Dongbei and Shanghainese at Bamboo Garden in Mountain View

[Melanie Wong]

In another thread about two new Chinese restaurants in Cupertino Village, ckshen and KK referred to Bamboo Garden in Mountain View. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/743042#6017501

William and I gave it a try last week. In the cold and rain, the idea of Northeast (Dongbei) food sounded so appealing. This is the third restaurant I’ve patronized at this address. At the first one some years ago, we had to endure a shouting matching between the husband and wife owners followed by a dramatic exit by the wife. When the next iteration, Shanghai Family Restaurant, appeared shortly after, we figured they got a divorce and sold out. Now enter Bamboo Garden, still flying the “Grand Opening” banner promoting Shanghai and “Mandarin” cuisine. We chatted with the friendly female proprietress (who speaks excellent English) and learned that she is from a small city not far from Beijing. We asked her to point us toward the Dongbei specialties on the menu.

First up, Pork with Mustard Tuber soup, $9.95 (small). I’d gravitated toward the lamb version, but the owner said the pork was better to her taste. The housemade pickled cabbage added a tangy lilt to temper the fatty richness of the thin shavings of pork belly poached in the light stock. With wide cellophane noodles, the soup was so satisfying on a chilly night. I’ll mention that the serving size was at least three quarts, more of a medium than a small size tureen. If you like pork and sauerkraut, this dish is for you.

Then from the section of (unmarked) Dongbei specialties: House special spareribs stew string bean (sic), $9.95. The owner admitted that she doesn’t like eggplant and steered us toward the green bean version of this dish. Another giant serving and not much to look at, but the aroma of star anise and other sweet spices that wafted up from the plate when it landed on the table was amazing. Yet while very aromatic, the seasoning was quite restrained and did not overwhelm the flavor of the tender pork. The spareribs were hacked into bite-size pieces with a good amount of fat on them still. The juices were slightly thickened by concentration and gelatin from stewing and not by starch. Soft boiled green beans suited my brother, and they soaked up a lot of the stewy flavor. Despite having a Dongbei sparerib stew at two other places, this is the first time I really “got it”. Maybe there’s a weather play here, but I liked this one very much.

House Special Spareribs Stew String Bean (sic) photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5229912929/

From the Shanghai side of the menu, we had to try the xiao long bao, offered with a “crab paste” option here. The very soupy, extremely thin-skinned pork and crab xiao long bao, 6/$6.95, had thin but strong walls to contain the sloshing soup inside. The pork filling was a bit coarse and had just a few shreds of crab but the flavor was quite good. And, these each had more than a Chinese soup spoon full of juices inside.

Crab and Pork Xiao Long Bao (XLB) photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5230536356/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5229912927/

We also tried the Shanghai style pan fried buns with pork AKA sheng jian bao, 6/$5.95. I’d asked the owner if these were very soupy and she described them as “juicy”. They were fried nicely with golden brown bottoms. But they do not squirt like the ones at Shanghai Flavor Shop and the flavor tends toward bland.

Sheng Jian Bao photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5229912921/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5229912919/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5229912913/

The complimentary dessert was coconut milk, tapioca and taro sweet soup, and very good. The tab was about $40 and we had a lot to take home.

My brother returned here soon after with a friend to have the crab XLB again. He also tried the Preserved Pork and Bamboo soup and says that it’s not as rich as he’s had at other Shanghainese restaurants. He also tried the House Special Knuckle (tipang) and enjoyed that.

The menu also includes a three dishes for $19.95 section (in Chinese) – anything interesting?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniew...

Prices are quite reasonable with generous portion size. Communication is easy. The hearty Dongbei dishes will be just the ticket for winter time. Bamboo Garden is worth checking out.

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Shanghai Flavor Shop
888 Old San Francisco Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Bamboo Garden
108 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View, CA 94040

[bbulkow]

Dropped in again, second visit. Nicely near work.

Tried the spare rib green bean soup as per rec. It was good, solid, although not mind blowing in any way. Would have been fresher in-store, perhaps. The meat in the spare ribs was very flavorful and well cut, as KK said, a very nice balance between meat and fat.

Got the "dried tofu and shrip", which ended up being like noodle soup but with the noodles made of tofu, and not enough broth in the take out container. Two shrimps. Nice delicate taste down near the bottom, but my bowl was 99% tofu and thus less interesting.

Shen Zhen Bao, now that's good eating. GF said it was too doughy, but that's how SZB are. Filling was very fatty and flavorful.

Go for the dumplings!

[FattyDumplin]

Probably my favorite place in the area for a good hearty meal.

