Bob's Shanghai 66, Shanghainese Cash-Only Xiao Long Bao with a Taiwanese Chef in Rockville

[Ericandblueboy]

Anyone know the hours or have the menu?

[DonRocks]

Anyone know the hours or have the menu?

All I've found is some sketchy information that it's in the original Bob's Noodle 66 location at 305 N. Washington St., and that it might be affiliated with a Shanghai chain.

[Bob Loblaw]

Look up Bob's Shanghai, which what the English sign says.

[DonRocks]

Look up Bob's Shanghai, which what the English sign says.

Is it called Bob's Shanghai 66, or Nan Xiang? If the former, this gets a thread merge. Is it owned by Bob? That would get a thread merge, too.

[DanielK]

The original paper sign in the window said Nan Xiang, but the menu and current paper sign say Bob's Shanghai 66. Not clear whether there is still a Nan Xiang franchise deal in place.

However, it is a COMPLETELY different menu than the Bob's Noodle 66 across the street (in the old Bob's 88 location).

[Bob Loblaw]

Is it called Bob's Shanghai 66, or Nan Xiang? If the former, this gets a thread merge. Is it owned by Bob? That would get a thread merge, too.

In looking at the pictures of the sign, it appears that the Chinese characters match the ones in the title of this thread so I think it says "Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao," while the English part of the sign says "Bob's Shanghai 66." From what I've gathered, Bob is in fact the owner.

[DonRocks]

Is it called Bob's Shanghai 66, or Nan Xiang? If the former, this gets a thread merge. Is it owned by Bob? That would get a thread merge, too.

The original paper sign in the window said Nan Xiang, but the menu and current paper sign say Bob's Shanghai 66. Not clear whether there is still a Nan Xiang franchise deal in place.

However, it is a COMPLETELY different menu than the Bob's Noodle 66 across the street (in the old Bob's 88 location).

In looking at the pictures of the sign, it appears that the Chinese characters match the ones in the title of this thread so I think it says "Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao," while the English part of the sign says "Bob's Shanghai 66." From what I've gathered, Bob is in fact the owner.

Okay, so at 305 N. Washington St., we now have Bob's Shanghai 66 (perhaps called Nan Xiang in Chinese), which is located in the former Bob's Noodles 66 location.

And at 316 N. Washington St., we now have (the new location and version of) Bob's Noodles 66, which is located in the former Bob's 88 Shabu Shabu location.

Jesus.

Apologies in advance for any bad puns, but I'll bet the first person to answer this gets it wrong.

[DC Deb]

I went there for lunch with my parents. The soup regular soup dumplings were good. The crab version was over-priced and didn't really taste like crab. The small plate of pig ears was good but pretty spicy.

My folks have gone there for dinner but didn't think the main dishes were very good. Important note: they are cash only.

[mdjordy]

Went last night with a big group. Mostly very good.

Soup dumplings broke as we served them, but full of pork and very juicy. The chive dumplings and shrimp shu mei were the stars.

Salt and Pepper fried flounder was terrific. Not greasy, very crispy and the fish was perfectly cooked- still moist. Rice cakes stir fried with chicken was also good, smoky from the wok.

I wish the menu was organized a little better with categories, at first we couldn't find the dumplings. Also surprised at the size of the menu...dumplings are only a very small part. Noodle soups, etc.

Bob came over and was his usual gracious host. He appears much happier these days.

[JimRice]

Okay, so at 305 N. Washington St., we now have Bob's Shanghai 66 (perhaps called Nan Xiang in Chinese), which is located in the former Bob's Noodles 66 location.

And at 316 N. Washington St., we now have (the new location and version of) Bob's Noodles 66, which is located in the former Bob's 88 Shabu Shabu location.

Jesus.

Apologies in advance for any bad puns, but I'll bet the first person to answer this gets it wrong.

I'll bite, even though I think it's the obvious answer -

"Liu? See, you got a lot of explaining to do!"

[Ericandblueboy]

Does anyone know when they open on weekends?

[Cizuka Seki]

Just returned from Bob's Shanghai 66 in the old Bob's Noodle space. Totally renovated with a glassed in room for the soup dumpling makers. The interior has also improved slightly with new paint and a variety of bamboo strainers and decorations hanging on the walls. The menu has also changed in format and copy and I prefer it. They give you the very convenient sushi-style check list. It's double sided and there are a *mere* 130 items to choose from -- this included the weekend only Shanghai dim sum items. The prices range from $1.50 for a sesame roll to $35.95 for a whole tea smoked duck. The average price point is in the $7 range for small dishes and $10.95 range for regular dishes. In contrast, Joe's Szechuan is priced a dollar or so less for comparable dishes.

