$15 Dim Sum at Gigi's Asian Bistro

Don’t be fooled by the small bites. Our lunch included a small assault of tasty Asian missiles of umami. By the end of the meal, we were certainly ready for the traditional Sunday afternoon nap and in need of stretchy, elastic waistbands.

Ok, now for the good stuff. The slow but steady onslaught of yummyness started with a generous sampling of dumplings. Our favorites were the steamed chicken and ginger dumplings. They were delicate and flavorful with a punch of ginger to get your mouth watering for the next offering. The ponzu dipping sauce was salty, sour, and a tiny bit sweet.

Another notable morsel was the soft, ethereal shrimp dumpling wrapped in a dainty tapioca sheet with a buttery, smooth finish. Bite sized and perfect with the spicy ponzu sauce provided, it was a crowd pleaser and a little pillow of perfection.

The unanimous crowd favorite was bestowed upon the tamarind glazed spare ribs. Messy, sticky, sweet and meaty, the ribs had a liberal amount of tangy sweet sauce coating the perfectly bite size portions. They’re everything you love about Chinese style ribs without the things you hate (being too dry, not enough meat, not enough sauce).

Ok, now for the few negatives. Do not expect bottomless mimosas. Do not expect to get your $9’s worth of mimosa when you order one, and do not let the phrase “let me freshen that up” dupe you into thinking the mimosas are bottomless. Do not let the server convince you that you need anything extra (like the $12 order of fried rice or the $9 order of green beans). It’s not that the extras we were sold into ordering weren’t delicious, because they definitely were amazing. However, the steady rounds of dumplings, spare ribs, spring rolls and wontons were more than enough to satisfy our giant appetites.

So, if you’re ready to kick the brunch habit and try something new (and probably cheaper), head to the Galleria and prepare yourself for the ambush of dumplings and sticky rib goodness that will transpire.