1) XLB - covered at length here. but the skin, the soup and the filling hit very high ratings for me.
2) croaker in wine sauce - this is a small dish of 6" fried croaker covered in a wine based sauce that is slightly sweet and salty. delicious.
3) tea smoked duck - one of my favorite renditions of this dish. fat nicely rendered. skin crispy in some places and the meat still tender
4) preserved pork and bamboo soup - this comes in a giant tureen and is chockfull of pork, bamboo and tofu skin in a milky pork bone broth. great for a cold winter night.
5) shanghai vegetable fried rice - a very simple dish of white rice stirfried with ham hock and some type of leafy green. subtle but very aromatic
6) bamboo glutinous rice - the opposite of 5. sticky rice chock full of fatty pork. very rich but also delicious.

[eatzalot]

Seems this thread wasn't recently active, and (to answer Q. posed in Chef Zhao thread) no one has mentioned Bamboo Garden's recommendation in the 2013 SF Bay Area Michelin Guide released in the Fall. (Regular users of those Guides tend to a different perception of what they're about, compared to people who see just press and online chatter, which always dwells on a few restaurants getting top honors. But the rest of the Guide still lists only a small, recommended minority of the region's restaurants -- in SF editions, the sort of restaurants often praised on CH too. I've often wondered just where the Guide starts its own research... :-)

Anyway! It took a while to follow up on Melanie's 2011 tip here on current occupant of this much-turned-over restaurant space, but I've been there several times with groups the past year with great results at moderate prices.. Quoth Michelin: "Go-to place for real deal Shanghainese cuisine ... [menu also includes both] Americanized fare and some Mandarin options, but stay with their traditional items." Sound advice, independently learned by eating there.

For interested folk like bbulkow who're unsure what to order (and upthread are tips, or you can do as I did and ask friends who know Shangainese cooking) you could always start with dishes the aforementioned Guide singled out. Fresh fish fillets in rice wine sauce with wood-ear mushrooms [#42 in my menu copy dated August], Shanghai greens with goji berries [#73], house special smoked duck [#30], house special glutinous rice (mentioned upthread) with pork and pork belly in Bamboo [#33] -- a novel table presentation and a stick-to-your-ribs hearty dish. These specialties all run $10-$12, all have been very fine. There's a wide range of Chinese filled dumplings too, including the unusual, big Shanghai pan-fried pork buns [#168]. That should be enough suggestions to fill up any newcomer. And I recall employees working pretty diligently to answer questions and suggest other dishes on request.

We found this a consistent, VERY moderately priced real Chinese kitchen locally, great counterpoint to Chef Zhao's vividly authentic and very different Sichuanese cuisine a mile or "south," both restaurants near the same main road (Central Expressway).

[CYL]

The quality of the Xiao Long Bao at the bamboo Garden was a pleasant surprise the first time we were there. Today, it consistently stood out such that it had us believing that it rivaled if not surpassed that at the Shanghai Dumpling Shop in Millbrae and even that at the Koi Palace! The skin is very thin but it yet it is not prone to tear easily, there is lots of hot, delicious broth within, and lastly, the filling is also quite tasty. It seemed to score favorably on the total criteria upon which one judges XLB. I also can’t help but wondered but the skin on the dumplings we experienced appeared thinner than that gleemed from Melanie Wong’s photo in her earlier posting.

The Lion’s Head Meatballs, a generous serving, consist of five good size meatballs. There was a nice sauce, Shanghai bok choy and Shitake mushroom caps.

We also had a House Special #33 Glutinous Rice with Pork in Bamboo dish. It was a most aesthetically pleasing and tasty presentation – tangy, braised belly pork (Kau
Yuk liked), golden needle lilies and glutinous rice filled in a large bamboo piece.

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Koi Palace Restaurant
365 Gellert Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015

Shanghai Dumpling Shop
455 Broadway, Millbrae, CA 94030

[Melanie Wong]

That rice steamed in the bamboo looks great. Thanks for the update, CYL.

[K K]

3 dishes for $19.95 translation

Brocoli beef, Kung Pao Chicken, Shrimp and Tofu claypot
Seafood tofu pot, Sugar & Vinegar spareribs, Grilled spareribs w/scallions
Garlic spareribs, Ants Climbing Trees (bean thread vermicelli with veg and pork), 4 seasons beans w/beef
shrimp with egg (omlette), kabocha/pumpkin tofu, stir fried eggplant w/sauce
beef brisket and tofu pot, eggplant and spareribs pot, black woodear funghi stir fried w/egg
Shanghai stir fry plate (?), vegetarian fried rice, vegetarian fried noodle
Preserved veg (shir tsai) pork shred fried rice, combo fried noodle, combo fried rice
Mongolian beef, curry chicken, yu xiang/"fish sauce" pork strips
yu xiang eggplant, 4 seasons beans, roast pork w/bamboo
mapo tofu, yellow chive dried tofu strips with pork, stewed tofu
lions head meatballs, salt and pepper fish filet, salt pepper shrimp
black bean sauce shrimp, walnut shrimp, kung pao chicken
walnut chicken, sacha beef, vegetarian stir fry
black bean sauce fish filet, salted fish with chicken tofu pot, napa cabbage with dried shrimp
preserved veg (shir tsai) edamame and....tofu ribbon strip?, ji mao veg, choy sum w/mushrooms
bitter melon stir fry, sweet sour chicken, sweet sour fish
lemon chicken, General Tso's chicken, orange chicken
twice cooked pork, garlic brocoli, hot sour soup
sesame chicken, chicken and corn soup, kung pao (3 things)
spicy water boiled fish, spicy water boiled beef, combo won ton soup

I see very little NE, some Shanghainese, some Cantonese, and some seemingly Chinese American in the specials.