As far as I can tell, the foundation of the menu is still Taiwanese but there are some Shanghai and Szechuan dishes in the mix that worked for me. Two of us had the following:

Pork soup dumplings (xiao long bao): you get the standard 6. I'd say they are a must order but they could've been better. It's all handmade and seasoned well. They won't be the best you've ever had but it's the first time I've had them in DC and they did not disappoint. Ours were not particularly hot but it might've been becauase we were there at 3pm when their turnover slowed down. ($5.99)

Fried crescent dumplings with leeks (jiu cai hezi): two reasonably sized pan fried dumplings stuffed with leeks, bits of pressed five-spice tofu, and mei fun. It was nothing special but fine. ($4.95)

Edamame with mustard greens (Maodou xueluohong): it's such a simple dish but this is the freshest version i've had short of making it myself. plump, steamed edamame with chopped mustard greens -- both vibrant green -- and tossed with small cubes of pressed five-spice tofu and a little sesame oil and salt. I doubt they prepare the tofu in-house -- i wish someone would -- but it was still good. ($4.95)

Spicy pork tripe (hongyou dusi): cold dish of sliced and boiled large intestine that were very well cleaned and tender and tossed in chili oil. there were also julienned cucumbers and this was hands down my favorite dish. ($6.95)

Cumin lamb (ziran yangrou): shaved lamb seasoned with lots of cumin and stir fried with roughly chopped long horn peppers, red bell peppers, julienned onion, garlic, cilantro, and dried chilis. very tasty and also a favorite. that said, it's not the best version i've had and i prefer joe's. they do the dry stir fry method and the meat is cut differently so it's some bits are almost jerky-like. ($12.95)

Scallion noodles (congyou banmian): thin wheat noodles topped with five spice ground beef and some baby bok choy....there were no scallions to be found! the dish was not dissimilar to dan dan noodles but without the ma la. it is the chinese spaghetti with meat sauce. the five spice meat was really good but the dish would been a hit if said scallions were actually included. ($6.95)

Stir fried yu cai (their green vegetable of the day): it was fine but not cheap...i never understand this because yu cai is pretty common and not like some of the more delicate super seasonal vegetables....pea shoots, water spinach, etc...($12.95)

All done, with tax and tip the bill was $72. We got A LOT of food so I found this quite reasonable. I'd go back to try more but I have a feeling I will still prefer Joe's after going through the menu.

[turbogrrl]

Also went to Nan Xiang last night. Soup dumplings, without a drive to new york: awesome. Not the best soup dumplings ever; the dough was a bit thick, and the broth didn't pop as much as I wanted, but all of them made it to my mouth without losing their hot soupy goodness.

We also got the fried crescent dumplings with leeks, but ... ok. not awesome. Scallion pancake did not satisfy. Nick ordered fried fish with black pepper, which was tasty but I wished the accompanying greens, peppers, + garlic had been more than briefly introduced to heat— they were essentially raw. :/ I got some ma po tofu, which will be my lunch today. Not terribly spicy, and I can't quite identify the flavor profile of the meat in the dish... something along the lines of a ragu? It was registering more "italian" on my tongue than "asian". Maybe I'll have a better description today.

But... soup dumplings!

[Ericandblueboy]

The crab version was over-priced and didn't really taste like crab.

That's my personal experience with all crab soup dumplings (including those at Din Tai Fung). The filling is not all crab, in fact, I think there's very little crab, some times maybe just some crab paste for flavor. Some recipe calls for just crab roe. That said, the version at Bob's Shanghai had noticeable crab flavor if you suck out the soup first. They had good you tiao (fried cruller), just average wonton in hot sauce (6 wontons in the bowl).

Hours are mon-fri 11-10, weekends 10-10.

[Sthitch]

Also went to Nan Xiang last night. Soup dumplings, without a drive to new york: awesome. Not the best soup dumplings ever; the dough was a bit thick, and the broth didn't pop as much as I wanted, but all of them made it to my mouth without losing their hot soupy goodness.

I am wondering if they have the same person making the dumplings all of the time. I say that because the dumplings that we had today had very thin skins.

[DonRocks]

I'll bite, even though I think it's the obvious answer -

"Liu? See, you got a lot of explaining to do!"

Close enough!

I love Liu, see?

Thought someone would say ba-ba-Liu.

