The atmosphere is nothing to speak of, but Shanghai Taste’s cuisine more than makes up for its setting.
I have eaten few dishes that compare to the xiaolongbao. I don’t know if there is a cult surrounding the dish, but it would not surprise me. For the uninitiated, this Shanghainese marvel is a steamed dumpling whose filling contains both meat and a rich, miraculously suspended broth.
It’s a dish that’s both seriously good and seriously hard to make, so restaurants that make good, or even decent, xiaolongbao are hard to come by, especially here.
Enter Shanghai Taste. The reason you’d come to this unassuming restaurant in Rockville is simple: It has the best xiaolongbao in the area. News of this hole-in-the-wall spreads almost entirely by word of mouth — unless you are an avid reader of Chinese newspapers.
You certainly wouldn’t expect greatness from Shanghai Taste’s humble visage. Lodged in the middle of a tiny strip mall, the restaurant’s muted signage is easily overshadowed by the gelato place next door. Parking is also a nightmare.
The more observant diner, however, might notice the line coming out of the door, at least on weekends. Shanghai Taste follows the most fundamental axiom of Chinese dining: The more Chinese patrons, the more authentic the cuisine.
Supposing you do manage to weather the line and obtain a seat, don’t expect sterling service. Make no mistake, Shanghai Taste does not exist to impress you — you exist to be impressed by Shanghai Taste.
Waiters speak manageable, if somewhat stilted, English, but most of the time, they’ll be too busy delivering food or taking someone else’s order to help you. Not speaking or reading Chinese does seriously inhibit your ability to order the restaurant’s specialties, so consider dragging a fluent friend with you.
Once the food arrives, however, you’ll understand the fuss. The xiaolongbao at Shanghai Taste is exquisite. The wrapper, though a bit too thick, will not leak and drain its precious, savory broth like lesser xiaolongbao. The broth, commingled with the standard black vinegar and ginger dip, is as unctuous and rich as foie gras.
Although the pork filling is well-seasoned and cooked, it remains less impressive. How can anything top a violation of physics? I would have liked a crab roe version, but that may be too much for some.
Thankfully, the prices for xiaolongbao and other dishes are reasonable. You can fill up on baozi or sample their other Shanghainese cuisine.
The smoked fish hits all the right notes: sweet, crunchy and flavorful. Beef noodle soup has a respectable ratio of solids to broth, but the chunks of beef within could be more tender. Small pan-fried pastries are all good, though nothing special — they seem more like textures and fleeting hints of flavor than anything substantial.
It’s true this joint’s xiaolongbao isn’t the best ever. Joe’s Shanghai in New York and Din Tai Fung in Los Angeles are still the standard-bearers this side of the Pacific. As I wrote before, the wrapper’s chunkiness holds it back from such perfection. But for a xiaolongbao addict who previously had to hump all the way over to Manhattan to score a fix, Shanghai Taste presents a more than adequate substitute.
diversionsdbk@gmail.com