Bao Bei , 12015 Rockville Pike, Rockville
Taiwanese Marylanders—or any regular explorers of the Rockville Pike food scene—will likely recognize most of the dishes on the menu at Bao Bei , though they’re under new names.
The Bao Bei Bao is a gua bao, a classic Taiwanese pork belly bun on a pillowy soft bao (here, it’s also available with tofu). The Bao Bei Bowl is really lu rou fan, Taiwanese braised pork rice with mustard greens— you might have tried it at A&J or Taipei Cafe up the road. Sesame-and-scallion bread is something like shaobing.
“It’s inspired by the food that my grandfather and my mom cooked for me,” chef/owner Kevin Hsieh says. But also: “I’m pretty inspired by fast food, and the power of nostalgia that fast food chains brought me when I was a kid.”
Hsieh will open Bao