Dumpling 10053: A comparison to other SGV dumpling joints

[chowmominLA]

I don't know if it's because of the Olympics or being too poor for a sushi kick what, but for the past few weeks or so I've been on an SGV dumpling kick. Previously I had been to Din Tai Fung, J&J, Dumpling Master and Luscious Dumpling (and YES I know they are different and not all XLB and maybe should not put them all on the same thread but we're talking VERY generally, Chinese dumplings in the SGV.) Then I tried Noodle House in Monterey Park (twice) and 101 Noodle Express, and today I tried Dumpling 10053. I got the pork pan fried dumplings and the green onion pancake. Here is my list of pros and cons of Dumpling 10053:

Pros:
-Green onion pancake was slightly tastier than at Noodle House;
-The place was a little nicer and cleaner than any of the others except DTF;
-A "B" grade (better than a "C", e.g. 101 Noodle Express)
-Bill was only $10.50 after tax and before tip for a full order of dumplings and green onion pancake;
-Was served tea but not charged for it (exact opposite as some dumpling or dim sum restaurants);
-Was seated right away and food came relatively quickly;
-Was able to order pan fried dumplings although it was somewhat busy, unlike Noodle House or 101 Express. However, the pork dumplings are the only ones that may come pan fried. The rest are either steamed or boiled.

Cons:
-Pork dumplings did not taste very fresh and weren't great;
-Green onion pancake was greasier than Noodle House (which is why they were tastier);
-A "B" grade (worse than an "A", e.g. DTF);
-Being east of Baldwin, it was pretty far. Only DTF is further away.

So maybe I just ordered wrong (should I have gotten the boiled seafood dumplings instead?) but I still prefer Luscious Dumpling overall, for that delicious and inexpensive, pan-fried dumpling/beef noodle soup lunch combo for $6; and DTF if I want more of a variety, and am willing to drive that far / wait in line / pay considerably more for my meal.

I'll only go to Noodle House, 101 Noodle Express or 10053 if it's a Monday (LD is closed) and/or if I'm craving a savory side but am not up to dealing with the drive to/crowd/expense of DTF, and which place depends on how greasy/heavy I want my side to be (little grease = green onion pancake from NH; medium grease = green onion pancake from 10053; a lot of grease/heaviness = the beef roll from 101 Noodle Express.)

My visits to J&J and Dumpling Master were too long ago to compare them to these places, but I suspect from the boards that recent visits wouldn't change anything.

Where should I to go next: Mei Long? Back to J&J? Back to any of the other places and order differently?

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Din Tai Fung Restaurant
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007

Jin Jiang Restaurant
109 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Luscious Dumplings
704 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776

101 Noodle Express
1408 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

Dumpling Master Restaurant
423 N Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754

Dumpling 10053
10053 Valley Blvd Ste 2, El Monte, CA 91731

Noodle House (Mian Hsiang Yuan)
958 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91755

[sidwich]

I like different places for different dumplings: 10053 for their seafood (with sea cucumber) and veggie dumplings, Earthen for fish dumplings (and scallion pancakes), Noodle House for pork and leek dumplings, and J&J for potstickers, veggie dumplings and XLB (which isn't a dumpling...).

[notmartha]

I went to 10053 a while back, and got the seafood and fish dumplings. I found it a bit too bland, as I prefer the pork/juicy dumplings. So for me the champion is still Luscious.

If you ever make it to East SGV you can check out Earthen at Hacienda Heights. They have great green onion pancakes, steamed pork dumplings and fish dumplings (closed Mondays). Otherwise it seems like you really covered your bases, as I don't recall Dumpling Master being that great either. Isn't it the Korean-Chinese one that serves kimchi also?

[chowmominLA]

Thanks NM, I'll have to try Earthen sometime... I have a feeling we have similar tastes when it comes to dumplings.

I don't remember about the kimchi at Dumpling Master, could be....

[raytamsgv]

Perhaps you are referring to Dumpling House in Temple City? It is a Korean-Chinese place, and they definitely serve kimchi.

[ipsedixit]

For my money, Dumpling House has some of the best fish dumplings in SGV.

[chowmominLA]

Thanks Ray and Ipse, I'll try the fish dumplings at Dumpling House next time. Is there a particular fish dumpling to try? Should I get them boiled or steamed, or daresay, panfried?

[ipsedixit]

They only come boiled.

[notmartha]

That's probably it. It's on Rosemead. We went many, many years ago and got the steamed pork dumplings, and the chow ma mein (I think they had hand pulled noodles). We went for the noodles, the dumplings were good, but not as good as Luscious. Never tried the fish dumplings though.

[wilafur]

earthen is good but imo, they tend to over salt/season their dumplings and scallion pancakes. i guess i am in the minority of folks that tend to like less salty/seasoned foods.

[notmartha]

I think earthen's seasoning is on par with 101 Noodle, but much more aggressive than Noodle House or 10053.

I was reading more about supertaster and such, and it's no wonder that there are so many viewpoints about under versus over seasoning, greasy or not greasy.

[wilafur]

yep, it's all about personal preference. =)

[Yumyumcha]

10035 is my favorite dumpling house and I recommend getting the seafood dumpling (it has sea cucumbers in it ) as well as the pork and leek. I also like their beef noodle soup although better can be found elsewhere. Since I prefer my dumplings steamed, that could explain why I like this play so much since its better here than pan fried.

Good luck!

[chowmominLA]

Do you mean 10053? If so, yeah I'm guessing I should try a seafood dumpling next time.

[debra]

Absolutely, the fish and seafood dumplings (boiled) are delish at 10053. We enjoyed the shrimp, the squid, the sole & leek (there were two on the menu, we were routed by chowhounders toward the less expensive option, and it was tasty). I also had a note to steer clear of the salmon dumplings (reported as dry), and we did. They made a mean fried pork chop too. Possibly the star of the show, was a dish of tasty spare rib bites with rice powder, on top of some yam that was so tender if could barely hold itself together. We ordered all of our dumplings boiled as recommended, and with a drag through our own combinations of soy, vinager, & chile oil, we were seriously happy campers. Enjoy!

[slacker]

I like 10053 a lot because of all the dumpling varieties they serve. Pan fried pork dumplings (woh tip) is so common, that's the last thing I'd get there.

[Chandavkl]

I think part of the issue is what particular types of dumplings you prefer. For example, I'm partial to fish dumplings and generally don't eat pork dumplings so I'm more likely to go to Qingdao, Delicious Delicious or Kingburg. In contrast I haven't been to Luscious since they stopped going serving fish dumplings. Dumpling 10053 used to be my favorite when they offered their fabulous scallop dumplings, but since they took those off the menu I don't go there nearly as often.

[chowmominLA]

Thanks, I'll have to check out some of those places (never heard of any of them!)

[Chandavkl]

They''ve all been discussed on this board this year.

http://www.chow.com/digest/5610

[chowmominLA]

Ooohh. It sounds like Delicious Delicious' pan fried fish dumplings are right up my alley. The meat stuffed pancake sounds delicious too. Thanks for the link.

[ipsedixit]

Pan-fried dumplings (gwo-twei) really isn't 10053's strong suit.

And, really, how could you use pan-fried dumplings as a point of comparison for DTF. Sort of like using a hot dog as a point of comparison for judging McDonald's ...

[chowmominLA]

What is 10053's strong suit then?

Not really using pan fried dumplings as a comparison, these are just SGV dumpling places generally. I realize DTF doesn't serve pan fried dumplings.

[ipsedixit]

Boiled or steamed dumplings.