Almost a year ago, I wrote a blog titled Armchair Travel, One Meal At A Time. It was a review of a restaurant appropriately named Facing East. Since then, I have had the opportunity to visit this restaurant three more times to dine in, the last two times in the past week. The lone comment on the blog mentioned above was from my cousin Rachel, an avid food lover and blogger in her own right. My post ended with an invitation from me to anyone interested in joining me at Facing East, and Rachel posted that she would go with me. Fast forward to almost a year later and here we were, thanks to some car trouble that had us change our plans at the very last minute.
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| Taiwanese Pork Burger |
It was a Friday evening, so the wait for a table for two was about twenty minutes long. With the great company I had, time seemed to move along quickly enough. Once we were seated and looked at the menu, we absolutely HAD to order the Taiwanese Pork Burger, a tried-and-tested true favorite. We also ordered the Taiwanese Chow Mein, which was soft noodles with seafood and pork in a light sauce. For our third entree, we chose the Lamb in Barbecue Sauce with a side of steamed rice.
As always, the food did not disappoint. The Pork Burger tasted amazing delicious as always. The steamed bun held together a medley of ground pork, grilled onions, pork belly and a generous garnish of cilantro. The Chow Mein was cooked just right, not too soft, not starchy. The flavors and textures of the noodles, seafood, pork, green vegetables and sauce blended very well. The sliced lamb with its leafy vegetables, sliced red peppers and thick slices of garlic tasted just wonderful on top of steamed white rice. The portions seemed quite large. Or maybe it was the great company and lovely conversation. Either way, I ended up taking quite a bit of food home with me. On the previous occasion I was there, we had ordered the Soy Chicken, also known as Three Cup Chicken. I could taste a strong flavor of star anise amid the chicken, soy sauce and large cloves of fried garlic. Both times the food was between $12 to $15 per person, with tip. Quite reasonable, for the quality and quantity you get.
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| Lamb in barbecue sauce |
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the waitstaff, that contribute to the positive experience of visiting Facing East. I was very impressed by how organized everything was despite how busy they were. The waitstaff are always polite and attentive. When we were finally seated at our table, the hostess who handed us our menus apologized for the long wait. It isn't their fault that they are so popular, there was no reason for an apology. When we ordered the Taiwanese Pork Burger, the waiter made sure to ask us if either of us were allergic to peanuts. It was really good that he asked, because Rachel is allergic, so they made sure not to add the ground sugar-coated peanuts they usually sprinkle on top. Also, I had placed two orders of Pork Burgers to go. I had assumed that it was packed with the leftovers, but it wasn't. One of the waiters came running out of the restaurant to find us and give us our to-go order. I would have been very disappointed if I went home and found my order missing.
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| Taiwanese Chow Mein |
The food is great and the prices are decent, which is what makes for a long wait. But the wait is worth it. The decor is pleasant, but the tables are very close to each other. When the place is busy, it is really busy. That is something you have to contend with, but again, I'm not complaining. The best time to dine in is any evening or on Sunday for lunch. If you decide to go any weekday afternoon, your parking options are very limited. Although an internet search indicates that the restaurant is closed on Mondays, this no longer seems to be the case.
Facing East does not take reservations. Call ahead for take-out. Get there early so you don't have to circle the block for parking.
FACING EAST TAIWANESE RESTAURANT
1075 Bellevue Way Northeast
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 688-2986 ()
Open Mon-Thu 11:30am-9pm;
Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm;
Sun 11:30am-8pm