[turbogrrl]

I am wondering if they have the same person making the dumplings all of the time. I say that because the dumplings that we had today had very thin skins.

They do not. Went back this week, there were two women making them, and neither of them appeared to be particularly deft or speedy while filling the steamers, and about 65% of the dumplings we had lost their soupy goodness. All were thin-skinned, and it looked like they were overfilling them. But the pork blend was tastier, so I remain conflicted.

[Cizuka Seki]

They do not. Went back this week, there were two women making them, and neither of them appeared to be particularly deft or speedy while filling the steamers, and about 65% of the dumplings we had lost their soupy goodness. All were thin-skinned, and it looked like they were overfilling them. But the pork blend was tastier, so I remain conflicted.

Same here -- when i went, two women (they looked like sisters and i'm not being racist) looked like they were in training while a man was showing them how to pinch off the dough. my skins weren't terribly delicate or thin AND some of the dumplings started leaking but i still enjoyed the meal overall.

[Sthitch]

Today two women were making the dumplings and we had none of those issues.

I should also mention that the cold beef and tripe dish is delicious.

[hoosiereph]

An early brunch and a late-afternoon errand near Rockville Town Center brought us to the Dining Guide in search of a good meal that would still permit us to get back to Virginia by bedtime. So we arrived at this version of Bob's just in time for family rush hour, with a baby or toddler at virtually every table. And although our kids were not the best-behaved in the bunch, the staff certainly made us feel welcome, although we did end up at the far end of the restaurant from the window on the dumpling-makers.

Our dishes were generally excellent, with lots of overlap between our order and those described above.

Six of the crab xiao long bao were delicious. They were exactly the right temperature -- hot enough to be bracing, but just short of the temperature that would burn, and the flavor was delicious. Not enough of an expert to weigh in on thick or thin, but 4 out of 6 made it to the mouth intact, while the other two were inadvertently punctured with chopsticks. (which won't tell you much without a demonstration of our skill level). Are there places that serve them in a soup spoon rather than directly in the steam basket?)

Peas with mustard greens were delightfully refreshing on a hot day - exceedingly fresh, nicely tender, good enough that we considered getting a second order.

Cumin lamb -- very good, along the lines described by Cizuka Seki -- but just a little something missing relative to the best versions I've had, which have a little more zing.

Shrimp siu mai - we ordered this, but I think we got some other sort of dumpling stuffed with pork. What we got was delicious, and I only realized it wasn't what I was expecting when it was all gone. Meant to ask about it, but forgot.

Bamboo shoots - portion was a little skimpy, but fresh & nicely spicy with chili oil.

Taiwanese noodle soup -- this is the one thing we wouldn't order again. The noodles were fine - tasty and cooked just to the right al dente texture, but the wanly-flavored broth was disappointing. There's probably a better choice among the soups & noodle dishes.

I hate paying cash, but all in all, the food was worth the stop.

[Scott Johnston]

Ba ba liu, ba ba liu!

Sounds like we need a $20 dollar dinner here

Close enough!

I love Liu, see?

Thought someone would say ba-ba-Liu.

[Night Owl]

Finally got around to trying Bob's Shanghai and based on the first experience, will be returning later this week. One thing I didn't realize in reading earlier posts is that Bob's XLB are larger and have far more broth than others in the MD area, e.g., Shanghai Taste, Tai Shan, Tony Lin's. A filling treat.

We ordered just a few things, there were only three of us. Quick rundown:

Regular pork XLB: Held up perfectly from steamer to soup spoon, no tears, a crazy amount of broth inside, good flavor

Spicy wontons: Good, not great, think there was a nice touch of szechuan peppercorn in the sauce, but prefer Tony Lin's

Pork w/bean sauce noodles / Ja Jang Mian: Delicious, simple & straightforward, the closest version to what my dad used to make for us, growing up

Snow pea sprouts: Hesitated to order (my parents' voice in my ear that it's not the right season), but did so anyway and glad I did - perfectly cooked and tasty

Scallion pancake: A bust, no flavor, limp

As we left, I noticed posted on the wall a few kinds of beverages, one of which was a plum drink (suan mei tang), which I grew up loving especially in the summertime, so will have to order that and see if it's good.

[darkstar965]

Finally got around to trying Bob's Shanghai and based on the first experience, will be returning later this week. One thing I didn't realize in reading earlier posts is that Bob's XLB are larger and have far more broth than others in the MD area, e.g., Shanghai Taste, Tai Shan, Tony Lin's. A filling treat.

