All I have to say is: WOW. I have heard great things about Xiao Bao Biscuit, but they blew away my expectations. First off, I love that everything is eaten family style because I love trying a bunch of different dishes without having to steal from people’s plates. While I was there, I enjoyed a cocktail that made my mouth tingly (in a good way) and some damn good dumplings. Warning: this post will make you hungry.
“this might sting a little”
To kick off the night, I got the Sichuan Stinger. It was a first for me to have a cocktail that came with a warning from the waitress (minus: hey you’ve had too many). She told me that the Sichuan peppercorns would make my mouth tingle and not to panic and think I was having an allergic reaction. I am glad I got that warning because otherwise I would’ve definitely panicked. That being said, this cocktail was the best cocktail I’ve had in a while. It was light, refreshing, and there were some complex floral notes from the peppercorns (made me feel v fancy).
one spicy salad
Our first plate was the Som Tum salad. If you don’t like spicy food, definitely don’t get it. Luckily, I love spicy food, so I was addicted to this salad. It was a great bite to keep going back to between courses to wake up your senses. I took some home for leftovers and it was even better the next day.
meaty goodness
Our second plate was the Shaking Beef. The beef was incredibly tender and seasoned to perfection. 10/10 definitely will order it again the next time we go. The mystery root vegetable mixed in with the shaking beef absorbed all the flavor of the sauce and really packed a punch for me.
Our third plate was my favorite bite of the night: the Chao Shou dumplings. They acted as a nice relief from all the spicy food because the broth was rich and salty and so was the pork filling. I could’ve eaten 5 plates of these and left happy.
the grand finale
Last, but certainly not least, we had the Okonomiyaki, which I’ve seen on Instagram at least 10 times. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese cabbage pancake, but trust me it makes cabbage much more exciting than it normally is. It was sweet, crunchy, and the runny egg yolk on top really tied everything together.
I cannot wait to go back to Xiao Bao because I know it will be an exciting experience. This is definitely not a place where you go back and order the same thing every time, it’s a chance to explore the menu and try new things, which I love. I can also be bad about picking a favorite dish and sticking to it, so thanks for making me branch out, Xiao Bao
