Xibei - Review - Silver Lake - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"In the upscale Sunset Row strip mall, sandwiched between stores like D.S. & Durga and Malin+Goetz, Xibei offers something that Silver Lake could always use more of: dumplings. Specifically, Northern Chinese dumplings. These shaomai have thick bottoms and skin on top so thin you can see through it, and they’re almost as big and weighty as tennis balls. (It’s a good thing they give you an absurdly large bowl to dip them.) The shaomai are more delicate than they appear, and we wish they were all as boldly seasoned as the peppery lamb variety, but there’s nowhere else in the neighborhood serving dumplings quite like this. There are other snacks, like a refreshing wood ear salad and crunchy popcorn chicken, but your priority should be shaomai. With minimal seating, Xibei is best suited for takeout or a quick lunch, ideally out on the patio so you can dip and slurp while watching window shoppers. Food Rundown Steamed Shrimp & Zucchini Shaomoi These dumplings are subtle but pleasingly shrimp-y. They’re also a little wet, and they will fall apart when you dip them into your sauce, but part of the fun is picking those sauce-streaked morsels out of your bowl. photo credit: Andrew Ryce Pan-Fried Beef Shaomai The beef filling is one of two varieties you can get pan-fried. The actual frying is minimal though, without much of a crunch to differentiate them from their steamed brethren. photo credit: Andrew Ryce Steamed Lamb Shaomoi The best of the bunch, these dumplings feature plenty of lamb—and lamb juices—aggressively spiced with white pepper. photo credit: Andrew Ryce Scallion Pancake Crispy, layered, and just the right amount of oily, this is a damn good scallion pancake. No notes. photo credit: Andrew Ryce Fungus Salad A sleeper hit. These wood ear mushrooms are marinated in a sinus-clearing wasabi dressing that makes for a bold (and crunchy) palate cleanser between the softer, starchier bites of dumpling. photo credit: Andrew Ryce Popcorn Chicken These deep-fried chicken bites are crunchy and liberally salted—imagine Burger King’s chicken fries with five spice powder. photo credit: Andrew Ryce" - Andrew Ryce