Let me tell you that when you try the dumplings from this famed restaurant, you will never look at them the same way. My friend Ana has always raved about this place. I promised to go with her for lunch and drive the long distance so I can experience the dumplings she would describe and go cross eyed over!
Today, my friend Sandi had some business in Monterey Park so I asked several foodie friends where we can go for lunch. All 3 of them told us to go to Din Tai Fung.
We couldn't get Sandi's comatose GPS in her car to work. To make the long story short, we finally got there around noon. There was indeed a line; apparently, there is usually a line. On our way there, I called Ana for advise on what to order. We started with the Pork Rice Bun which didn't look appetizing but was good. We could have split one easily as it was heavy. The pork inside was very good, though we thought it was too much rice.
The Juicy Pork Dumplings were the very best dumplings ever. OMG, OMG, OMG......
When you lifted it with either chopsticks or fork or fingers, you could tell it had liquid in it so I put some sauce and popped the whole thing in my mouth. It just burst like a water balloon with a wonderful flavor. Sandi on the other hand didn't think fast enough even if she could tell there was liquid in it. She bit into the dumpling and liquid squirted all over her. I asked the waiter about the soy sauce and vinegar that was on the table. He explained to us the proper way to eat these dumplings were to dip them in 3/4 vinegar, 1/4 soy sauce and the ginger.
The other dumplings we ordered were the Shrimp and Pork. They were also delicious. I had a system going wherein I pulled it apart with my hands and dipped them in the sauce. We didn't order any rice though we ordered the Pork Fried Noodles which we thought was a good companion for our dumplings. Sandi thought we needed vegetables so we also ordered the Garlic Spinach. This was not as spectacular; I could make that easily so it did not impress me.
We didn't quite finish everything though there were only 2 dumplings left (out of 20) , a bit of noodles (not much) and spinach. I can now understand how Ana can eat 10 of the Juicy Pork Dumplings; so can I.
Din Tai Fung Dumpling House have 2 locations: 1108 S. Baldwin Ave and 1088 South Baldwin Ave.; both are in the city of Arcadia, CA.
I can't wait to have more of those Juicy Pork Dumplings.
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