We ordered just a few things, there were only three of us. Quick rundown:

Regular pork XLB: Held up perfectly from steamer to soup spoon, no tears, a crazy amount of broth inside, good flavor

Spicy wontons: Good, not great, think there was a nice touch of szechuan peppercorn in the sauce, but prefer Tony Lin's

Pork w/bean sauce noodles / Ja Jang Mian: Delicious, simple & straightforward, the closest version to what my dad used to make for us, growing up

Snow pea sprouts: Hesitated to order (my parents' voice in my ear that it's not the right season), but did so anyway and glad I did - perfectly cooked and tasty

Scallion pancake: A bust, no flavor, limp

As we left, I noticed posted on the wall a few kinds of beverages, one of which was a plum drink (suan mei tang), which I grew up loving especially in the summertime, so will have to order that and see if it's good.

NightOwl, have to ask since can't really intuit it from what you've written and you are an authority here.

Are these the best XLB in our area in your view?

[Night Owl]

NightOwl, have to ask since can't really intuit it from what you've written and you are an authority here.

Are these the best XLB in our area in your view?

Sorry, haven't been able to be on dr.com much since this post, and had to postpone plans to try their XLB after my first foray (and thus answer your question, darkstar965 -- not to mention I definitely don't consider myself an authority, simply a major enthusiast!).

But a new, nice find there... I did stop there quickly last night to pick up carryout ja jiang main for my dad last night and found out that you can buy freshly wrapped XLB to bring home and steam yourself (not frozen). That's a great option to keep in mind, I think...

[ol_ironstomach]

They are currently easily the best of the ones I've had in this area, yes.  They are the only ones whose wrappers, level of fill, and level of soup are close to correct, but not good enough to compare with any of a handful of XLB shops in NYC, much less make the top tier of XLB worldwide.

In particular, I thought the original flavor was just okay - a bit weak.  The crab variant was really not to my taste either, dominated by a flavor I associate with mediocre dried crabmeat, and nothing at all like a good crab XLB.

I wish they had the more intensely porky flavor of the ones from Hunan Garden (Rockville) thirty years ago, but that chef is long, long gone (and his wrappers could have been better).  My current #2 local pick is actually Sichuan Jin River, but their overall form is clearly inferior to Bob's.

[Night Owl]

They are currently easily the best of the ones I've had in this area, yes.  They are the only ones whose wrappers, level of fill, and level of soup are close to correct, but not good enough to compare with any of a handful of XLB shops in NYC, much less make the top tier of XLB worldwide.

In particular, I thought the original flavor was just okay - a bit weak.  The crab variant was really not to my taste either, dominated by a flavor I associate with mediocre dried crabmeat, and nothing at all like a good crab XLB.

I wish they had the more intensely porky flavor of the ones from Hunan Garden (Rockville) thirty years ago, but that chef is long, long gone (and his wrappers could have been better).  My current #2 local pick is actually Sichuan Jin River, but their overall form is clearly inferior to Bob's.

I went for XLB with mom and sister earlier this week (only my second time trying the XLB here), and thought the same thing -- "structurally" good, but kind of bland in flavor. The XLB at Tony Lin's, for example, are a bit of the opposite -- smaller, not always guaranteed to get a decent amount of soup inside, but definitely flavorful.

[seanvtaylor]

We went New Year's Day for a late lunch (around 2 PM), encountering a 25 minute wait. They were slammed--but we've noticed the last few times we've been there, or tried to go, there was either a full restaurant or a wait out the door. This place seems to have eclipsed Sichuan Jin River in popularity. Both are great, in our continuing experience.

Here, we had an order of the 'standard' XLB, the dry noodles with pork, the taiwanese sausage, and (new for us) the sticky rice shu-mai. Everything was very good. The restaurant staff seemed a bit frazzled and overworked, and later in our visit it calmed down and they seemed to have a chance to get the restaurant back in order. The sticky rice shu-mai have stuck with me as a very interesting yet simple dish.

[Night Owl]

Groupon $30 value for $16 for dinner right now...

[ElGuapo]

I much prefer the XLB at Bob's Shanghai, for flavor, texture, broth - everything.  

Thanks for that - I've seen a lot of chatter about the XLB at Bob's Shanghai. I'll have to head there once we've moved to the area...

