The term “food hall” has become so widespread that it’s lost its meaning. I’m not saying the definition has been sullied, exactly, but more and more restaurants seem to be taking it on to mean different things. In the case of Chantilly’s Tilly Kitchen, it’s a fast-casual restaurant with a large pan-Asian menu. There aren’t multiple purveyors or concepts. But as long as diners go in knowing what to expect, they likely won’t be disappointed.
Not if they’re looking for an international raw-fish-over-rice dish. Tilly Kitchen has several, including Japanese chirashi, four types of Hawaiian poke, and Korean hwe dup bap. It can be challenging to track down the last of those at area eateries, and I’ve never seen it at a counter-service restaurant. That made my choice easy.
At $17.95, the raw fish dish is more expensive than at, say, Pokeworks, but as the picture above shows, it is exponentially larger, really enough for two. Admittedly, a lot of that is filler. Cabbage is piled so high that it’s hard to find the base of warm rice. A small cup of sweet, subtly spicy gochujang-based sauce isn’t quite enough to coat the full contents of the bowl. Although there are a lot of greens, there is also a hearty portion of fish–salmon, tuna, yellowtail, octopus, and crab stick. Once all the ingredients are mixed, the dish takes on the combined appeal of Korean bibimbap and a favorite poke bowl.
But there’s much more to enjoy at Tilly Kitchen. I tasted my dining companion’s katsu curry. The vegetable-filled sauce is milder than I prefer, but the katsu itself is a crispy, juicy winner. And there are still dishes including ramen, pho, sushi, tteokbokki, and practically everything in between to try. It’s not exactly a food hall, but there’s no arguing that Tilly Kitchen will satisfy a taste for variety.
13915 Metrotech Dr., Chantilly
Feature image by Alice Levitt
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