I have admitted in the past how often I skip over Asian food when I go out, but after some convincing, "The Ukrainian" and I went to this high-end dim sum place at the new Santa Monica Promenade.
Ladies and gents, I present to you... Xino.
All of the dining is on the top level of the new mall (which also has a large Nike store!), so obviously, the outdoor views = nice. :)
Above: Picture of some indoor setup.
Above: Outdoors, there were tables and these... guess which one we chose??
Above: The (lunch) menu... Coming from my area, dim sum is cheap. One plate of dim sum cost twice (or more!) the amount I'd pay back at home. I tried not to think about this too much.
Above: Not thinking. :$
Above: Appetizer -- calamari w/spicy chile dip. The batter on these was very light. Yes, there were tiny pieces that were just batter and no squid, so I sampled. The sauce is watery and tangy with a kick. A great dish!
Above: "The Ukrainian" needed his meat and got this bowl of chow fun (noodles with beef). The noodles were larger than I am used to, but the flavor was pretty much like most other versions I have had, except much less greasy. Score.
Above: Mushroom dumpling... very earthy-tasting because it had three kinds of mushroom (I think they were oyster, shiitake, and something else). I was overwhelmed by the richness of the mushrooms and wished there was something in it besides sticky mushrooms to balance it out a bit. See the background... only 3 dumplings per order. But don't be fooled... they were filling.
Above: Vegetable dumpling -- cabbage, mushroom, carrots. Nothing that special.
Ladies and gents, I present to you... Xino.
All of the dining is on the top level of the new mall (which also has a large Nike store!), so obviously, the outdoor views = nice. :) 
Above: Picture of some indoor setup.
Above: Outdoors, there were tables and these... guess which one we chose??
Above: The (lunch) menu... Coming from my area, dim sum is cheap. One plate of dim sum cost twice (or more!) the amount I'd pay back at home. I tried not to think about this too much.
Above: Not thinking. :$
Above: Appetizer -- calamari w/spicy chile dip. The batter on these was very light. Yes, there were tiny pieces that were just batter and no squid, so I sampled. The sauce is watery and tangy with a kick. A great dish!
Above: "The Ukrainian" needed his meat and got this bowl of chow fun (noodles with beef). The noodles were larger than I am used to, but the flavor was pretty much like most other versions I have had, except much less greasy. Score.
Above: Mushroom dumpling... very earthy-tasting because it had three kinds of mushroom (I think they were oyster, shiitake, and something else). I was overwhelmed by the richness of the mushrooms and wished there was something in it besides sticky mushrooms to balance it out a bit. See the background... only 3 dumplings per order. But don't be fooled... they were filling.
Above: Vegetable dumpling -- cabbage, mushroom, carrots. Nothing that special.Overall, I thought the dumplings here had a weird skin with a weird texture. Perhaps I have pre-established preferences, but I found these skins a bit clumpy and not smooth. They did hold the contents well, though.
We did not get dessert. I believe the only two choices were egg tarts (dan tat) and mango pudding (with condensed milk). While I had a good time in our little tent, I much prefer the dim sum back at home, though the fanciness of the place and social possibilities would bring me back if needed.
P.S. Yes, I played around and added emoticons to the blog. Hope they work (and continue to work). :D ;) They might take a bit to load... :(
Hi! I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to tell you that a) I LOVE the name and b) I'm super jealous that it is still warm enough there to eat outside. :)
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