One Fish Two Fish suffers from a severe case of culinary attention deficit disorder. The restaurant offers almost every type of Asian dish you could think of, from standard Chinese take-out fare, to udon, Singapore rice noodles, pho, bubble tea and sushi. While I was excited to find a place that served all of my favorite foods under one roof, I was apprehensive about the extreme levels of variety. Multitasking doesn’t usually yield the best results, and this restaurant is no exception.
The quality of food at One Fish Two Fish was inconsistent, ranging from good to standard to poorly-executed. Overall, the appetizers are safe bets; the edamame was a little under-salted for my taste, but refreshing nonetheless. The tempura sampler, an assortment of vegetables deep fried in batter, comes with more portions than I would expect for the price, and tastes satisfyingly light and crunchy. It doesn’t commit the usual misstep of using too much oil or batter and masters the perfect salty-sweet combination of sweet potato tempura.
The standard Asian fare has no unforgivable flaws, but is restricted to the category of good take-out—not worth the trip in person. The moo shu pork was made from all the essential elements and was very filling, although the four pancakes were not nearly enough for all the stuffing. The udon had the authentic Bonito Flake taste, although the noodles were overcooked and the pseudo-chicken meat was mysteriously chewy.
Other dishes were borderline inedible. The ma-po tofu didn’t live up to its claim of numbing spiciness and failed to deliver an assortment of accompanying dinner vegetables, instead offering only half-frozen peas and carrots, preserved mushrooms and three rogue water chestnuts seemingly dropped in by accident. The tofu was cut into huge chunks about two inches long, leaving them bland and undercooked in the middle, despite being coated in a syrupy sauce. The chicken teriyaki lacked the traditional teriyaki sauce, instead being cooked in the same thin sauce used for dipping the tempura. The result was pieces of fried chicken that were too hard to chew and too sweet to swallow with some cold, unsalted and undercooked broccoli heads.
One Fish Two Fish’s redemption is its sushi. The fish is fresh and cut in healthy portions; the tuna, unagi and salmon nigiri are all musts as is the rainbow roll which is as colorful as it is full in taste. The green tea ice cream provides a smooth and refreshing way to end the meal.
Overall, One Fish Two Fish is a quaint restaurant, small and underground, furnished like a stereotypical Chinese restaurant complete with a painting of pandas munching on bamboo and red lanterns. The atmosphere is more endearing than the food, from illustrations on the menu of what animals dishes come from to the smiling elderly Chinese woman who serves as both waitress and delivery woman. The service is prompt and delightful.
Despite its small charms, One Fish Two Fish’s greatest problem is the abundance of empty tables. While I was there, only one other table was filled, yet the kitchen and front counter were constantly busy with pick up and delivery orders, illustrating that One Fish Two Fish’s niche is Asian take-out. While I would be wary of trying any of the more atypical dishes, I don’t doubt that One Fish Two Fish has some of the best sushi that can be delivered to your dorm’s door.
One Fish Two Fish is located at 2421 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. For delivery, call 202-822-0977.