[ktmoomau]

We went here for the first time tonight.  We ordered an order of pork soup dumplings, crab and shrimp soup dumplings, sechaun string beans, shredded pork with tofu and celery, scallion pancake.  The pork dumplings were good, but after eating the crab and shrimp didn't compare.  The crab and shrimp had a much better depth of flavor.  I would go back for these in a heartbeat.  The sechaun string beans were a surprising star, they were soo good.  Scallion pancake was crisp and not limp, not as good as others I have had, but not bad, pretty standard.  Shredded pork reminded me kind of like eating chicken noodle soup made with pork, it was a nice dish and something we figured my SIL would like in case she didn't like other things.  But she ended up liking everything which was great!  I would like to go back and try more of the menu.  

[Josh]

Currently sitting in disbelief at the shoddy service. Every member of the staff is sitting at a table eating lunch (including Dannon yogurt and a Cup O Noodles!).

Felt like I was flagging down a passing helicopter trying to get someone, anyone's attention. "Do you want change?" You better believe it.

(Food was solid though. Big fan of the cold eggplant in garlic sauce.)

[DonRocks]

Currently sitting in disbelief at the shoddy service. Every member of the staff is sitting at a table eating lunch (including Dannon yogurt and a Cup O Noodles!).

Felt like I was flagging down a passing helicopter trying to get someone, anyone's attention. "Do you want change?" You better believe it.

(Food was solid though. Big fan of the cold eggplant in garlic sauce.)

If the entire meal is as you describe (I'm assuming they aren't even glancing up to see if you need anything), I would be sorely tempted to stiff them - this is essentially, "Get the hell out of our restaurant."

[Josh]

Oh I was tempted. Couldn't pull the trigger though.

[DanielK]

Not my experience there, including last night.

XLB are still the best in town, IMO. The crab/pork ones aren't as good as the straight up pork.

[seanvtaylor]

Not my experience there, including last night.

XLB are still the best in town, IMO. The crab/pork ones aren't as good as the straight up pork.

In my experience you have to be a bit assertive; the servers are friendly enough but not overly watchful at less busy times. We went close to the end of service earlier this week and had to flag them for the check as well, and before that they didn't bring two of the dishes that we ordered (which turned out to be fine, as we always over-order).

[Josh]

Not my experience there, including last night.

XLB are still the best in town, IMO. The crab/pork ones aren't as good as the straight up pork.

I had the XLB at the top of the heap for the DC area, but I really have to question the quality of restaurant if the sort of behavior I saw today is acceptable.  I didn't even mention the fact that the hostess was mid-call on her iphone (with headphones in) when I walked in, and proceeded to carry on her conversation while trying to talk to me and lead me to a table.  I should've walked out right then.  That sort of behavior is indicative of a staff that doesn't care at all about the service they are providing and the product they are putting out.  Honestly, it raises questions as to the quality and integrity of the food coming out of the kitchen.

[deangold]

Got to say, we have had the same service issue at staff meal time.  Other than that, the service is generally unenthusiastically ok

[Sundae in the Park]

Eh, it's "authentically rude" not-great service and you have to be willing to flag staff down to attend to your wants/needs. Still, the food is very enjoyable (especially to a person who doesn't live around good Chinese food anymore). I think you get a free steamer of XLB if you order $35 worth of food (not sure if that's the price minimum). Ours were good with no broken skins, mild flavor, and a lot of soup. We also had some pretty great stir-fried eggplant (good enough that we got another order to go), rice noodles (the chunky kind). and steamed fish with leeks, and some ordinary stir-fried watercress.

[DanielK]

Several thoughts:

1. I have never had the service problems others describe, and that includes going at both prime time weekend and off hours. Perhaps it's because I go often enough that I'm recognized? I'm not saying it's 4-star service, but they come take my order quickly, are friendly and make suggestions, and the food and check come in reasonable times. Water is usually, though not always, refilled without asking.
2. Be careful on the free XLB deal - make sure you tell them you want the deal when you hand them the card. Because if you just mark the card for XLB, knowing the rest of your order is over $35, you will get TWO steamers of XLB. Not that this is all bad, but...
3. There's a Groupon out for the next few days.

[Josh]

Eh, it's "authentically rude" not-great service and you have to be willing to flag staff down to attend to your wants/needs. 

No, it's bad service and poor management.  Such things eventually lead to a substandard product.  If the FOH environment is so lax, what is one to make of the kitchen/prep environment?

[DonRocks]

No, it's bad service and poor management.  Such things eventually lead to a substandard product.  If the FOH environment is so lax, what is one to make of the kitchen/prep environment?

I think it's important for readers to bear in mind that yours has been the only tragically bad report here. Now, I happen to value your opinion highly, but it is only one meal, and maybe they were having a meltdown, someone broke up with their spouse hours before, etc. I'd read the last couple of posts before scrolling back and realizing that there is only one strongly negative experience; it seems like there's more, and I had mistakenly assumed there were.

Note the second Groupon offer within several months.

[Josh]

I think it's important for readers to bear in mind that yours has been the only tragically bad report here. Now, I happen to value your opinion highly, but it is only one meal, and maybe they were having a meltdown, someone broke up with their spouse hours before, etc. I'd read the last couple of posts before scrolling back and realizing that there is only one strongly negative experience; it seems like there's more, and I had mistakenly assumed there were.

Note the second Groupon offer within several months.

I definitely wouldn't place too much importance on my one bad experience (though Dean also remarked on it).  I thought the food was awesome.  I definitely hope to read more positive reports from here, because I plan on returning.

What I wouldn't do is explain subpar service away as some sort of authentic experience.  And I do think that if such an attitude is tolerated by both customers and management, over time the quality of the food will decline.

[turbogrrl]

we go every few weeks, and have never encountered anything but decent to good service.

some quirks: when it's busy at night, they will hand you a paper slip with a number-- do not lose that paper slip or they won't seat you! (ruined by people "claiming" an earlier number). if you want water, you need to ask for it early, they don't bring it by default. if they are still running the 1 XLB free deal, as DanielK mentions you need to calculate that in, or else they just bring you one more XLB than you asked for.

they also appear to be selling frozen XLB to go-- the sign advertises a price for 100; I haven't asked about smaller amounts.

One of these days I will remember to leave room for the shaved ice dessert. it's monumental and fascinating. favorite dishes: pork XLB, salt and pepper flounder, snow pea leaves (when they have it), lamb and cumin, the chinese "doughnut", and a noodle dish that I can't remember the name of. doh.

[DonRocks]

One of these days I will remember to leave room for the shaved ice dessert. it's monumental and fascinating. 

Is this anything like a bingsu?

[DanielK]

Is this anything like a bingsu?

Yes, but the Taiwanese version Baobing.

[deangold]

I would have to say that a combination of rude service and inconsistency on the XLB cut our visits down considerably.  

[Jeff Heineman]

I was there last night and will confirm both of Dean's points. the XLB were not so great, certainly passable. The best I have had lately have been from Shanghai Taste, which is only like 3 minutes away since nelson street and martin's lane are one in the same. Service at both restaurants has been poor at best. the woman at Shanghai Taste is a tyrant if you get there within 45 minutes of closing, the women at Bob's just chose to ignore me. 

[Sundae in the Park]

What I wouldn't do is explain subpar service away as some sort of authentic experience.  And I do think that if such an attitude is tolerated by both customers and management, over time the quality of the food will decline.  

YMMV. For Chinese places I really don't correlate subpar service with bad or questionable food. If I did, we'd hardly eat Chinese food again! Including in China.  And this I say as a Chinese person having eaten all over the East and West coast growing up.  When I was little, I thought it was normal for my parents to always be flagging down staff to attend to our needs. As a teen and young adult, I found this behavior embarrassing and waited for service (everywhere), and only ended up, oftentimes, to be waiting, waiting, waiting...(mostly but not always at Chinese food places). And yet it didn't have anything to do with the quality of the food, just the quality of service the staff were accustomed to providing. We have found it to be generally the same in the parts of China we've visited. So, for me, "authentically rude" is oddly, even slightly comforting because I assume the kitchen and wait staff are from the mainland and am hopeful that my food will be good (this does NOT always work, sadly) so I'm not put off by slow or nonexistent service and judgment when I order the "wrong" things or too much or too little (sigh, try going to to a Chinese hair salon. They are OPINIONATED.) It's annoying and I end up waving a lot, but it's also par for the course and won't stop me from going back if I like the food. That being said, I don't actually go as far as to correlate subpar service with good food, necessarily (and not all Chinese places have bad service at all!); it's just that bad service does NOT preclude great food, in my experience. (Again, just for Chinese food!! Other Asian cultures are quite different!) I'm really not trying to be offensive or cavalier about this; it's just my family's experience that dining in Chinese restaurants is time to exercise your pushier side...

[seanvtaylor]

it's just my family's experience that dining in Chinese restaurants is time to exercise your pushier side...

Having read this, we returned to Bob's a few nights ago for dinner, and were a bit more assertive, perhaps, than we would normally be. We weren't rude, but didn't think twice about flagging down a server if we needed something. I don't know if that was the factor, or if they were just really on their game, but we had a great meal and prompt, friendly service. The beef wrap was delicious, as the long peppers added just the right amount of heat. The salt and pepper squid was delicious, and the honey/soy chicken, while not my first choice, wasn't the gloopy mess that it could have been. Service issues aside, this is interesting food, well-made.

