I just thought the review was pretty funny given all the evidence to the contrary re the venue. Trolls will be trolls.
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Oh my! That review!! Totally Trolling. We went two weeks ago and really enjoyed it, especially compared to the other options in the area. It appears that the neighborhood has also embraced it. When we arrived, it was nearly full, by the time we left, there was a small wait. We were really surprised at how small the place and they are still very much in opening mode as they get a sense of the demand.
We met one of the owners, a nice guy named I think his name was Gary. His wife is the restaurateur. She has had restaurants in Hong Kong and Vancouver. Gary is from San Marino and so they came back to L.A. after their son got into Harvard Westlake. They didn’t want to live and work too far from where he was going to school. They wanted to offer the neighborhood something different but approachable and so they went with this concept. The night we were in, the clientele was a real reflecction of the area. Several of languages being spoken throughout the small room, tables with kids.
The service was very friendly. Although shakey. The thing that got me in the BEST mood when I walked in was the smell of chinese cooked rice. It zipped me right back to my childhood visiting friends homes. Such a warm and welcoming smell. However, although we ordered rice with our dinner… none arrived as they later apologized… They had run out and were just starting to cook more! Further, when we said, forget it (As all our food had arrived…) the rice charge was still on the bill.
Now the food…
We wanted the Secret Sauce Slow Cooked Ribs, but they had sold out by the time we went there (around 7p) so instead we ordered the Szechuan Style Chicken with Chili Sauce. The Chili was slight, but I did love the sauce and the roasted peanuts on it. Although I was totally missing the rice, it was indeed very tasty on its own and a good portion.
We ordered the pork bao and were VERY happy with them. Not gummy but they arrived piping hot. They were a good size, not huge but you did have to open wide for a bite. The filling was quite delicious and juicy. I only took a picture of one because we dove into them as soon as they arrived the table. Between the two of us, we could have eaten another three easily.
They are constantly changing the menu, so be sure to check yelp for the latest one. When we went they had added cabbage rolls on their menu and offered pork, beef and veggie filling. Since we got pork dumplings, we went with the beef filling. However, in a newer menu they seem to just offer the pork.
Neverthless, they were tasty and a bit diminutive. The filling was a little mushy inside, but it made for a tasty bite.
We very much enjoyed the tea service. We didn’t go too out there, although they do offer a varied selection of teas, but we enjoyed our Chrysanthemum Tea and the little glass tea glasses they gave us.
Finally, out of sheer cuteness, we had to order the Panda Lava Bao. And they indeed were pretty darn cute!
Again, the bao was not gummy and the filling was generous! It was preserved egg filling! I am not the biggest fan of this filling, but this version was SO GOOD. Very buttery (Which Gary confirmed they do use). Would definitely order again…
All in all, we were very happy with our meal and would return given we are near the area often and really… REALLY liked those Panda Bao.
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Thanks OP for the write up and the context. I look forward to going there a lot as this is my hood. Also because I just tried an amazing Jiaozi dumpling spot in Chicago called Qing Xiang Yuan which is primed for multi city expansion
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We were there recently. This must be the review the manager was telling us about. Must do a counter-yelp-review because we really enjoy our Qi meals. I’ll do a report soon - for now I’m going with @Dommy’s. 
The claim to fame of our area is it has the two most evenly, “racially, ethnically & religiously mixed” zip codes in L.A. County. We 
It!
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This is the exact reason we love our Church in the area!! Our Lenten Friday Fish Fries are LEGENDARY! LOL!!
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Awesome!
Is this true? That’s awesome.
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dis why i live here
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Hi @BlurA14 -
About 5 years back I went to a small neighborhood function for a city councilman (can’t remember the name). He was listing area statistics and that was the one that stuck with us. We were pretty jazzed. We have an equal amount of everyone.
Happy multicultural neighborhood eating!
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I’m in! 
Came in today and wanted to try some of their dumplings. Only ones they have left at 1:30pm were XLBs and steamed pork dumplings with Szechuan chili sauce. Was told that they recently lost one of their chefs, so they can’t make the larger number of dumplings for the day. One FOH person who appears to be over worked. Been here for 30 minutes, and there are still dirty tables. Hope they’ll be able to get a replacement.
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Thanks for the update!
Coincidentally, that’s me at the table in the upper right corner, having lunch before heading to LACMA for the Qiu Ying exhibit. Yes, the server seemed overwhelmed at times but still friendly and helpful. The food was quite good; I had the steamed dumplings, xlb (replacement for the beef & shrimp dumpling as they were out), and the Szechuan style chicken.
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Qi Steam Kitchen
Against my own advice our first Qi Steam Kitchen meal was takeout. My sweetheart was sick. That means Hot & Sour Soup. “It’s what my mom always fed me when I had a cold.” Mother knows best.
Orange Immunizer - Orange, Mango, Carrot, Ginger
Hot & Sour Soup
Steamed Asparagus w/Sesame
I don’t know why I always believed baby asparagus tasted better than the big ones. I’m now a big asparagus convert. These weren’t even in full season but they were cooked to perfect tenderness with big asparagus flavor.
Szechuan-style Chicken w/Chili Sauce & Peanuts
Having Szechuan in the description made me think this would be spicier. Maybe it’s not always a rule w/Szechuan or Hubei cuisine. The dark meat chicken, cooked in a lite, flavorful sauce was tender with a little chew.
Szechuan Chili Sauce
Everything was helped by the sauce, including the soup I made with leftovers the next day.
Time for the real. The sit down.
Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings
Okay, I could’ve ordered another batch and eaten them all on my own. Totally surprised. The best dumpling I’ve had in a while. The vegetables and wrappers were steamed perfectly and were flavorful even without sauces. I love the thin skins.
Szechuan Chili Sauce & Garlic Vinegar Sauce
Perfect compliments.
Spicy Soy Chicken Wings
The menu is small and nothing seems obligatory. Each dish is thought-out, successful or not. The wings are an example, not an afterthought. Marinated and coated with soy, spices, medium-heat and cooked thru for both tender meat and rendered skin. We’ll probably order them everytime.
Beef Tenderloin w/Rice Powder on Napa Cabbage
I’ve never had this dish and have no reference point but my tastebuds. Visually the moist rice powder on top of thin, colorless beef didn’t spark the appetite. Looks aren’t everything. I think it’s delicious. 
Savory, mild w/the only kick coming from black pepper and the combo of scallions and napa cabbage tasted like leeks. It gave me a childhood flashback of eating mom’s Cube Steak (pounded beef, salt, black pepper, floured, pan-fried & covered in onion gravy).
Black Sesame Paste Bun
The bun was good but overwhelmed the small amount of purée, which lacked deep, nutty, black sesame flavor.
The atmosphere is sparse, made up for by a hospitable proprietor & staff and a cool soundtrack of contemporary hits performed by jazz musicians. It’s nice to see Qi Steam Kitchen humming along with a customer demographic unique to the area.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
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You can probably buy a frozen bag or 2 of those vegetable dumplings
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Edit: 
Perfect! Thanks, I’ll call them!
YES! Fatty Asparagus are the best Asparagus. They are the best ones to grill too.
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Yeah, where have I been? 
wait until the zuckerman farm asparagus starts showing up at the market! get the XL’s or even better the purple. so sweet and juicy!
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