Olivia F.
Yelp
Wow. Wow. Wow. To call the maker of this Shirley Temple a bartender is a complete understatement. This Shirley Temple was made by an artist. Very pretty Shirley Temple indeed. See the below photo for reference. For starters, this person knows what a Shirley Temple is as evidenced by the inclusion of cherries (seems like a low bar, but you'd be surprised at how many restaurants aren't the wiser). Great presentation, great sprite to grenadine ratio. I was a little hesitant that the grenadine was concentrated all at the bottom, but it looked fancy and with a quick stir it was ready to drink, so I approve. The only thing I have to point out is that they used luxardo cherries. The standard is to use maraschino cherries, it makes a big difference. Eating a luxardo cherry when you're accustomed to a maraschino cherry is like opening a tin cookie container only to find it filled with sewing equipment. However, I thoroughly appreciate the effort to provide cherries nevertheless. It shows a real attention to detail and care for the restaurant experience. This person more than sufficiently made did with what they had in their inventory. As my friend Maria very eloquently put it, this is an architect's Shirley Temple. Four stars for presence of cherries and presentation. This would most certainly be five stars with maraschino cherries.
Also, the service was great. Harshit took very good care of us. My glass of water was always full, I don't think I've ever drank so much water in one sitting in my life. Certainly five star service.
Speaking of my friend Maria, she is the first ever guest reviewer and has provided the following insight:
"Warm. Intimate. A humdrum chatter in the background that complements the soft contemporary pop playing over the sound system, drifting down from somewhere near the ceiling... if you're looking for a classy yet unpretentious place with great grub to spend your Sunday evening, I'd recommend Cameron Station's Indochen. We attended as part of Alexandria's Restaurant Week, and were offered their generous three-course menu for $30 per person. Happily, the appetizer and entre courses had many options each, so my esteemed friend Ms. Olivia and I had the fun opportunity to mix and match different plates. We ordered the mango salad and samosas to begin, and the lamb Rogan Josh and chicken tikka masala as our main courses. All of the food was very yummy, and an approachable spice level in my opinion. I'm not a spice fiend but I do like a bit of heat - I'd classify their fare as firmly "white people spicy", which was much appreciated, in this eater's case. The standout for me was the rice pudding dessert! It was not-too-sweet and the cardamom flavor came through very nicely without overpowering the dish. As a perfect accompaniment to the good food, the service was delightful and helpful. Not once did our waters dip too low, and when I mentioned I couldn't eat the rice pudding at first due to a pistachio topper, they quickly swapped it out for a nut-free version with no fuss and without me even having to ask. I'd say Indochen is a new neighborhood fave, and a great place to get away from the January chill."