NYCReview
Included In
The mere thought of crab roe sends us into a moony daydream. Glorious crab roe. Beautiful, soft orange dollops of crab roe. Sorry, where were we?
If you can relate, you’re going to love Xie Bao, a stall in Flushing’s bustling New York Food Court that puts this one amazing ingredient—a Shanghainese specialty—front and center in many of its incredible dishes.
If you order just one thing at the counter (the first one on your left), make it the silky, comforting crab roe over noodles. Like multiple dishes at Xie Bao, it’s served with wood ear mushrooms, vinegar, pickled veg, and a soy egg—and there are also complimentary cups of lightly sweet, lightly floral jujube tea. The add-ons are welcome, but the thin noodles are just as excellent adorned only with buttery roe sauce.
It’s a testament to Xie Bao’s all-around quality that—if you order correctly—many of the supporting-act ingredients shine just as bright. The satisfying hunks of pork skin in a pot of chicken broth, for example, or the flaky yellow croaker in noodle soup.
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
You’ll receive a buzzer to let you know when your meal is ready, or—depending on how aggressively you ordered—when each part of your meal is ready. Every time it goes off feels like microdosing Christmas morning, as dishes like roe-stuffed meatballs, pork-studded zongzi, and crab roe mooncakes start accumulating in front of you.
The food court is uncrowded enough that you’ll find a place to sit, but not so empty that you’ll raise eyebrows among the diners eating lunch, as you try to fit all the black plastic trays on your table, like a horizontal game of Jenga. In case you need more space to spread out, consider Xie Bao’s second location in a strip mall in Edison, NJ.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Crab Roe Noodles
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Crab Roe Meatballs
photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick
Crab Roe & Chicken Soup Pork Skin Pot
photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick
Yellow Croaker Noodles
photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick