A row of waving cats along the wall, the salty-umami smell of mushrooms and pork, and the clattering sounds of a busy kitchen — these are the greetings of Princeton’s newest restaurant on Witherspoon, XiBei Cuisine.
Offering Northwest Chinese dishes like roast lamb leg and mutton on the bone, as well as more familiar Chinese offerings like pork soup dumplings and mapo tofu, XiBei’s wide menu has something for everyone. To see if the food and atmosphere were worth a trip to Nassau, I stopped by for lunch last Thursday afternoon.
A place-setting at XiBei Cuisine.
Lulu Pettit / The Daily Princetonian
I was surprised that the restaurant was so busy on a weekday at lunchtime. I arrived around noon and was seated right away, but within 10 minutes, every table in the small space was taken. The entire space was themed red-and-gold, with about six or seven tables and a pick up desk.
Despite the lunch rush demanding the attention of the wait staff, we received menus and lemon water upon sitting down. The tables have scan codes to order, so once we were ready, we didn’t have to wait for a waiter to be available to take our order.
A bowl of Xian cold noodles.
Lulu Pettit / The Daily Princetonian
I absolutely loved the Xian cold noodles. The sauce was super salty, a little nutty, and just oily enough that the noodles and veggies slid smoothly into my mouth when eating them. When I received the dish, most of the sauce was on the veggies, so I had to mix everything together thoroughly before eating. The chicken, although pre-cooked and chilled, was moist, and the noodles were the perfect chewy vessel for everything to come together.
However, after my entree arrived, there were some issues with the order of arrival. Less than 10 minutes after the cold noodles came, the dessert, Chinese rice pudding, and my drink, a canned sweetened milk drink, arrived, but the appetizer and the other entree were still missing. Another five minutes later, we finally received our appetizer: pork soup dumplings.
A bowl of pork soup dumplings.
Lulu Pettit / The Daily Princetonian
The soup dumplings arrived fresh and steaming hot. The filling was an unembellished combination of broth and seasoned pork. It was full of savory flavors that were enhanced even more when dipped in the sauce that accompanied the pork dumplings. The sauce, similar to a slightly sweeter soy sauce, added a saltiness and an umami taste. We had six soup dumplings total, perfect for splitting between two people as an appetizer. There was also a chili oil bottle available at the table for anyone looking to add an extra kick.
A bowl of beef noodle soup.
Lulu Pettit / The Daily Princetonian
At last, 20 minutes after the first entree arrived, we received our second entree: beef noodle soup. For this dish, we ordered the pulled noodles to compare. They were definitely much thicker and denser than the regular noodles, a heartier option if you’re looking for a cozy meal. The flavor profile was simple but delicious: rich and meaty beef combined with the salty broth.
At the end of the meal, we tried the milk drink and rice pudding. Rather than creamy, the rice pudding was solidified into a cube and topped with pepitas, peanuts, dried fruit, and sesame seeds. If you have allergies, I would recommend asking if the dishes you order contain the allergens, as the ingredients list on the menu for the rice pudding did not mention the peanuts. The rice pudding was potentially my favorite dish of the meal. It was chewy in a way slightly similar to mochi, but with a more varied texture from the rice grains and the toppings. It contained a sweet but earthy red bean filling that tied all of the toppings together.
The milk drink, which consisted of whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and sugar, was extremely sweet. It was a bit too sweet for my palate to drink straight from the can, although a kid might enjoy it. However, adding a little to the rice pudding created a nice balance of flavors.
At the end of the meal, we were given a small bowl of Chinese sesame cookies in small cone shapes. They tasted a lot like fortune cookies, but they had a chewier texture, making a nice surprise at the end of the meal.
Overall, despite still adjusting to a full restaurant of diners and the timing of dishes, I highly recommend trying out XiBei Cuisine. Just a block off Nassau on Witherspoon Street, XiBei is very accessible for students. While it offers many classic dishes, students can challenge themselves and go for one of the more unusual items on the menu to get a taste of Northwest China.
Lulu Pettit is a member of the Class of 2027 and a senior writer for The Prospect from the suburbs of Philadelphia. She can be reached at lp3153[at]princeton.edu or her Instagram @itslulupettit.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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