FOOD: Miss Four Sisters? One’s Still Here at Song Quê Deli

For the Falls Church foodie, the Eden Center is a treasure trove of outstanding Vietnamese food.  It’s a place we are lucky to have, and warrants, in my estimation, weekly exploration.  

As great as some of the restaurants are, I’ve found that some of the best eating to be had is in the bakeries and delis that dot the always-buzzing shopping center.  And few are more charming and welcoming than Song Quê.

The deli is bigger and better than ever, having moved into the old space left by the famed Four Sisters Restaurant (now in Merrifield), which is owned by the same family. What was once a claustrophobic pile-up of prepared foods and a cash register is now a sunny, spacious café with tables and a flat screen TV in the back.  Thankfully, the friendly staff doesn’t appear to have changed much at all.  They are still accommodating and always happy to dish out samples or steer you towards their favorite items.

The stars of the many offerings at Song Quê are the banh mi – sandwiches with a Southeast Asian twist that are the tasty result of France’s occupation of Vietnam.  They pair an airy, buttered baguette with a choice of meat, pickled carrots and daikon radishes, jalapenos, cilantro, and cucumbers.  It sounds like a mouthful, but the subs are manageably sized and not overstuffed.  They’re also a steal at $3.25 a pop.  Many of the variations come with pate or other uniquely textured and flavored meats, but for a first-timer I’d stick with the salty-sweet, fish sauce-tinged grilled chicken or pork. 

To go with the sandwich there’s a refrigerator case of young coconut juice and other quenching cold drinks, but for a true Song Quê experience there’s really only one option: bubble tea.  The smoothie-like beverage seems like the brainchild of Willy Wonka, but it was actually invented in Taiwan in the early 1980s.  Since then it has spread throughout Asia and of late has become trendy stateside. 

Bubble tea differentiates itself from other drinks because of its wide-ranging flavors — durian, taro, jackfruit, and red bean are some the funky options at Song Quê — and the giant tapioca balls that sit at the bottom of the drink and are meant to be slurped up and chewed like gummy bears. 

I had a bubble tea once — a long, long time ago — and I didn’t enjoy it.   I ordered a coconut bubble tea on my last visit to Song Quê see if my tastes have changed.  They haven’t.  Don’t get me wrong, the coconut slushy part of the smoothie was delicious, like liquefied coconut sorbet.  But the sensation of having marble-sized tapioca balls streaming into my mouth while I drink is simply not something I enjoy.  Every time I wanted to savor the delicious coconut slushiness, I found myself having to chew and chew and chew.  I guess I just don’t get eating and drinking simultaneously. 

So, while I’d encourage anyone to try a bubble tea with the tapioca for the sheer fun of it, in the future I’ll be taking mine sans the gooey marbles (which you can do for any flavor — just ask the cashier to leave them out).

As in any good deli there are many other treats beyond the sandwiches and drinks.  Especially tempting is the hot bar next to the register, which features eight or so trays of mostly tofu-based delicacies.  Ask the woman behind the counter for a recommendation and she’ll likely hand you a generous free sample of the popular lemongrass and chili marinated tofu.  Though odd-textured it is addictively spicy and salty, and the perfect foil for simply steamed jasmine rice. 

Other yummy options line a long table that cuts through the middle of the cafe.  I like to make a few laps around and pick out something different every time I go.  It’s exhilarating to be within arms reach of so many new and different foods.  There are exotic fruits, prepared savory dishes that usually involve meat, rice, herbs, and fish sauce, and mounds of sweet rice desserts, custards and gelatinous steamed rice flour sweets. 

Sometimes I strike gold, like with the banh cuon, a series of delicate rice flour crepes stuffed with ground pork, topped with fried shallots, and served with a container of sweet fish sauce dip.  Other snacks, like the too eggy coconut custards and the off-tasting steamed buns with pork and sausage, are forgettable. But the few missteps in the kitchen are forgivable when the dishes range between two and four dollars and there are so many choices to be had.

On my last visit I almost bought a strange looking spiky fruit that I’d never seen before.  At the last minute I decided against it.  Since then, it’s been beckoning me to go back.  Perhaps it’s some gross-tasting, pungently sour cousin of the pineapple.  Or maybe it’s the best thing ever. Who knows? I’m just glad that in our tiny City we have regular access to a real deal Vietnamese deli where such mysteries can be explored.

And, of course, I’ll always have my banh mi and tapioca-less bubble tea to fall back on.

Falls Church Times photos by George Southern and Patricia Collins.