Palette Dim Sum (Tustin, CA)

Palette Dim Sum & Seafood
3015 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA 92782
949-288-8806
www.palettedimsum.com
Thu 10/01/2026, 07:30p-09:20p





Back in 2011, I paid a visit to Daly City's Koi Palace (鯉魚門, lǐyú mén, Lei Yue Mun, or "carp gate"), and walked out of that meal thinking that it was likely the best dim sum spot in the state, if not the country. I haven't been the only one to feel that way. The place was opened all the way back in 1996 by brothers Willy Ng and Ronny Ng, and has firmly established itself as a bastion of Cantonese cuisine, achieving widespread acclaim from both near and afar.

Koi Palace's success eventually led to a second location at the Thunder Valley Casino, which opened in 2007 (but shuttered in 2012). This was soon followed by a Dublin outpost in August that year, which was joined by the more casual Just Koi, a.k.a. Koi Palace Express. The fancier Dragon Beaux debuted in San Francisco in February 2015 (in partnership with Xia "Jenny" Huang), and was quickly followed by a Koi Palace in Milpitas that October. Koi Palace Express locations at SFO dropped in June 2016 and May 2017, while another arrived in August 2022 at the Sky River Casino. Finally, we have Koi Palace Contempo, opened in Cupertino in December 2022 with a more condensed menu.

In addition to Koi Palace, the Ngs have specifically been trying to target a wider demographic with the more approachable Palette (彩碟, cǎi dié, or "color disc") brand of restaurants. The first was Palette Tea House in San Francisco's iconic Ghirardelli Square (March 2019), while next came Palette Tea Garden in San Mateo (July 2020) and Palette Tea Lounge in Las Vegas (October 2023). The subject of this post, Palette Dim Sum, was launched in December 2025 at The Market Place, while the group's latest venture is Palette Dim Sum & Lounge in Folsom, which opened back in September.

Given how much I enjoyed Koi Palace, I'd long hoped that a location would come to the Los Angeles area, and while that hasn't quite happened, Palette is pretty much the next best thing, hence this visit.



Palette occupies a Tustin/Irvine Market Place building that once housed Wokcano, and before that, the site was home to a location of Red Robin. The restaurant is divided into two distinct sections: a bar/lounge area and the main dining room. Note that the photos above were taken at the end of the night, with most people cleared out.


Here we see Palette's menu, which comprises a brief selection of diǎnxīn items along with sundry other crowd-pleasing Chinese staples. Also pictured are the evening's specials and beverage selections. Corkage is $30 per bottle ($100 for liquor). Click for larger versions.


Lobster Ha Gow / 龍蝦餃 [$16.00]
Up first were the lóngxiā jiǎo, which did a commendable job conveying the crustacean's signature sweet-salinity (aided by those pipettes of lobster butter, no doubt). However, the lobster was chewier than I would've liked, while the wrappers could've been sturdier.


Abalone Mushroom Lotus Rice / 鮑魚糯米雞 [$10.00]
I quite enjoyed the bàoyú nuòmǐjī. The xiān wèi offered up by the abalone and chicken was there in spades, augmented by the incorporation of salted egg. The glutinous rice had the right amount of "stick" as well, and offered a touch of countering sweetness.


Tonight's twentieth anniversary tipple was the 2006 Domaine Pierre Damoy Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru. The wine comes to us from a Gevrey-Chambertin-based producer founded in the 1920s by grocer Julien Damoy, one that wasn't particularly well-regarded until it was taken over in 1992 by fifth-generation winemaker Pierre Damoy. The estate actually controls about a third of the Clos de Bèze vineyard, making it the largest single owner in the appellation.

• Initial Impressions: Surprisingly fresh purple berries on the nose, with touches of dried herbs and barnyard. On the palate, assertive tannins and tart, cherry-like fruit.
• After 30 Minutes: I found a bouquet filed with more subdued renditions of that aforementioned fruit, intermingled with a plethora of perfume-y violets. In the mouth, things were driven by bright, fruity notes, but now with a distinctly spicy underpinning.
• After 65 Minutes: Aromas were much earthier and more herbaceous at this point, and in terms of taste, I found a marked pepperiness alongside a nearly candied presentation of fruit and a somewhat more pronounced bit of heat.

