Welcome to Los Angeles’s White-Hot Chinese American Summer | Eater LA

"An Echo Park restaurant from Alex Falco and Huimin “Minty” Zhu that pursues Chinese-inspired cooking through a mostly vegan lens and seeks to “continue that spirit of innovation toward Chinese cuisine,” says Falco. The collaborative menu adapts recognizably Chinese dishes — dumplings, salt-and-pepper chicken wings, and wontons — with homemade plant-based proteins; inventive items include “monkey buns,” a mashup of monkey bread and barbecued pork buns made with char siu seitan and glossy hoisin, and deep-fried sesame balls formed with carrot-infused mochi and filled with crushed black sesame paste. An adjoining tea room with a separate entrance offers a convivial, alcohol-free space for lingering tea ceremonies paired with snacks from the main menu: “In 2025, we find that people are not drinking much alcohol anymore for health reasons, mostly, but we wanted to do something for our clientele that would still create a vibe,” says Falco." - Cathy Chaplin