“A scrub is a guy that think he’s fly/
And is also known as a busta…”
As soon as I heard the opening chords, my lunch guest and I were poised to belt out TLC’s 1999 classic, “No Scrubs.” Yes, lunch. On a sunny weekday afternoon, we’d taken the plunge into clubby darkness that lowered our inhibitions and, according to Lantern Restaurant & Bar owner Ben Zhao, transported us to a weekend night in Sichuan.
Zhao hails from the city of Zigong, known as the salt capital of China. Also owner of Arlington’s vibey Supreme Hot Pot, Zhao and his team have a way with atmosphere and back it up with culinary cred. His goal for Lantern, he says, was to present family recipes of dishes from Zigong, along with a fusion that includes everything from Shanghai-style pork buns to American-style mozzarella sticks and fries.
At the hostess counter, records from artists that include both Leonard Cohen and Lana Del Rey prepare guests for a thoroughly eclectic experience. The dark walls and ceilings create a moody backdrop for the screens that cover most surfaces. The night sky swirls in LED panels above, alongside blue lights. And that’s just the dining room. There are six karaoke suites with comfy couches and their own neon-lit themes ready to be enjoyed for an additional fee. Even the ladies’ room is decked out in floral splendor.
There would be an audience for Lantern even if it didn’t serve food. But whether or not you’re a fan of exposing your singing voice to your friends, there is ample reason to visit Lantern.
Part of the appeal is the portion sizes. Though entrées cost as much as $45.95, it’s nearly impossible to leave the restaurant feeling ripped off. That’s because Zhao says he makes it a specific goal to provide generous portions.
For large groups, or fans of leftovers, this is a spectacular understatement. One of his kitchen’s best dishes is boiled fish in chile oil, also known as shui zhu yu. Laden with chiles and tingly Sichuan peppercorns for the fiery sensation the Chinese know as “mala,” the oily stew of fish, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and cabbage is as habit-forming as it is hot. Fortunately for me, even after sharing it for lunch with a friend, I got four more meals out of the portion at home.
Much of what’s best on Lantern’s tables is tinted a shade of chile-suffused red. That’s true of most Sichuan food. The coiled eggplant, a showstopper of the spiralized purple vegetable, is just as pleasantly sweet and sour as it is hot. La zi ji, identified on the menu here as spicy crispy chicken with chiles, is expertly balanced — as crunchy as advertised on the outside and juicy within. There were minor disappointments among the Sichuan dishes I tried; both the Northern Sichuan cold jelly noodles and ma po tofu were less spicy and complex than I expected.
But not everything at Lantern is spicy. The pan-fried pork buns (sheng jian bao) are pillows of love, filled with gingery, saucy meatballs. I recommend the large buns more heartily than the thin-skinned dumplings, but why not order both?
Another mild-flavored hit for me was the shredded pork with sweet bean sauce. The tender sticks of pork aren’t as sugary as the name implies but are dense with fermented bean flavor. Served with finely chopped fresh scallions and a quartet of steamed bao, think of it as a poor man’s replacement for a feast of Peking duck.
I was less enthralled with the fresh, sweet-and-sour fish. The meaty seabass swim in a tank in the restaurant’s kitchen until a diner orders one, says Zhao. The presentation is akin to hitting the high notes of a Celine Dion tune. Your friends will be impressed by the delicately scored, deep-fried fish, but the dish turns out to be a bit of a let-down. Served doused in sticky orange sauce, it’s hard to taste the delicate flesh beneath the aggressively sugary tang.
On my final visit to Lantern, my dining companion convinced me to order the lo mein. It hadn’t occurred to me to sample a Cantonese dish there, but I’m so glad I did. The al dente noodles were the first pleasant surprise, but crispy vegetables and velveted beef in an amiably sweet sauce all conspire to make the large plate a delight.
For many, karaoke night is nothing without soju or sake. Lantern has both, but in the spirit of indulgence, there are also 100-ounce cocktail towers. They include unexpected combos like Jägermeister and green tea, as well as the alcoholic blitz of Long Island iced tea.
Feeling like you’re dining inside a game of Tetris isn’t for everyone, but the décor isn’t what will make me return to Lantern. That will be its well-prepared food at an excellent value. And to sing “No Scrubs.”
Lantern Restaurant & Bar
★★★ out of five
See This: Journey into a Tron-like digital dreamscape, complete with karaoke lyrics onscreen, inviting you to rock out even before you pay for a private room.
Eat This: Shanghai pan-fried pork buns, boiled fish in chile oil, coiled eggplant
Appetizers: $3.95–$17.95
Entrées: $13.95–$45.95
Dessert: $3.95–$9.95
Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
320 23rd St. S., Retail G, Arlington
Feature image by Michael Butcher
This story originally ran in our June issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
