Happy Doi Moing!

Written by Published on in Aida, Feature, Gluten-free, Restaurant Review

My Jordanian brother and his beautiful Indonesian fiancé were in town for the day which meant I had two people with food central to their cultures. So ofcourse I needed to impress them with the food that DC has to offer. I wanted a place that had a fresh and classy but not uptight vibe, a strong flavored menu and some form of view of DC. 5 minutes of thinking led me to Doi Moi, and it was the perfect choice.

We walked into Doi Moi, a Southeast Asian cuisine located in Logan Circle neighborhood and felt uplifted straight away, from the super hospitable staff, open kitchen, large glass windows to the bright art pieces hung up contrasting the white brick walls. We chose the table right by the window which overlooks the busy 14th street (quite entertaining to people watch on a Saturday night). But before we got into the entertainment, food selection happened.

Everything on the menu seemed delicious but after negotiations to please the three cultures we decided with a mix of seafood, meat and vegetables:

1– Puna Garden Heart of Palm Curry: Roasted Sunchoke | Baby Squash | Snap Pea | Pineapple | Tomatoe

This dish was spicy, something that is not written on the menu. But if you love spicy food then this dish is for you – the fresh pineapples and spices make for amazingly tasting fireworks!

2- Verlasson Salmon: Yellow Miso Curry | Roasted Cauliflower | Thai Herb Oil

The salmon was cooked perfectly and had a great strong flavor when mixed with the curry sauce. Also never knew cauliflower could taste so good.

3- Coconut Braised Lamb Shank: Thai Kimchi I Palm Sugar I Herbs

The lamb was cooked to perfection. You could smell its deliciousness as the plate was being brought to the table – it is that good, trust me. The mountain of herbs on-top of it were the perfect compliment to the coconut braised lamb. Highly recommend this for our meat lovers.

4- Brussel Sprouts: By far the best brussel sprouts I’ve ever tried. You need to try this.

 

Overall the food was incredible just as I had hoped for – strong flavored, healthy, filling and all gluten-free! I only wished the curry dishes had more sauce for us to enjoy (a recommendation I hope the kitchen will implement – we couldn’t get enough of the sauce!). I also did comment on their need to improve their bathroom which was out of sync with the beauty and cleanliness of the rest of the place.

So for you next visit to Doi Moi i’d recommend you do the following:

  • Book a table by the window or outside (if the weather is nice).
  • Take someone who enjoys sharing food. The dishes are all so good that you would want to order a bunch for the middle to share. This place is great for groups and cute dates.
  • Definitely order the brussel sprouts, best green thing I’ve ever eaten.
  • Try the soft serve flavor of the month. They change about once a month. They also recently introduced the Molten Chocolate in January so try that and let us know what you think!

Happy Doi Moing!

-Aida

Aida is a true Arab at heart, where food is central to her life. She has breakfast while thinking of what she’s going to eat for lunch. Aida, for health reasons, has to be gluten free but that restriction only intensified her love for food. Follow her adventures as she finds the most satisfying dining experiences for you in DC and shows you how delicious glutenfree food can be! She also loves art, so get ready for pieces on that too!

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