Although it has not been open for long, Corner Bites is already the siren call for DC area dim sum. Word of Mouth, literally. It quickly has the critics paying attention. The morning we were there, Washingtonian Magazine put out a glowing review featuring the pedigree of the kitchen. The place gets packed and lines form. As the name suggests, this is not a large space.
Seven of us showed up at the 10am opening. Two of us had already eaten there. Those two helped guide us to favored dishes, though they both had a more sober view than the magazine article.
We ordered from the both the dim sum menu and a separate menu:
Baked bbq pork buns
Steamed bbq pork buns
Brined Cuttlefish
Fried Stuffed Eggplant
Salt and Pepper Tofu
Chiu Chow Steamed Dumplings
Fried Taro Dumplings
Flounder Red Yeast Rice Noodle Roll
Steamed Pork Spare Rib with Black Bean Sauce
BBQ Duck
Beef Chow Fun
There was one super highlight and one low light. The baked pork bun came to the table first and it slayed me. I’ve eaten a lot of these over the years, though I always sensed they could be much better. This was it.
The low light was the tiny bites of pork spare rib served in a steamer basket. These went mostly untouched for good reason.
Aside from those two, nothing really stood out. Some of the food suggested by the ‘veterans’ in our group disappointed them the second time around.
Next time I’m in Rockville I will make a special point of ordering the baked pork buns for takeout. They won’t make it to the car.
