"My Little Dumpling comes by way of the Mandler family. The father Robert Mandler famously founded the Chin Chin franchise back in the 1980s, and now son Anthony is on to help out with this new-look restaurant near the Beverly Center. The space was for years the Italian mainstay Gusto, but now has been completely overhauled with deep green banquettes, brass fixtures, and other classic touches. There’s a bar for beer and wine as well, though the ABC license is still in the works. As for the menu, My Little Dumpling takes a little bit from a lot of places. There are pork potstickers, soup dumplings, and har gow in sweet pea broth, along with a braised brisket bao, glazed short ribs, and fried chicken with apricot sauce. LA staples like Chinese chicken salad and ahi tuna egg rolls play more from the staple Chin Chin menu, while cheeseburger dumplings with lychee ketchup and cream cheese wontons with lox are something new entirely. My Little Dumpling opens today at 11 a.m., keeping daily hours from lunch through 11 p.m. or midnight on Friday and Saturday." - Farley Elliott