[porcupine]

Don't know what all the fuss is about service, but for some reason Bob's Shanghai is definitely off the trendy list.  Seven of us walked in at 7:00 on a recent weekday night and had no trouble getting a table.  Service was very attentive and friendly, but the place was almost empty.

The dishes have been inconsistent over the past few months.  Salt and pepper flounder, which I'd previously thought their best dish, was wan that night - not very flavorful, a little under-fried on the outside and a little overcooked on the inside.  But the spicy fried tofu, which is never quite as good as I want it to be, was fantastic.  Cumin lamb used to be a fairly dry dish, but it's gotten wetter over the last few months.  We also tried Chengdu chicken for the first time, and it was a surprise hit - unexpectedly complicated and intriguing flavors.  And the pork with long horn pepper wrap (an appetizer) is a new favorite.  The soup dumplings were about as good as they always are.

One nit to pick, and this goes for A&J (my other favorite) as well: it would be nice if the tea actually tasted like tea.

[Simul Parikh]

Cumin lamb here is different than HKP in Falls Church. The lamb itself is better, not "desiccated" as someone described HKP, but the flavor is different. The back end of the taste is almost sour. Not bad or good, just different, but certainly better lamb.

I have very few experiences with XLB, but when I've had it in the past, the dough wasn't as thick. It was soft and thinner and it made the soup come out more ... explosively? Here, it was good but not amazing and that's the only reason I had come (on the way home from some mediocre PA skiing). The broth was very gingery. I still liked it.

The spicy wontons were actually really good.

Service is good in here. It was slammed, yet they were nicer than a slow night at HKP.

[PollyG]

We had a short wait at 12:30 today.  In addition to our usual order, today we tried the Basil Squid.  The basil and the squid themselves are unremarkable; the basil is stir-fried rather than flash fried.  However, the dish also comes with a very generous portion of sliced fried skin-on ginger and some roasted garlic cloves.  They make the sauce better than the squid.  The ginger is particularly addictive; I suspect it was briefly simmered in syrup prior to frying. 

[porcupine]

After eating what one friend described as the best xiao long bao in San Francisco this past Saturday, Mr. P and I went to Bob's for dinner tonight.  And guess what?  Bob's are better.  The wrappers may not be as thin as you'd like, but there's plenty of broth, and it and the meat are intensely flavorful.

Also, I think they keep tweaking the recipe for the spicy fried tofu, which is better every time I order it.

[dinoue]

We were up in Rockville at Montgomery College so decided to give this a try for the first time, especially since Peter Chang's hasn't opened yet.

Basically ordered a very dumpling and noodle centric meal of Xiao long bao, potstickers, shiu mai, wonton soup, noodle soup with pork chop, and snow pea shoots.

Snow pea shoots were actually the highlight for me. Huge plate of greens sauteed perfectly with garlic. Perfect in quantity and cooking.

The xlb were as described by everyone here, a nice pocket of meat and broth that burst open when you bite into it. For the kids cut them up on the plate which is not so great because then you can see how much fat is in there as it congeals on the plate. I'm sure that fat has something to do with how good they taste. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Potstickers were very good with nice amount of meat and good flavor.Shiu mai were huge, but that's about all I can say. Wonton soup was also good, but not the best I've had though the kids liked it since we don't often get wonton soup. There were a generous number of wontons in the soup. The pork chop was a little scrawny and dry as if it spent a couple minutes too long in the fryer. Noodles were generous and the soup was good with lots of bok choy Noodles were a little over cooked.

We finished with dessert of shaved ice which surprisingly the kids did not really get into that much. This was the one time communication broke down as we wanted just the red bean and jelly and she put everything on.

Overall a decent meal, and a lot of food for $70. I think the table next to us was in disbelief at how much we were eating without a doggy bag. Would like to go back and explore some more of the menu.

Place was packed.

[porcupine]

Recently I had a discussion going with friends about XLB.  Someone had recommended we go to Din Tai Fung while in Seattle; others thought it overrated.  Then I found a local place that sounded like it was better and went there for lunch on Monday.  Their XLB, I reported to my friends, were way better than any I'd had on the east coast and second only to the best I had in Richmond (BC, that is, not VA; it's a suburb of Vancouver).

Tonight Mr. P and I dined at Bob's Shanghai 66.  Those were the best XLB I've ever had.  Ever.

