Pingtung Eat-In Market, Dim Sum And More In L.A.

What do banh mi, ramen and dim sum have in common?

They're all on the menu at Pingtung Eat-In Market, a stylish new restaurant on Melrose featuring walls lined with a collection of purchasable Pan-Asian groceries.

Usually, that level of culinary confusion wouldn't inspire confidence. But owner Li Ping–the woman behind such New York City ventures as Kelley & Ping–takes pains to highlight each item rather than muddle it.

A Japanese chef tinkers on the pork-bone ramen, while a chef recruited from Taiwan focuses on dim sum. The latter is Pingtung's strongest suit.

Outside on a zen-inspiring patio, we shared metal steamer tins filled with plump har gow ($5) and shumai ($5), pan-fried pork buns ($7), and a crisp scallion pancake ($5) better than any we've found in Chinatown.

Other highlights included a flaky fried flatbread stuffed with braised chicken and cilantro ($4), and lotus-leaf-wrapped sticky rice studded with Chinese sausage ($5).

You might not mistake this for your favorite dim sum house in San Gabriel. With no carts, no bustling crowds, and a selection of craft beer and Stumptown coffee, though, we think this is the kind of casual brunch West Hollywood's been missing.