Cho's Mandarin Dim Sum, Palo Alto

After our lunch at Shang Hai Taste Delight, we swung by Little Shanghai a couple blocks away with the intent to do a taste comparison of xiao3 long2 bao1. To our surprise, the building is vacant and no signs that Little Shanghai has relocated.

Bent on our taste test, we then headed over for a first visit to Cho's on California Street. This small storefront has had a couple mentions here on Chowhound and was featured in the Chron's list of bargain meals.

A six-piece order of small pork dumplings was only $3.25 and served with some red rice vinegar with a little bit of chili. We ate in at one of the 4 tables.

Unfortunately, this sampling didn't give us anything to be excited about. The wrappers were too thick and had a doughy texture. The filling was coarsely ground and lacked the creamy mouthfeel. Also, there was no soup inside... dry as a bone.

We spotted some pot stickers at the next table. While we didn't taste them, these looked to be thick and doughy too.

Since these two dishes are supposed to be the strong suit here, what's the big deal?