http://www.northchinabethesda.com/
We went to try North China this weekend. Even though we've lived in Bethesda for 9 years, we've never been there. I think we just have low expectations for Chinese food around here. Lots of American Chinese food, not much authentic cuisine. But I did a search for dim sum on Yelp, and the reviews of North China looked interesting, so we decided to check it out.
Like many a Chinese restaurant, the decor pretty much sucks. It's small and grubby looking. But us Asians don't really care about that much. It's all about the food. It seems to be a family run place, and the lady who waited on us spoke Taiwanese (yay!). I'm second generation, so I don't speak, but my wife was born in Taiwan.
Here's what we ordered:
Chicken & corn soup: OK, but rather non-descript
Squid in five flavor sauce (I think. My wife who speaks & reads Chinese did the ordering): Very good. Lightly steamed and then covered in a sweet sauce, same sauce as the oyster pancake, I think.
Oyster Pancake, Taiwanese style: Excellent. Very authentic.
Chicken Roll, Taiwanese style: Pretty good, although I hadn't really had it before, so I can't really compare.
Hamburger Taiwanese style: Excellent. Kids loved it. Steamed bread bun filled with roasted pork, crushed peanuts and Chinese parsley. Just like my Mom makes.
Crispy Pancake (I think): or onion/scallion pancake. Really good. Thinner and crispier than A&J's. Hand made, which I don't think A&J does. I think their's is frozen.
Snow Pea Leaves: Very good. Not too oily. Sauteed with a bit of garlic.
Overall we were very happy with all the dishes except maybe the soup. The dishes we had very authentically Taiwanese. My wife liked it better than Bob's Noodle in Rockville, which also does Taiwanese dishes. She thinks the flavors are lighter and the food are not as greasier.