[rotiprata]

Just a note that 3 for $19.95 is for to go only. Unfortunately.

[K K]

Good to know. Fantastic value though, as the menu states you get two bowls/orders of white rice or a scallion pancake. Order two sets of the $19.95 menu and they will throw in a yen du xian Shanghainese claypot soup with pork belly, bamboo shoots, tofu ribbons + assorted goodness.

[YSZ]

Just to clarify, you got the soup with a to go order of the two sets?

[K K]

Well Melanie's picture of the takeout menu doesn't specify the 3 entree $19.95 offer as takeout only, but I'll take rotiprata's word for it. But if you get two sets (that's 6 entrees and spending $40) the choice of soup they throw in, in addition, is either the yen du xian or duck soup (your choice).

[rotiprata]

i think they updated that menu. We were told the $19.95 special was for take out.. but yes, pork belly or duck soup sound awesome.

[scoopG]

I agree. There does not appear to be much Dongbei going on here. Dongbei or Manchurian cuisine is marked by hearty meals centered on meat, fresh and pickled vegetables. The use of pickled vegetables in soup is common. Grains like wheat, millet and sorghum are popular and their cuisine reflects influences from Manchuria, Mongolia, Korea, Russia and Japan. Often millet is added to the rice. It is also known for strong flavors, lots and lots of dumplings and a large variety of cold dishes. Raw fish might be served to start the meal. Garlic seems to be used but not too much ginger.

[dump123456789]

There seems to be a row missing. KK lists 20 rows, but Melanie's menu has 21.

[K K]

Good catch, the one I missed was

Shanghai stir fried thick noodles, Shanghai style stir fried nian gao, Shanghai style tsai fan (usually claypot rice with veg, salted pork...the older receipes used lard)

[dump123456789]

Thanks. That corresponds to row 7.

[mhuang]

I stopped in here for dinner last week to get some dumpling soup and xlb/crab xlb to go.

The xlbs were great, though my roommate found them to be a bit saltier than the xlb we used to have at hc dumpling house, and I found the skin a little thicker than I'm used to.

The dumpling soup was good, but needed more seasoning; I ended up adding in salt, pepper to it when I got home, which really helped the flavor of the soup.

Credit card only over $20. They do pretty brisk takeout; while I was waiting for my order (10 minutes), two others came in to order and pick up.

[Chandavkl]

Thanks for the report. As I recall, the two previous tenants there, Shanghai Sichuan Restaurant and Shanghai Family were both very good, so it sounds like that location has another winner.

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Bamboo Garden
108 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View, CA 94040

[Melanie Wong]

I guess I missed Shanghai Sichuan Restaurant at this address. My first visit to this shopping mall was an earlier tenant. Here's your old post.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/39371

I should add that found the soup a little undersalted, my brother did not. Adding a dash of salt and some white pepper really popped out a lot more flavor.

[ckshen]

We tried the place yesterday. We asked for recommendations and the first item recommended was the regular XLB, the second one recommended was the same soup Melanie got. ordered a string beans with meat as the third dish. I liked the XLB, though the juice was a bit fatty (hence the flavor!). the first bowl of soup i felt was undersalted, the second bowl, after i have had the relatively strong flavored meat dish, was fine. The string bean was a bit bland, though the meat, though a bit tough, was flavored well.

They seem to be doing better business during dinner time than the former tenant. it sounds like the waitress is from the northeast, perhaps the chef also?

[Melanie Wong]

If you had the same waitress as we did, she's the owner and from the Northeast. Don't know about the chef, next 'hound who eats there needs to ask. But I suspect that with the skill in preparing the Shanghainese dishes, probably from Shanghai, and that might account for the more refined touch in cooking the Dongbei dishes. That's all speculation on my part.

[eethan]

Hmm, I am interested to try some of the northeastern food. The three dishes menu looks pretty pan-China, though. I guess that's the norm, though. Any idea where the Chef is from?

[Melanie Wong]

I'd say the menu has more Shanghainese dishes carried over from the previous occupant than Dongbei or Beijing. No clue where the chef is from. When the owner asked me why I was interested in Dongbei food, I mentioned the other restaurants I'd tried in Cupertino, Milpitas and Mountain View. She just nodded that she was familiar with those places and didn't take the opportunity to say that her chef came from any of those. Please let us know if you find out.