The idea of daily dim sum, something that’s been sorely lacking from the east metro, got many of those of us who love food very excited.

And though they’re not wheeling carts around on weekdays (it’s not busy enough), Tapestry (394 University Ave., St. Paul; tapestryrestaurant.org), the new Asian fusion restaurant in the old Mai Village on University Avenue, is indeed serving a full menu of dim sum (Chinese brunch) twice daily.

We visited on a weekday, and instead of pointing to items on a cart, like at most dim sum places, you order off a large picture menu. The menu offers a wide variety, some of which did not seem to be the traditional small, self-contained bites that usually make up the meal.

The smattering of items we chose was decent to mediocre.

First, the good: Pork shu mai dumplings ($4.95), bursting with a sausage-like filling, were nice little one- or two-bite treats.

We appreciated the burst of bright green from the Chinese broccoli ($3.95), which was steamed just enough. And the Hmong rice rolls ($4.95), which are not something typically found on a dim sum menu, were spot on — basically rice wrappers rolled around some succulent pork, as they should be. We did miss a dedicated dipping sauce for the rolls, though we improvised with some soy sauce and chili oil on the table.

The lotus sticky rice ($6.95), two large portions of sticky rice wrapped in fragrant lotus leaves, was a satisfying accompaniment to the meal.

Unfortunately, there were some forgettable dishes, too. The shrimp balls ($4.95) were bland and chewy, and the steamed pork buns ($4.95), probably the most well-loved dim sum dish, were pasty rather than fluffy.

We wished the stuffed tofu ($4.95) had been fried or somehow given some texture. As it was, the nibbles were mushy and bland.

Our biggest complaint about almost everything was the lack of flavor. We had to make liberal use of condiments at the table to make the meal more palatable. Related Articles The original Mai Tai recipe pays tribute to a friend

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Service was not lightning fast, but we were in and out within an hour, so acceptable for a weekday lunch.

Prices are reasonable for the amount of food served, too. If you’re looking for a quick, easy lunch, the dim sum here is acceptable. Just don’t go in expecting to be wowed.

Small Bites are first glances — not intended as definitive reviews — of new or changed restaurants.