• Chinese Food,  Lunch,  Reviews

    One Dim Sum

    On my way into downtown yesterday, I came across the signage to this restaurant driving down Gray. I knew of the Michelin-Starred Dim Sum restaurant heading into Katy Asiatown, but had no clue this was even in the works. Apparently the former sous chef of Yauatcha has found a new home in what was once Maba Pan-Asian Diner. It was too late for me to stop in last night, so I made it my first stop this morning before I ran any errands. It was a good thing because the place quickly filled 15 minutes into the restaurant opening at 11AM. I was apparently the only Asian who missed the…

  • Chinese Food,  Dinner,  Reviews,  Uncategorized

    Spicy Girl

    I’ve long decided that I prefer Cantonese food to Sichuanese food, but still wanted to try this place out and see how it compared to the other Sichuanese restaurants popping up around town. Visiting on a weekday, I was able to easily find parking and was seated promptly upon arriving for a 7:45PM dinner. Our server was incredibly nice and able to offer suggestions on what to order when I told him I liked spicy but didn’t like Sichuan Peppers. I would have loved to try the 3 course Duck dish ($56), but not knowing if I would like the quality of the food, I didn’t want my first meal…

  • Chinese Food,  Dinner,  Reviews

    Wanna Bao (Take 2)

    I couldn’t stop thinking about their scallion pancakes so I made another visit to Wanna Bao — this time in the evening right as they were opening up for business. Since I had multiple dining companions with me, I was able to order and sample more items off their menu. The pancakes were on point and will be a staple order whenever I dine here. Unlike the previous dining experience, the shrimp soup dumplings arrived within 10 minutes of ordering. They were flavorful, but comparable soup dumplings CAN be found in Bellaire. I do, however, like the option of having authentic tasting dumplings near work. The Jasmine Tea Smoked Duck…

  • Chinese Food,  Lunch,  Reviews

    Wanna Bao

    Having seen the restaurant show up repeatedly in my social media feeds this week, I decided to stop by for lunch today. They have a fairly decent parking lot that accommodates around 20+ cars, but all those spots were taken at 11:40AM. Add to it the Midtown construction and neighboring streets with the no parking signs, and the whole ordeal made for a stressful parking situation. The restaurant was packed and it took a good 5 minutes before the hostess sat me. It was then I realized that they were severely understaffed with only 2 waitstaff serving the entire restaurant and the hostess doing double work. I was given a…

  • Japanese Food,  Lunch,  Reviews

    Kura Revolving Sushi Bar

    The last time I had conveyor belt sushi was well over 10 years ago in Japan, so I was really looking forward to seeing how Houston would emulate the concept. I know this is not the first restaurant of it’s type to arrive in the city, but it was the first that was convenient to visit. The automation process was incredibly hypnotic to watch, especially when you ordered a special item on the touch screen and a Japanese female voice announced it’s arrival on the the secondary conveyor belt several minutes later. The ramen was cheap coming in under $6, but it tastes about as unique as the frozen ramen…