For obvious reasons (noise, crowds, mediocre fare), I’ve never been a fan of food courts.
But I was pleased to read in the blog Robert Dyer@Bethesda Row that Dumpling Dojo was opening in Bethesda’s Westfield Montgomery Mall. The new dumpling place is headed up by Jeffrey Yu, son of Janet Yu, owner of Wheaton’s long-dependable Hollywood East Café.
A “dojo” is a martial arts studio, and Jeffrey Yu says he used the word in the title since dumplings are an art form as well.
As such, the menu includes dumplings with five different fillings (steamed or pan-fried), plus rice bowls, baos (steamed buns) and something called “baowiches”—which are sort of like open-faced baos.
Unfortunately, both pan-fried varieties of dumplings I tried were overly oily and doughy, and the “spicy shrimp” didn’t have any kick. The ground turkey and spinach was better, albeit nothing special. In that monotone only teenagers can master, my 16-year-old daughter declared them both “mall food.”
But that baowich! The mini pita-like sandwich is made with bao dough and filled with beef, chicken or portabello mushrooms, and then the cute little thing gets topped with shredded carrots, cucumbers, cilantro and seaweed salad. Pinch the sides of the bao together, and in a few terrific flavor-packed bites, it’s gone.
Yu, who says he worked at Hollywood East his whole life, created the baowich with his mom’s assistance. “I came up with the idea, but she definitely helped me mix the flavors,” he says.
Next time I’m at Nordstrom, I’ll definitely take a baowich break.
Dumpling Dojo, Westfield Montgomery Mall food court, 301-365-5649, www.dumplingdojo.com
