Din Tai Fung Dumpling House

*Post by Angela.

There are some foods out there that are the equivalents of earworms - not the parasitic organisms (although there is a sort of parasitic element to them) - but the songs. You know what I'm talking about. Those songs that stick in your head and won't let you go no matter what you do. So...stomachworms, I guess, although that sounds terrible. Anyway, for me, soup dumplings or xiaolongbao, miraculous little bundles of meat and soup from Shanghai (the soup is in the dumpling, not the other way around), are the very worst kind of stomachworms. I first encountered this glorious combination of soup and dumpling (my two favorite things!) at Joe Shanghai in New York, and now crave them at all times, yet until recently had no easy access to them. Which is why, when new Twitter friend @toastymuffin suggested heading out to Din Tai  Fung in Arcadia, I was more than happy to make the drive.

We found the Dumpling House nestled in a strip-mall type shopping center in Arcadia, and while we waited for a table in the huge, busy, no-frills almost diner-style interior of the restaurant, I ran across the street to the Chinese bakery to pick up some sweets for later.

As we waited, we were able to watch the dumplings being assembled by a crack-team in the kitchen. I've made soup dumplings at home before, and let me tell you, it is no easy feat (my own effort was only partially successful), but these guys made it look effortless.

Once we were seated at the table, we made quick work of ordering, marking down our selections on the provided sheet of paper, sushi-style. Our first dish was entitled simply "Appetizer," and was a light and refreshing jumble of bean sprouts, mushrooms and greens, tossed in a sesame oil dressing (below).

We also ordered sauteed spinach (below, left) and fresh noodles in a spicy broth (below, right). The greens, which were ordered just to give us a little break from all the carb consumption, were fine, but nothing great. The noodles, though, were a great last minute selection - a simple dish elevated by the freshly made noodles and tasty broth.

We got 3 orders of the main attraction, the juicy pork dumplings (below), 10 little bundles per steamer tray. The wrappers of the dumplings were very thin (as they should be), so it was a little bit of a tricky business peeling them away from the dish and placing them in our spoons.

Once I had loaded my first dumpling up, I nibbled a little hole in the wrapper to slurp the delicious broth out. This is not your typical soup - there's a wonderful thickness and savoriness to the liquid. Once I had assured that I wouldn't be assaulting myself or anyone else with exploding soup, I popped the rest of the dumpling in my mouth, savoring the nugget of fatty pork hidden in the center. Were these as good as the ones at Joe Shanghai? Maybe, maybe not. Didn't matter. I was in heaven. Mark, who was a soup dumpling virgin, liked them quite a bit, but wasn't dying with happiness like me.

We weren't quite done yet (I know!). We also ordered the chicken with rice cake (below). I don't know what I was expected a "rice cake" to look like, but this wasn't it. This was better. The rice cakes were like big, fat, concentrated rice noodles (which I LOVE), and came slathered in a great, hearty brown gravy. This was Mark's favorite part of the meal.

We finished the meal off with some red bean dumplings, which look exactly like the soup dumplings, but instead of porky goodness, were filled with a slightly sweet, very thick red paste. Being a fan of not-overly-sweet desserts, I liked them a lot.  

So, were these dumplings worth the drive? Absolutely. Did they quiet my xiaolongbao stomachworm? Not at all. If anything, the trip to Din Tai Fung only whetted my appetite for the dish. I've heard rumblings that even better soup dumpling establishments exist in San Gabriel Valley. If they're as good as Din Tai Fung, I can't wait to hit them all.

Comments

[Evan]

damn those look delicious.

[Angela]

Go to Joe Shanghai! If you can stand the wait, they are worth it.