Good food and fun ambiance, but very pricey for what you get. My friends and I wanted just some small bites before going out and this place seemed like it would fit the bill. I'd been to Jose Andres' Bazaar in LA so I knew this place would be pricey but probably worth a try. The dishes are actually pretty straightforward and tasty upscale versions of Chinese and Mexican street food. By upscale I mean gold leaf flakes on the dumplings, oyster in a taco, etc. and tiny portions.
Our group got to share:
- Sui Mai (Traditional 6pc shrimp/pork/water chestnuts/mushrooms/peanuts)
- Dan Dan Mian (hand-cut wheat noodles/spicy pork sauce/peanuts)
- Cóctel de Camarones (fresh shrimp/jumbo lump crab meat/tomato/avocado)
- Papas Fritas (fried potatoes with mole poblano/Mexican cream/queso fresco)
And I got for myself in addition:
- Viva China (soft beef tendon/Kumamoto oysters/scallions/Sichuan peppercorn sauce)
- China Paloma (tequila reposado/house-made grapefruit lavender syrup/soda)
I'd have to say my fave item was that Viva China taco! The beef tendon was perfectly crispy/chewy/fatty and the oyster added an extra dimension to the flavors--very good! All told with others ordering a drink of their own everyone's share came to about $35, which is pretty dang pricey for small bites. The service was also decent so I thought it was worth a try, but next time I'll probably save my $$ for other places.