Palette Tea House, San Francisco

Original Pork Soup Dumpling “XLB” (3 for $10.00) come in a large soup spoon, cheating and a tell-tale sign of mediocrity. Expensive 6/10

Classic “Ha Gow” Shrimp Dumpling (3 for $10.00) were pretty good. Small but lots of flavor. Also expensive. 8.5/10

Wok Fried Gai Lan & Shiitake Mushroom ($22.00) was a very good vegetable dish. Mushrooms were cooked particularly well. Portion size is on the small side. 8.5/10

Peking Duck Set ($44.00} Half duck, momo crepe, classic condiments was legit. We recently went to Z&Y Peking duck and found Palette’s version better. Juicy, not overcooked meat. 9/10

Honey Walnut Prawns (SF, N) ($28.00) Caramelized walnut, yuzu aioli, makrut lime is definitely on the artsy side. The deep fried prawns are battered and placed in a shrimp chip. Odd Aioli flavor. 8/10

Black Truffle Duck Fried Rice ($36.00) Freshly shaved Perigord truffle, shiitake, taro definitely has shaved truffles on top. A heavy dish that can help reduce how many small plates you order. 8/10

Mango Pudding Supreme (V) ($8) Coconut sauce, popping boba, fresh mango & berries was a nice Asian dessert. Not too sweet. Lots of flavor and textures. 8.5/10

Rainbow Prawn Crepe ($8) was good with quality prawns.

Black Bean Pork Ribs with taro ($6) was better than average. Lots of taro down below

Lotus wrap abalone sticky rice ($10) had a nice small abalone on top and an arty rectangular cube of sticky rice. Odd flavor profile. 7/10

Blueberry Sesame Ball ($6) was a nice variant of the classic. Fresh and hot. Also the first thing to arrive. So much for pacing. No longer on the menu.

Roast Eggplant ($9) was simple and pristine.

Chicken feet($5) were a solid version of the classic dish of cartilage and tendons. Not for the squeamish.

Lava Egg Yolk Bao ($5) had 2 medium sized buns full of hot egg goodness.

OK: (Order if you like this dish)

Steamed cha siu Bao or pork buns ($5) was also very average.

Squid Ink Chiu Chow Dumplings ($8) were also pretty standard. No special flavor.

Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
None

Do you agree with our review? Have you found other similar restaurants that are better?