Peter Chang started Ni Hao a few years back in Baltimore, and now there is one in Northern Virginia. The menu consists of small plates, items which you can find at Chang Chang in DC. The good thing about Ni Hao is that one small plate might be enough of a meal. Though it is hard to resist stopping at one order with so many interesting choices.
I very much enjoyed the red-braised pork belly, a Shanghainese classic. Served with some raw broccoli, it was more food than I was expecting. Very well executed.
I was full by the time I finished, but I had already ordered a bowl that included scrambled egg, celery, and jalapeno. Turns out there is also a touch of chili oil in this. The peppers were seriously hot, not the timid ones I have become accustomed to. As I was looking forward to a comforting egg dish, it was a bit of a letdown.
The quality seems very high, but I do advise ordering in stages, as it’s easy to over-order here.
Two more trips to Ni Hao, and four superb items to indulge in. The execution here is flawless.
Stone pot tofu fish. This is the same flavor as shwei ju yu (water cooked fish) that you should find in any Sichuan restaurant. Instead of being served in a big bowl of liquid with sliced cabbage, the small pieces of fish here are served with tofu and a clingy sauce. Although I missed the big bowl of ma la gravy, it is still finely prepared.
New item: “Strange” beef served with yellow soybeans. Turns out that the “strange” part is that it doesn’t taste typically Chinese, more Indo-Chinese. Lots of gravy this time, and the sauce is not only strange but compelling and addictive. Salty, but totally worth it.
Chicken stuffed glutinous rice wrap. Sublime, comforting, with a rich, interior moistened from a touch of sauce.
Combo Iron Pot Rice, the ideal of a comfort food. Many great individual ingredients make each bite taste different.
