Bao Dim Sum House

Excuse the darkness of the photo, but the ambiance is hip
and pretty nice, especially for

 Bao Dim Sum House on Beverly has been on our "to try" list for awhile. Who doesn't like dim sum? Dumplings are one of those foods that almost every culture has and most dumplings, truth be told, are delicious! We stopped by Bao on a Friday night before catching a show at Hotel Cafe and were seated promptly. I was first very impressed by the decor as it is not the decor that normally comes to mind when you think of a dim sum house. As you can see, it's dimly lit, with hip hanging pendant lamps, and dark wood. Decor always accents a dining experience, but is not a prerequisite for me- sometimes the sketchier the place, the better the food- i.e- shady ceviche place on Pico mid city, you know what I'm talking if you've been there, and pretty much any Mexican spot in East LA is going to give you the best taco you've ever had, but you may not want to touch anything in sight or even sit in there for that matter, but you should, you may end up with a good story by the time you're done with your pupusa or burrito. Alas, I digress.

Let's talk dim sum, shall we! Bao does a happy hour throughout the restaurant DAILY from 5-7. We luckily made it in before the end of the window, so we ordered more generously than we needed to and took quite a bit to go.

Crispy Scallion Pancake

I don't know how I've made it this long in life without trying a scallion pancake, but I am thankful that I finally have, so good!

Juicy Pork Dumplings

This was the highlight for me- almost like a soup dumpling, with juicy pork and broth inside. Very good!

Spicy Shrimp Dumpling

I could have actually gone without on this one.

Chicken Pot Sticker

This was a pretty taste dish, there were 3 of these, but we were very hungry and ate 2 before I could even think about getting a picture. This was very hearty and flavorful.

Chicken Stuffed Mushroom

Yummy, but similar to the above pot sticker. Again, hearty.

I love a BBQ pork bun, cha siu bao to be more authentic. This was really good. Very light bun, and nicely flavored pork inside. I could eat a lot of these!

Steamed BBQ Pork Bun

Crispy Crab Claw and Shrimp Ball

These were tasty! A little greasy as you might expect, but good. More shrimp than crab, and I was really hoping for the crab.

A peak inside the crab and shrimp ball

Shrimp Spring Roll

This was good and I love the sweet chili sauce it was served with. I'm getting hungry again...

Milk Bun

Hello sweet, sweet surprise! I didn't know what I was ordering when I asked for this. The waitress said it was dessert and "very good"- she was right. The bun itself is soft and sweet with an ever so slightly crispy outside on the top. The custard inside was really good. This was a very light and excellent end to our meal.

Creamy custard lies inside

Have you been to Bao Dim Sum House? Where do you go to get your dim sum fix? We've been to places in China Town which are great, but this was perfect considering how close it is to us, and I love the happy hour deals!