Dexter D.
Yelp
We've dined at Ox 9 in Milpitas, and it was delicious. Hoping for more of the same, we met with my brother's family for lunch at 10:45. The restaurant opens at 11:00 and we were the first guests in the door. That was a good thing because there were seven of us and they appeared to only have one eight-topper. Of course, they might have been able to push a couple of tables together but the trick to that is getting two tables next to each other to be empty at the same time.
Anyway, ordering is apparently normally done via cell phone and QR code. However, we were taking so long that a server came over and took our order with her cell phone.
We got several items, shown in my pictures below. Somehow, I managed to forget to photograph the Pork Dumplings with Napa Cabbage and Pork Dumplings with Shrimp and Green Chives that we ordered. They were the last to come out and I was probably too busy enjoying my Lanzhou Noodle Soup.
I think that the Soup Noodles are fantastic. The broths are pretty good. The meats that I tried were very tender. The Bean Curd Noodles were an interesting flavor and texture though a bit more cilantro would have been nice. The Spicy Won Tons were pretty good too.
The two dumplings were okay but nothing spectacular. I'm not sure if I'd order them again. Or it could be that they were simply outshone by the Noodle Soups. Maybe if the dumplings had come out first, I'd have liked them better.
The Chow Mein, I never got to try but I did notice that there were a log of vegetables which I would normally enjoy. I'll have to order a plate for myself or for the table next time.
The Pork Buns, I found disappointing. The bread part was okay but the filling was small and somewhat dry. I think that I may be comparing them to Pan-fried Pork Dumplings that are crispy on the bottom, soft on top and filled with juicy pork similar to Xiao Long Bao.
Even though I can't give everything a five-star review, overall, this visit still qualifies as five-star because even though the restaurant got busy and there was a line out the door, we never felt pressured to finish and leave. Some places only care about turning tables and while we understand and appreciate that, you simply can't rush kids when they're eating.
Service was attentive and took care of our every need including more napkins, forks, water refills, etc.