[DonRocks]

Recently I had a discussion going with friends about XLB.  Someone had recommended we go to Din Tai Fung while in Seattle; others thought it overrated.  Then I found a local place that sounded like it was better and went there for lunch on Monday.  Their XLB, I reported to my friends, were way better than any I'd had on the east coast and second only to the best I had in Richmond (BC, that is, not VA; it's a suburb of Vancouver).

Tonight Mr. P and I dined at Bob's Shanghai 66.  Those were the best XLB I've ever had.  Ever.

Just to remove any hint of ambiguity, you're talking about Bob's XLB, right?

I *just* ordered from Mala Tang, and am now wishing I ordered XLB.

[Ericandblueboy]

Tonight Mr. P and I dined at Bob's Shanghai 66.  Those were the best XLB I've ever had.  Ever.

In DC, I don't understand why there's any debate.  I've had Shanghai Taste, JDS, A&J - they're not anywhere near as good as Bob's.

[porcupine]

Just to remove any hint of ambiguity, you're talking about Bob's XLB, right?

Correct.  Just to remove any ambiguity, the XLB I had at Bob's Shanghai 66 last night were the best I've ever had.

[DanielK]

In DC, I don't understand why there's any debate.  I've had Shanghai Taste, JDS, A&J - they're not anywhere near as good as Bob's.  

Eric, I'm with you. Shanghai Taste and JDS are good (I love A&J for other things, but their XLB never have any soup), but they are not as good as Bob's.

Porcupine, glad to hear that Bob's stands up against some of Seattle/Vancouver's best!

[pras]

Living Social deal today.

[Toogs]

Second visit today at lunch.  Better than my first time but the XLB didn't have quite enough liquid and weren't hot enough.  Maybe they thought I didn't know what I was doing and served them a little cool.  No risk of popping these (a little thick but still very good).

The fried leek dumpling was outrageously good though, and the cold spicy beef and tripe was too, although not particularly spicy.

[Rextopher]

On 5/22/2015 at 8:16 AM, DanielK said:

Eric, I'm with you. Shanghai Taste and JDS are good (I love A&J for other things, but their XLB never have any soup), but they are not as good as Bob's.

Porcupine, glad to hear that Bob's stands up against some of Seattle/Vancouver's best!

Agree - for XLB, Bob's is second to none. However, Shanghai Taste's weekend-only fried buns are easily worth the long journey out to Maryland, inconsistent XLBs notwithstanding.

[PollyG]

We had lunch at a packed Bob's on Monday, January 2.  Our new menu discovery is the pickled wood ear mushrooms.  They are tossed in a coating of garlic, ginger, sesame oil, salt, vinegar, and I suspect some rice wine.  They're addictive.  We briefly thought that some of them would come home with us to become a breakfast over a bowl of rice, but that sure didn't happen.  

 

[seanvtaylor]

Picking dim sum from the weekend menu here today was a good choice. The duck dumplings (or whatever they would be called; they were like a ground duck dumpling wrapped and then fried in a pink rice flour) were interesting, as were the shrimp rolls. The congee was very good, perhaps saltier than I expected, but a nice complement with the fried buns. Off of the regular menu the pork wrap with long horn peppers is a favorite, and was as good as always. We hadn't been to Bob's in a year, perhaps, and it was nice to see that it is as good as always.

[PollyG]

Happy to report that Bob's has transitioned well to Pandemic restaurant survival.  They have a big table up front full of insulated bags keeping hot items hot and a freezer case for frozen XLB.  We remembered that they offer large quantities of XLB frozen at a good price so I called on Thursday to see if I could order some for Friday or Saturday pickup.  Picked them up yesterday along with a double order of the pan-fried pork dumplings, the pickled  wood ear mushrooms, shrimp dumplings, and the pork with dry noodle.  We ate the fresh items after a 35 minute drive home to Herndon (other than the one hot pork dumpling I ate in the parking lot as the driver's tax) in my own insulated bag and had some of the XLB for our New Year's lunch today.  The XLB survived freezing beautifully; each is separate.  Bob's kindly included both sauce and steamer basket paper in the package and they had some ice cubes in a baggie inside the bag with the XLB to help them stay fully frozen.  In our case they'd gone right into their own insulated bag with cold packs for the drive, but that's some smart packaging.   

We had 12 of the XLB today and they were outstanding.  We had one round of some XLB from H-mart and they weren't even close in quality.  

[PollyG]

BTW, Bob's is no longer cash-only, but they are offering a 10% cash discount.