Bubbling Review

[Mirus]

The Bubbling Shisha Lounge in Richmond, Va, has a lot to live up to by the promise in its windows and menus. They loudly proclaim 'The Best Cheesesteak in Town!!', as well as a variety of Al Fakher flavors as the owner's favorites. It's a brand new lounge, having only been opened a few months back.

Well, two of my friends and I decided we had waited long enough to visit Bubbling, and ventured forth last week. To our utter surprise, it was like walking into a late 50's diner with Indian music playing. Complete with the front end of a baby blue Thunderbird attached to the wall and classic diner tables everywhere but the lounge, it even had a shiny bar with those huge red stools you seen in those old posters. The lounge area, while still having the taste of a diner, was a huge half-walled area with a single couch lining the whole circumference of the lounge. The couch was even complete with a dozen or so movable box pillows as armrests or just something to lean on.

When we arrived, it wasn't that busy and I got to talk to the owner directly, while his wife took our orders. Of course I ordered a cheesesteak. My friend got a steak deli sub, and an order of grape leaves. We both got something called "the Bubbling Tea" to drink, while my other friend just ordered a Turkish coffee. And last, but not least, we ordered AF Grape hookah to try (As I have never tried grape).

It took a little bit, but was well worth the wait. They DO have the best cheesesteak in town, (other than Mr. Submarine, but they don't count), and they even had relaced their old AF Grape stock with the new non-ketchup tasting batches. The hookah was a standard all nickel-plated brass, in the classic teapot-like shape. The "Bubbling Tea" was really good, and after talking to the owner, he told us all it was a red tea with cardamon pods and a cinnamon stick added in. It was great food, above average hookah, and wonderful ambiance.

Overall Rating: 9/10 (Only reason it could have been better would be maybe a larger choice of tobacco)

[Sordino]

Wrong section for this, but that's okay, I'll post here while it's here.

Bubbling is decent, although service is slow and rather lackluster. Their food is pretty good but not the best. They do have two chess boards which you can use, a rather nice feature of the lounge. Their hookahs are very hit or miss, not very thick smoke but decent flavor. Owner is a really cool guy but the other workers are kinda useless.

It's a nice place to go late at night if you want to chill and talk and don't want to deal with the loud music of Sahara's or the even worse service at Alladin's.

I give it a 6/10, average but not the best.

[Mirus]

Mush told me to post here and he would move it =D