XLB Wars in the SGV

[FungBrothers]

Seems like nowadays EVERY restaurant in the 626 area are serving the delicious dumplings. Here's a few well-known spots that have taken to the XLB craze.

101 Noodle Express (Shandong style restaurant, XLB are Shanghainese but since XLB are trendy now they gotta serve).

Fortune Dumpling with the $2.99 XLB after spending $10 special.

All the dim sum places serving XLB (despite it not being a Cantonese dish).

I forgot the other example I thought of but MaMa Lu's just opened up their third location in Monterey Park (Lu's Dumplings being 2nd) and I heard it looks much more modern on the inside (perhaps to compete with the super-profitable Din Tai Fung?)

Basically what I'm saying is....

Are their XLB wars brewing? I'm guessing it's a high-margin item with a lot of hype right now (aka non-Chinese money generator) so everyone's gotta carry it on the menu.

Just like 20 years ago not a single Chinese restaurant did not serve orange chicken.

What do you think?

[andrew_eats]

There's a few places near the Hilton Plaza. Nothing in LA comes close to the basic xiao long bao from Nan Xiang in Shanghai, or the hairy crab roe one from Din Tai Fung in China.

[J.L.]

First, welcome to the board.

The topic of XLBs is an old one on this board. The ubiquity of this item on menus in the 626 is not a new phenomenon.

Though maybe the Westside hipsters are just starting to catch on, ironically...

[FungBrothers]

Thank you, JL.

So what's the new cool thing in the 626?

[Bradbury]

The new Huy Fong headquarters in Irwindale. Seriously, have you seen the size of the place? It's like the Sriracha Death Star...

[A5 KOBE]

Snow?

[granadafan]

Addresses?

[TonyC]

Brewing? It's been like this since at least the 2000s. (Bad) Chinese restaurants have been giving away XLB for as long as I can remember.

Kuan's (Montebello) is 1 of the earlier folks on the cheap XLB wagon. They have had "BOGO" baskets since before 2006.

[ipsedixit]

XLB is so 2005.

[TonyC]

So is the beef roll.

All the cool kids have moved on to red yeast pork chop and boba tea lattes.

[ipsedixit]

Beef roll is so pre-Y2K.

[FungBrothers]

Forgive me for my n00bness, but what's popular in the SGV now? What's the new thing?

[ipsedixit]

Overpriced noodle dishes and bread-based concoctions made from mediocre cooks from mainland Chinese on expired F1 visas.

[Johnny L]

Gave me a good chuckle. I'd like to think we are in a transition period though as we start getting more cuisine from other lesser known regions... hopefully?

My biggest hope is that we get an influx of Chinese muslims. We don't have enough lamb skewers here.