Located near the Culver Steps in that bustling, family-friendly part of town, the Fifty One Chinese Kitchen is a wonderful Chinese restaurant that seems to specialize in magnificent dim sum.
“Newly branded, Fifty One Chinese Kitchen is an Asian fusion restaurant established to bring authentic ethnic Chinese cuisine to the Western Hemisphere,” they say online. “At Fifty One, the passion for traditional Chinese, made-from-scratch cooking juxtaposed with reputable Chinese culinary expertise is clearly evident in our innovative wok-style and hand-prepped dishes including carefully-crafted handmade sauces, live seafood, and dim sum favorites. Using fresh farm-to-table ingredients and not a drop of MSG, Fifty One allows you to indulge in hearty, quintessential Chinese comfort food at the heart of Los Angeles.”
Much like the street surrounding it, the atmosphere inside is lively and super friendly. The staff are welcoming and helpful, and you genuinely feel like a guest, rather than just a customer, when you sit down.
The great thing about dim sum, especially when sharing with a friend or family member, is the capacity to order a bunch of things and sample a variety of items. We went in with a family member, and felt comfortable ordering three items.
We started with the Xiao long bao, a small, Chinese bun steamed in a bamboo basket. They’re exquisite too. The soft, pale, bready bun is so moist and full of flavor, you barely need any filling. That said, the seasoned meat is glorious too. Each bite is a tantalizing combination of textures and tastes, resulting in what feels very much like a culinary Chinese opera in your mouth.
Next, we tried the Lo Mai Gai: Sticky rice with assorted meats, Chinese sausage, and shrimp in lotus leaf. This was the star of the show. When opening the lotus leaf, the package of sticky rice and assorted surprises is revealed. It’s like opening a particularly tasty, and very tidy, edible Christmas present.
Each of the ingredients is superb, on their own and in synchronicity with the rest of the dim sum. The meat, sausage and shrimp is all beautifully seasoned, and the rice is perfectly cooked. Again, each bite is a gift.
The Red Bean Buns are a classic Chinese appetizer; the steamed bun exterior is spongy and delicious, while the red bean paste is sweet in a wonderfully savory way.
That was just a fraction of the dim sum menu at Fifty One, and they have a whole lot more options besides. Everything looks incredible.
Fifty One is located at 9450 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232. Contact 310-559-5966 or visit fiftyonekitchen.com.