Best Sichuan Food in Rockville, MD: Why We Recommend China Jade

If you love Shanghainese food at Shanghai Taste, you should also try Sichuan cuisine — and the best place to do that in the Rockville area is China Jade. Located at 16805 Crabbs Branch Way in Derwood (just minutes from our restaurant), China Jade serves authentic Szechuan dishes made with real Sichuan peppercorns and traditional techniques. They have been a Rockville fixture for over 20 years and were named "Best Chinese Restaurant in the D.C. Metro Area" by Washingtonian magazine.

We are a Shanghainese restaurant. China Jade is a Sichuan restaurant. These are two of China's greatest regional cuisines, and they could not be more different. If you enjoy one, you owe it to yourself to try the other.

What Is Sichuan Cuisine?

Sichuan (also spelled Szechuan) cuisine comes from China's southwestern Sichuan province, a landlocked region known for its humid climate and bold flavors. The hallmark of Sichuan cooking is málà (麻辣) — a unique combination of numbing (from Sichuan peppercorns) and spicy (from dried and fresh chilies). The numbing sensation is unlike anything in Western cooking: it tingles on your tongue and opens up your palate so you taste more, not less.

Where Shanghainese cuisine is built on sweetness, dark soy, and delicate textures, Sichuan cooking is built on layered heat, fermented bean paste (doubanjiang), and aggressive wok technique. Both traditions are deeply regional, both are centuries old, and both are best experienced at restaurants that specialize in one or the other — not generic "Chinese food" places that try to do everything.

Why China Jade?

China Jade is the real thing. Here is what sets them apart:

• Authentic Sichuan peppercorns. They import real huājiāo from China — the key to the málà numbing sensation. Most suburban Chinese restaurants skip this or use a poor substitute.
• Doubanjiang-based cooking. Their sauces start with fermented broad bean paste, which gives Sichuan food its deep, complex heat. This is not just "adding chili flakes."
• 30+ years of experience. Head Chef Chaosheng Liu trained in traditional cooking methods in Sichuan Province and brings that expertise to every dish.
• Washingtonian-recognized. Named "Best Chinese Restaurant in the D.C. Metro Area" (2011) — a distinction earned through consistency and authenticity.

What to Order at China Jade

If you are new to Sichuan cuisine, here is where to start:

Ma Po Tofu (Chengdu Style) — $16.95

The quintessential Sichuan dish. Silky tofu in a fiery doubanjiang sauce with ground pork, chili oil, and Sichuan peppercorns. The texture is custard-soft; the sauce hits you with layers of heat and numbing. Eat it over steamed rice. If you have never had real mapo tofu — not the mild, cornstarch-thickened version at generic Chinese restaurants — this will reset your expectations.

Chengdu Kung Pao Chicken — $16.95

Forget the gloppy, sweet kung pao you have had elsewhere. China Jade's version is the Chengdu original: diced chicken with roasted peanuts, dried red chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns in a balanced sauce that is savory, slightly sweet, and genuinely spicy. The dried chilies are not just garnish — they are the point.

Dan Dan Noodles — $8.95

A Sichuan street food classic. Wheat noodles in a sesame-chili sauce with ground pork and preserved vegetables (yá cài). Rich, nutty, and spicy. At under $9, this is one of the best values on the menu and a perfect introduction to Sichuan flavors.

Water-Boiled Fish (Shuǐ Zhǔ Yú) — $19.95

Do not let the name fool you — "water-boiled" is a misnomer from translation. The fish filets are poached in a peppery broth then blanketed in a sea of chili oil and whole Sichuan peppercorns. It arrives at the table looking intimidating, but the fish underneath is silky and perfectly cooked. This is Sichuan cooking at its most dramatic.

Twice Cooked Pork — $16.95

Pork belly that is first boiled, then sliced thin and wok-fried with doubanjiang and fresh garlic leaves. The edges caramelize and crisp while the center stays tender. A home-cooking staple in Sichuan that most American diners have never tried.

How Sichuan and Shanghainese Cuisines Complement Each Other

These two cuisines are a study in contrasts:

• Heat: Sichuan food is built on chili and numbing peppercorn. Shanghainese food has almost no spice at all.
• Sweetness: Shanghai cooking uses rock sugar and dark soy for a signature sweet-savory glaze (see Hong Shao Rou). Sichuan cooking uses sugar sparingly, if at all.
• Dumplings: Shanghai has Xiao Long Bao and Sheng Jian Bao. Sichuan has chili oil wontons and zhōng shuǐ jiǎo (Zhong-style dumplings in sweet-spicy sauce).
• Noodles: Shanghai has scallion oil noodles. Sichuan has dan dan noodles. Both are essential, both are completely different.
• Cold appetizers: Both cuisines open meals with cold dishes, but Sichuan versions are drenched in chili oil while Shanghainese versions lean on vinegar and Shaoxing wine.

If you eat at Shanghai Taste on Monday and China Jade on Tuesday, you will experience two completely different sides of Chinese culinary tradition — and understand why "Chinese food" is not one thing but dozens of distinct regional cuisines.

Practical Details

• Name: China Jade (贵妃楼)
• Address: 16805 Crabbs Branch Way, Derwood, MD 20855
• Phone: (301) 963-1570
• Hours: Daily, 11 AM – 9 PM
• Website: www.chinajademd.com
• Online ordering: Available through their website
• Price range: $$ (most entrées $15–$20)

China Jade is about a 5-minute drive from Shanghai Taste. If you are already in Rockville for soup dumplings, Sichuan food is right around the corner.

The Bottom Line

We make Shanghainese food. China Jade makes Sichuan food. Both are authentic, both are local, and both are worth your time. If you have been coming to Shanghai Taste for Xiao Long Bao and want to expand your Chinese food horizons, China Jade is where we would send you. Start with the mapo tofu and dan dan noodles. You will understand the málà thing immediately.

And when the numbing wears off, come back to us for soup dumplings. We will be here.