Comfort Food, a la Mainland

It’s rare that the Dark Knight and I find ourselves craving dishes day after day. Boba, perhaps. Lasagna, certainly. A new addition to our list: shrimp toast.

Despite our dissatisfaction with Table 10, we decided to give the eateries at Palazzo another try, this time heading to Mainland for a culinary tour of Asia.

On our first visit, we tried the shrimp toast, grilled pork chop over chilled vermicelli noodles, kimchee fried rice, and duck wontons. The shrimp toast was everything I had been craving for the past five years (no one makes shrimp toast in LA, apparently): deep-fried goodness and sweet, delectable shrimp dipped in a medium-spiced kewpie mayonnaise.


The Dark Knight’s pork chop, though expectedly more expensive than its local mom-and-pop counterparts, was thoroughly seasoned and cooked until just done. The juicy meat and pickled veggies left the Dark Knight sated and happy.

My duck wontons carried more star anise flavor than I enjoyed, but the kimchee fried rice created a nice balance against the heaviness.

We also tried their alcoholic milkshakes—vodka and lychee for the Dark Knight, soju and rose petals for me. After first sips that left us reeling from the heavy alcohol content, the rest of the drinks smoothed out. Finally, by the end of the meal, we were slurping the last dregs of our shakes. My drink, made with the ubiquitous Korean alcohol, had a floral aroma from beginning to end of each mouthful. Not too sweet, the intensity of the rose petal infusion was a lovely final taste at the end of my meal. The Dark Knight’s drink tasted just like a non-alcoholic lychee shake, save for that initial sip. Both milkshakes capped off a mostly-wonderful meal.

The next day, we met for lunch at Mainland again, the taste of shrimp toast still lingering on our palates. This time, we enjoyed the toast we’ve been obsessing about, the steamed beef dumplings, and crispy vegetable wontons.

The shrimp toast did not disappoint, and we wolfed it down immediately.

The beef dumplings, tender wrappers filled with pine nuts and grilled steak pieces, surprised us both with the flavor combination. Dipping the succulent bites in a spicy peanut sauce, the Dark Knight and I swooned over the plate between sips of warm sake.

To ensure that we received a serving of vegetables, I ordered the crispy vegetable wontons—deep-fried purses stuffed with shiitake mushrooms, pea sprouts, leeks, and spinach. This modern take on a classic dim sum dish was nicely executed.

And so balance has been restored to the universe: one terrible Palazzo restaurant, two nearly perfect experiences at another. Delish!