Elite Restaurant

08/19/08

Truly Excellent Dim Sum

by jdtinla at Citysearch

I enjoyed so many of the dim sum places in L.A. and in S.F. This is the first one to truly impress me in L.A. Excellent variety of dishes on the menu, served fresh and hot every time. I miss the roving steam carts, but I do appreciate the prompt service of each item ordered. Kind, attentive service overall, too, with drink orders, etc.

Some of the standouts are the excellent har gow smrip dumplings, the rice noodle with crispy shrimp. roast duck, and fresh, still-crunchy gai lan Chinese broccoli. We loved the xao lin bao pork and ginger soup dumplings, but were somewhat put-off by the foil cups in which they're served. I'd have preferred a regular bamboo steamer lined with a cabbage leaf. Overall, the quality and the variety are superb and keep us coming back.

Parking in the mall lot is easy. Seating can get crowded on weekends, but is moved along with efficiency.

• Pros: great food, very fair pricing, easy parking, good service
• Cons: weekend crowds, can get a bit noisy

Locals and culinary pilgrims are drawn to dim sum and deluxe seafood at the old New Concept in Monterey Park.

by Martha Burr at Citysearch

In Short
The new owners have barely redone the dining room of the former New Concept restaurant, which is decked out in pale-gold shimmering curtains, mahogany-toned chairs and an intriguing hodgepodge of Chinese and Egyptian art. And San Gabriel Valley locals flock here to savor the cutting edge kitchen, which whips out treats like shark fin and red clam dumplings, turnip cake in XO sauce, shrimp har gow and pork spareribs. Dinner items feature live seasonal lobster, crab and abalone, fried lotus with pork shank, scallop with mango, and bird's nest soup.

06/01/07

Great Dim Sum!

by fifi12 at Citysearch

Really fresh and great tasting food for a really reasonable price. Everything comes hot just off the stove. Dumplings use big, great quality shrimp, instead of ground shrimp. Crowded, but less noisy than the dim sum places where they push the carts around. Service is great though the servers speak very limited English. Also serves different items such as shark fin and red clam dumplings, in addition to the typical har gow and shiu mai. I found it off an LA Times review and will definitely go back again and again!

• Pros: Quality and taste of the food, Service
• Cons: Would probably be really crowded on a weekend, but worth the wait!