The Sunflower Cure

 

Thursday, December 27, 2012 – The Sunflower Cure

What comes to mind when you heard the word “sunflower?”  A field of tall golden flowers in the South of France, or perhaps a still-life by Vincent Van Gogh?   Sounds delightful, doesn’t it?  Well, if you can’t hop on a plane to Nice, I have another idea about how to brighten up a dreary winter day:  stop by the SunflowerRestaurant in Vienna, Virginia.  You’ll enjoy Asian-inspired vegetarian cuisine, and the cheery sunflower-themed décor will lift your spirits. 

I met my friend Lilia there for lunch today.  Each of us started with a mug of green tea with toasted brown rice to take the chill off this cold and blustery afternoon.  After studying the lengthy menu, which is full of intriguingly named entrees, such as Adventure of Tempeh Land, Orange Imagination, Crispy Happiness, and Zen of Greens, I ordered Golden Nugget.  The menu describes this dish as marinated yuba (bean curd skin) wrapped around shredded shiitake mushrooms, soy protein and bamboo shoots.  It’s served with sautéed napa cabbage, broccoli, bean thread noodles and shredded carrots, all in a tasty brown sauce.   I also tasted the dish my friend Lilia ordered, General Tso’s Magic, and I believe it would have satisfied the most committed carnivore.  

The Golden Nuggets dish was delicious.

General Tso's Magic (it's vegan but you'd never guess).

 

I’m already looking forward to my next visit to Sunflower.  The Lily Flower Soup sounded tempting.  Should I follow that with the Sunflower Forest, or perhaps the Mizuni Sansai Soba Noodles?  And I’ll try to save room for dessert so I can sample their avocado and lemon pie, which was highly recommended by another friend.