Masterful Dumplings and Buns Arrive in Westlake Village | Eater LA

"Hidden in a Westlake Village strip mall between an after-school tutoring center and a kickboxing studio, this small dumpling-focused restaurant is run by chef-owner Mia Liu, who refined recipes learned from her Shandong grandmother and opened the shop at the end of 2017. The Din Tai Fung–style checklist menu centers on expertly made dumplings — most notably pork soup dumplings (xiao long bao) with thin, bunchy-skinned wrappers that protect a savory, concentrated chicken-and-pork bone broth and juicy ground pork-butt filling seasoned with ginger and scallion — alongside pork & shrimp, chicken, chicken & shrimp and vegetable steamed varieties, pork buns, and shrimp-and-pork wontons dressed in a tangy, crunchy, spicy sauce. Noodle dishes such as sesame-sauce noodles offer firm, slurpable noodles with crushed peanuts, shaved cucumber and chili oil, while a selection of six sautéed greens (the garlic-forward string beans stand out) provides balance. A fragrant house-made chile oil, flavored with wok-seared spices like cinnamon and star anise, is offered as a finishing condiment, and desserts include small red-bean dumplings that are best eaten quickly before their skins firm up. The compact space — bamboo accents, cushioned gray banquettes, a small counter and a glass-front kitchen where all the rolling and pleating happen — makes for an unexpectedly authentic and well-executed Chinese dumpling destination in a suburb otherwise short on such offerings." - Eater