Is Luscious Dumpling moving or expanding?

[raytamsgv]

The website for the Mon-Arc mini-mall on the Monrovia-Arcadia border lists Luscious Dumpling as having signed a lease there. Does anyone know if this is related to Luscious Dumpling in San Gabriel?

http://www.monarccenter.com/

[jahngra]

I went to try to find the Las Tunas location last night- they seem to be gone... is only the new branch open? (NYer searching for SGV dumplings)

[Chandavkl]

Closed Mondays. Perhaps that's the problem.

[jahngra]

but it was nowhere to be found in the plaza, and a new noodle shop where it seemed google thought it should be...

[TonyC]

User error.

[jasongg06]

with the ridiculous lines they have for the food they serve, they won't leave san gabriel

[jahngra]

I went to the address listed on their website- no Luscious Dumpling anywhere in that plaza/strip mall at 704 W. Las Tunas.

[jasongg06]

http://www.lusciousdumplings.com/

their website indicates there are now 2 locations.

try again.

[jahngra]

just saying- has anyone been there recently?

[dreamcast18]

lol....someone didn't update their Iphone Maps app?

[jasongg06]

i was getting to go at taipei bistro and took a pic for you.

still open and bustling

if you still can't find it.. i don't know how else to help u

[ipsedixit]

Are you a fan of Taipei Bistro? I've grown fond of Taipei Bistro's minced meat rice.

[jasongg06]

that's exactly what i got!

i go there and tofu king in arcadia for 滷肉飯

the plus side for tofu king is that i can also get 臭豆腐

[ipsedixit]

Too bad Taipei Bistro only has 滷汁炸豆腐.

[jahngra]

I guess I missed it because it was closed Monday... but I had very good pho at the Vietnamese place in the same plaza...

[TonyC]

Except, the restaurant's still physically THERE even if it's closed. It's not like they remove the sign on Mondays.

[jotfoodie]

TonyC, you really nailed it on the head:) It really irked me to see comments like, ‘no Luscious Dumpling anywhere in that plaza/strip’ and then followed it with ‘I guess I missed it because it was closed Monday’. GO FIGURE !

[jahngra]

OK OK I'm sorry I screwed up- the place was dark- I'm from out of town- so shoot me why don't you. I walked up and down the damn strip mall and the sign was probably above me. Are you perfect?

[jahngra]

and I was looking for a place I assumed, wrongly it seems, that would open. I was trying to find it after a full day hiking in the desert and a five hour round trip drive it was late. When you come to Flushing to visit and looking for the killer places in my neck of the woods, I will show you a little pity.

[ipsedixit]

Understand something, jahngra, we *have* already taken pity on you.

You should see what happens to folks we don't take pity on.

[bulavinaka]

ipse's being nice to you (yes, this is considered nice for ipse). If you're not familiar w/ the LA board, ipse's the Don Rickles of taskmasters here. :-P

[raytamsgv]

Of course we'll show pity. But first you must start penance by eating some high quality dim sum at Sea Harbour or Elite. Then you must finish with the house special crab at Seafood Village.

[jahngra]

I fully (and gladly) accept my punishment...

[TonyC]

OTOH, some of us knows exactly which grocery store on Main to get the best 3-item steam table combo (needed when your dinner date cancels), as well as the latest time to get the dou fu fa at the Roosevelt flower store.

It's funny a Chower so adroit at navigating the craziness that is Flushing's Chinese scene somehow missed such a large (versus say, 朱記) dumpling house in the SGV...

Instead of Luscious, one should've just crossed the street to Kingsburg and had a better experience.

[liu]

We ate next door on Saturday morning and the lines were waaaay out the door. The few waiting patrons we talked with were happy to wait!

[lileor]

Went by tonight for takeout around 7 and it was bustling. It's a fairly small space with only 6-7 tables. The waitstaff looked high school/college age and they all spoke English (plus for me as my Mandarin is atrocious).

Got the chive dumpling + stewed pork noodle soup combo and a large stewed beef noodle soup. The dumplings were good, but nothing spectacular. The stewed fatty pork, however, was outstanding. The beef in the NRM was very flavorful. Bok choy in the noodles were subbed with shredded cabbage.

They didn't seem to be out of anything, but they did note that the guo tieh would take 20 minutes since everyone eating in had ordered them and they had run out or something.

[Johnny L]

Was there for the 2nd time in a week today and they are still running out of items close to closing times prior to lunch and dinner.

A little bit annoying but luckily for them mostly everything on the menu is good or I would have been a little bit peeved.

[ipsedixit]

That's their M.O. It's always been like that even in the SGV location.

[Johnny L]

I know, that's why I was sorta hoping that this location would be better.

[ipsedixit]

"Better"?

How so? That's how they do business.

[Johnny L]

That may be true but doesn't mean I can't feel annoyed they run out of stuff constantly. At the same time I'm not surprised since Chinese/Taiwanese restaurants operate on razor thin profit margins so food waste an important factor. Still I was hoping with the higher turnover of seats they would produce more food too. When I went for dinner 3 of the things I wanted were crossed off in addition to some other items too.

[ipsedixit]

Go earlier.

[Johnny L]

That's impossible I'm a 25 year old procrastinator I never show up to dinner or lunch early.

[ipsedixit]

Go at 5 and consider it a "procrastinator's lunch". :-)

[Johnny L]

Wow I rarely drive into Monrovia so I did not notice there will be a Hong Kong supermarket.

+1 for Luscious Dumpling, hopefully it will be bigger and take credit card! Very excited.

-1 for HK Supermarket, among the Chinese chains dislike them the most.

[Peripatetic]

> hopefully it will be bigger and take credit card

And not run out of everything except tea by 7pm.

And not use half of the cramped dining room as a storeroom.

I used to love Luscious Dumplings, but on recent visits I've felt more like a "mark" than a customer.

[bulavinaka]

Yup - what you said. They must be the envy of many other businesses for their customers to be willing to put up with this. Unfortunately, I occasionally put up with this because of those pan-fried pork dumplings...

[Johnny L]

LOL so on the mark here! I stopped going more recently because they close so early and if you get in as the last table expect half of the stuff to be gone.

Although I don't hate on them for that I see it as a sign of quality in some ways but it is still frustrating when 2 of your favorite things are out. As long as they keep the same quality I'm all for it.

[Peripatetic]

The quality is still very good. I just feel they are being contemptuous of their customers. Father's Office doesn't provide ketchup? Fine. Handsome Coffee Roasters doesn't think you should use sugar? I can live with that. But I really don't like being sat at at a table wedged next to cases and cases of produce and then being told all the things I can't have because they didn't make enough of it for fear of having a single dumpling left over at the end of the evening.

[Kitchenace]

Just read this 8 months later and had to sign up just to reply. Contemptuous? Seriously? They're a mom & pop restaurant and run it as such. They make good food and run a popular restaurant. If you don't like it, if you need more "ambience" in your San Gabriel chinese food then I encourage you to go somewhere else.

[Chandavkl]

If it isn't, somebody is in for a big lawsuit. Also it looks like the developer is dealing with established tenants.

[Wagonboy]

After 3 or 4 they do feel as though they're expanding. And moving, but slowly.