other goodies that I couldn't quite identify. They were solid, but still nothing special and about at the level of the frozen vegetarian dumplings that I pick up at the grocery store (and, at $10 for only six dumplings, I'd much rather pick up the ones at the grocery store).

I was, however, thoroughly impressed by their Not Your Mama's Tofu. As the name implies, this appetizer truly was nothing like what you would find in a traditional Chinese kitchen, but, wow, it was incredible. After being breaded and fried to perfection, the thick slices of tofu are coated in a sweet, savory, and umami sauce, and then finished with green onion and sesame seeds. I'm not sure if they added tapioca / corn / potato starch to the breading, but it doesn't taste like your standard wheat flour. It has a nice bit of crunch on the outside, but the rest of the breading has a springy, mochi-like texture, both of which contrast the perfectly soft tofu on the inside. It was definitely unlike any other tofu dish that I've tried before, and I would definitely recommend...

For this review, the food by itself was worth 2 stars, but the experience brought the rating down to 1. To start with, the food. I don’t think I have had a negative experience with any ramen place in DC, but I guess there is a first time for everything. All the marketing states something to the effect of “it’s not just ramen, its lamen!”. Well maybe that just stands for lame ramen as cheap microwave noodles are better. I ordered the “signature” and the broth had no flavor, the noodles were way too soft, and the ingredients list was inaccurate on the menu. I have no idea why they would put SO MUCH GINGER in the food. I struggled to finish the noodles and only did so because I has starving.

Now, onto the experience. First, they had no service to speak of and just used some app/QR ordering service. This would not have been a problem, but the service they used had service charges in addition to a default tip - an ordering system should complement your service not replace it and still charge more money.

DC has a vaccination mandate for dining in, which had been in effect for almost a week when I went. No one checked vaccine cards or even asked about it. Not only that, but a staff member in a red shirt did not have a mask in any capacity. I thought she had one off to grab a drink of water, but no, I never saw her put one on at any point when she was handling or preparing food or walking through the...

I recently visited this restaurant with my husband and was excited to try their upgraded menu, which now includes Chinese noodles and soup dumplings. We ordered the black truffle dish, which was incredibly tasty and a rare find in DC. What impressed us was that the dumplings were handmade, not machine-made, with a thin wrap that still managed to retain the tenderness of the filling.

We also tried the popcorn chicken, which smelled amazing and lived up to its aroma. The chicken was hot, juicy, and came in a generous portion. Additionally, we ordered the Kongfu beef noodle and Hong-Kong duck noodle. The Hong-Kong duck noodle was a standout, with the roast duck and soup expertly prepared. It's a classic Chinese dish that they executed very well.

However, I was disappointed with the Kongfu beef noodle. The addition of sprouts gave it a Japanese ramen flavor profile, which didn't quite fit with the traditional Chinese noodle dish I was expecting. Furthermore, the soup was not hot enough, which took away from the overall experience.

Overall, I'm glad to see this restaurant expanding its menu to include more Chinese options, and I appreciate the attention to detail in their handmade dumplings. With a bit of improvement on their noodle dishes, particularly the Kongfu beef noodle, I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for authentic Chinese...