Message: | After becoming immersed in the Religion of Soup Dumplings© while living in New York City, I was worried that my recent move back home to L.A. would leave me longing for New Green Bo, Shanghai Cuisine, or Joe's on a regular basis.
But my first dinner at DTF in Arcadia has given me hope.
While the dumplings at DTF seem to be missing a certain "something" when compared to the three names above (the "skins" seem to be a bit chewy/thick/undercooked), they are excellent and could very well be the best dumplings in SoCal(?).
My wife and I jumped right in and started with the juicy pork dumplings and crab & pork dumplings. I think the crab & pork were either off that night, or they're a bit overrated at this location. (I have also read that lunch-time quality is better than dinner, so...) The juicy pork dumplings (#50) were definitely the best, although I thought they could've been a bit more soupy.
We also tried the shrimp & pork dumplings (#53), which were not soup dumplings, but looked more like steamed gyoza. These were disappointing. I'll give the shrimp & pork shiaomai (#54) a try next time, but I'm not holding my breath.
(As a side note, I love the fact that they give you a dish of ginger per person at the beginning, with a little jar of the dark vinegar sauce on the table. No more asking for "more sauce, please"!)
The Sour and Spicy Soup was great - packed with meat and vegetables, almost the right amount of sour. And the sauteed spinach with garlic was AWESOME. Not to be missed - better than what I've had in NYC.
No. 58 Pork Bun was sadly sold-out, as well as Small Dumplings with Soup. For that, I'll have to make an extra early trip out there.
Biggest drawback - 37 miles from my house! Am I crazy driving all that way for soup dumplings?!
No. |