It definitely doesn't have the same bite on the page that it has on the screen. Was it written that sparsely, or was there more scene description?

One of Tarantino's best moves is his ability to make it seem like his characters are talking about "nothing" but through subtle manipulation of the conflict (typically by his Alpha character) he reveals much more nefarious intentions underneath.

For example, when Jules is asking "What does Marselleus Wallace look like?" he spends the next forty-five seconds in a back and forth with the kid, with dialogue that isn't technically needed, but adds to the punchline of "Does he look like a bitch?" The entire back and forth could have started with that simple question, but Jules plays with the kid, Tarantino plays with the audience, and the scene is that much richer for it.

It plays better than it reads. A reader might criticize as too much exposition. But Tarentino's vision and Samuel L. Jackson acting makes it the great scene that it is.