Crispy Typhoon Shrimp Dumplings / 避風塘蝦餃 [$12.00]
Bìfēngtáng-style dumplings showed off crisp exteriors and still-tender insides, while taste-wise, they demonstrated the savoriness of the shrimp paired with your typical "fried" flavors and touches of sweetness and heat. I could've used more of that garlic-chili, though.


Braised Stuffed Pork Yuba Roll / 蚝皇鮮竹卷 [$8.00]
Palette's take on xiān zhú juǎn ended up being my favorite dish of the night. I loved the crunch of the bamboo, and how it juxtaposed with the savoriness of both the pork and the oyster sauce--a winning combination to be sure.


The restaurant's logo is actually based off this quintet of complimentary condiments. Clockwise from left:

• Cilantro Jalapeno | garlic, herby, tangy – This was my favorite of the five sauces thanks to how utterly bright, zesty, and herbaceous it was.
• Wasabi Mustard | sharp, tangy, spicy – An unabashedly hot, wasabi-boosted, sinus-clearing mustard that I was quite fond of. A little goes a long way.
• Coconut Ginger | gingery, light, sweet – My least favorite of the fivesome, as I found it overly sweet from the coconut.
• Crispy Chili Oil | crunchy, spicy, umami – Fairly prototypical I'd say, with the additional texture being appreciated.
• House Blend Soy | smoky, savory, sweet – I found this a smidge more intense that your usual soy sauce, which wasn't a bad thing.

Classic Ha Gow / 經典蝦餃 [$9.00]
The har gow was indeed as classic as advertised, featuring supple, translucent skins stuffed with properly briny shrimp.


Black Bean Steamed Pork Ribs / 豉汁蒸排骨 [$8.00]
Páigǔ had that soft-yet-chewy, "bouncy" texture I was looking for, while flavors were savory and porcine, with a relatively restrained contribution from the dòuchǐ. Meanwhile, the squash was a bit of an unexpected accompaniment, contributing a very noticeable sweetness.


Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai / 北菇滑燒賣 [$7.00]
The shāomài were some of the juiciest I've had, and really did a good job displaying the savor and salinity of that pork-shrimp combo, with the mushrooms adding further oomph to the dish.


Assorted Vegetable Bao / 蔬菜包 [$8.00]
Shūcài bāo came out satisfyingly fluffy, and were filled with a pleasantly bitter assortment of veggies, thus serving as a welcomed foil to a lot of the heavier flavors going on in this meal.


Black Truffle Duck Fried Rice / 黑松露鴨肉炒飯 [$32.00]
I'm a sucker for fried rice, and this ended up being one of the better versions I've had in recent times. I was a fan of the extra depth and dimension imparted by the duck, while the rice itself had the texture and stickiness I was hoping for. I got some nice pops of sweetness from the corn, too.


Morning Glory (Water Spinach) – with garlic / 爆炒空心菜 – 蒜蓉 [$22.00]
Stir-fried kōngxīncài had the tender-yet-crunchy consistency you'd want, while I found its combination of bright, bitter, and garlicky tastes rather nostalgic.


Roasted Peking Duck Set / 北京片皮鴨 [$45.00] | Dry-aged, roasted local duck, cucumber, scallion, radish, served with house hoisin, matcha sugar, & momo pancakes
The night's final savory dish was a somewhat reimagined piàn pí yā. I started with the skin, which wasn't as shattery as it could've been, but was indeed loaded with a bevy of deep, heady, anatine flavors, and actually tasted somewhat of ròusōng. On the other hand, the duck meat itself was comparatively restrained, but still showcased this almost foie gras-esque earthiness. Combined with the veggies and sweet bean sauce and wrapped in those stretchy pancakes, it all made for some eminently gratifying bites.


Baked Pineapple Bao / 焗菠蘿包 [$8.00] | hand-kneaded bun, housemade custard, pineapple jam, baked sweet cookie crust
Last up was the bōluóbāo, which ended up being on the house, as my server forgot to take a dessert order. The bao boasted a flaky, crumbly consistency, and the bread's sweetness meshed seamlessly with the bun's creamy filling. A fitting end to dinner.

I left Palette pretty content with my meal, a few minor gripes notwithstanding. The food here's based on classic Cantonese cookery, but it seems the kitchen isn't afraid to mix things up a bit and incorporate some non-traditional flourishes, which generally work and speak to the wider net that this place is trying to cast. Overall, a solid spot for yum cha or just Chinese food in general in Orange County. I could see myself coming back.