Dumplings!
Sunday, June 19, 2005 15:27After a week of bed confinement, I am back on the mend. I’d like to take this opportunity to send a quick “thank you” out to the friends and family who made sure I ate well even though I was sick. I am probably one of the few people who actually gains weight while ill instead of losing a few pounds. After a week of homemade chicken soup with mashed potatoes, chicken enchiladas, sticky rice in bamboo leaves, turnip cakes, inaniwa (refined udon) noodles at Mishimas, etc. I’m doing much better. The road to recovery though still leaves me desiring particular comfort foods - soup and dumplings. While usually this means a trip to Din Tai Fung, I’ve really missed Dumpling 10053.
To satisfy my soup craving, I usually opt for the Fish Balls Soup (for 2 persons but really enough for 4). It may be a bit bland for some people, but I find it very refreshing. The fish balls are made from rock cod and are very delicate. They are the source of the flavor of the soup, intermixed with some cilantro. Especially for people who are trying to rebuild their immune system, this soup is for you.
One of Dumpling 10053’s signature dishes has nothing to do with dumplings whatsoever, the Steamed Pork Spare Rib with Rice Powder. Buried underneath the ribs are some yams for people who can’t eat meat without potatoes. Although overall delicious, this can be hit or miss depending upon the quality of the ribs. Unfortunately for me, today was kind of a miss, with the ribs being mostly fat and bones. The flavor of this dish though is always on mark. Just be prepared that it can be a little spicy for some people.
One of the reasons why I like the dumplings here is because they are beautifully plump and stuffed. The dumpling wrappers are just thin enough to hold the large amount of stuffing in each dumpling. Today I had the shrimp with tender leeks boiled dumplings, the pork, crab & sea cucumber boiled dumplings, and the vegetable steamed dumplings.
The shrimp with leeks dumplings are so good that I actually enjoy them more than any shrimp dumpling I’ve had at dim sum places. The pork, crab & sea cucumber boiled dumplings are the most flavorful ones on the menu. Other dumpling selections include rock cod, scallop, sole fish with leeks, squid with leeks, salmon, and beef. I haven’t tried them all, but the fish dumplings in general are good except for the salmon. I know some critics have really enjoyed them, but I found them to be extremely dry and flavorless.
One thing I prefer about dining at Dumpling 10053 over Din Tai Fung is the general atmosphere and comfort level. At Din Tai Fung, it is always very loud and busy, and although the service is always exceptional there, I sometimes feel a little pressured by the staff to eat and get out fast because other diners want my table. At Dumpling 10053, there is a line as well, but the staff never brings you your bill unless you are finished eating or specifically ask for it. I have never felt like the staff is trying to rush me out the door. The tables are also spaced apart nicely so it does not feel so overcrowded dining there. I like the fact that, especially with a recovering throat, I don’t need to shout to have a conversation at my own table. Food at both restaurants are quite good, but I definitely feel more relaxed dining at Dumpling 10053.
Additional Tips:
1) Do not wear white… I have 2 soy sauce splatter stains on me right now.
2) Though there is a parking lot, try parking on the side streets instead. The spaces in the parking lot is pretty tight.
Dumpling 10053
10053 Valley Blvd., #2 (2 blocks east of Baldwin Ave.)
El Monte, CA 91731
(626) 350-0188
Closed on Tuesdays, open rest of the week 11:30am-9:30pm
By Pauline (see more of her posts).
SoCalorie says:
June 19th, 2005 at 8:24 pm
Never been here, will definitely try it. Thanks Pauline! Please don’t go to Illinois!
Pauline says:
June 19th, 2005 at 10:24 pm
Sob… sob… I’m not going to Illinois. I’m going to Indiana. Sigh. I’m counting on everyone to keep my favorite restaurants in business and update me on the menu!
Guava says:
June 21st, 2005 at 1:11 am
I like Din Tai Fung, so I’ll have to try Dumpling 10053 too. I’m glad to hear that it has vegetable dumplings too. I kind of agree with you about the sometimes unrelaxed atmosphere of Din Tai Fung. The last time I went I got my dumplings to go and enjoyed them at home.
SoCalorie says:
June 21st, 2005 at 1:16 am
How early do you have to go on the weekend to get one of the 30 house specials at DTF?
Guava says:
June 21st, 2005 at 1:26 am
On weekends, my dining companions have never been able to get the famous little soup dumplings filled with pork broth (No. 56 or 50, I think) after 11:30am or so.
Pauline says:
June 24th, 2005 at 2:09 am
The only way to get the DTF soup dumplings is to be one of the first batch of customers for lunch on Saturday. It’s the only thing on their menu that runs out right away. Some of the baos (or buns) eventually runs out by dinner time. Everything else DTF has plenty of.
By the way, I’ve never ordered anything at Dumpling 10053 to find out that they are out of it. If it’s on the menu, they’ll have it.
SoCalorie says:
July 24th, 2005 at 12:40 am
Pauline! Huge thanks for writing this place up. I went today with a friend around 4:00. The place was empty and because of the off time I was worried that the options would be limited and the food not so fresh.
Neither thing happend. We had the steamed pork spare rib, shrimp and leek dumplings, salmon dumplings, vegetable dumplings and shredded bean curd.
I loved the shrimp and leek dumplings! The stuffing is coarsely chopped so each bite is very flavorful. I thought their dumpling skins were thick but quite tender.
Our spare ribs were mostly meaty. We loved them.
We asked the server what their most pop. dish is and she said the beef dumplings. She said NOBODY orders the salmon dumplings. And we instantly knew why: They’re terrible.
I will definitely go back for the shrimp and leek dumplings as well as the steam pork spare ribs. They’re both incredible.
Pauline says:
July 25th, 2005 at 9:28 am
I thought you were waiting for me to come back in December to go? :)
Well, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed Dumplings 10053 so much. It definitely is one of my favorites. Oh, and yes… the salmon dumplings are the worst things on the menu. Never tried the beef dumplings myself, but if you go back and feel daring, let me know how it goes. I also suggest giving the rock cod dumplings a shot as a replacement for the salmon.
Jeffrey says:
January 4th, 2006 at 10:50 am
My friend Michael L., introduced this place to me. THe rock cod dumplings are my favorite. I tried to replicate it at home but got totally dry tasteless sludge. Uggh! I hear that in order to get the broth of soup, when you eat it, they have to freeze the filling with the soup and then steam it.
Thanks Michael for introducing it to me. But I live in AZ now and it is a purgatory of Asian cuisines.
nealgardner says:
January 4th, 2006 at 11:35 am
Great post!!!
SGV is the absolute best place in the US for regional/specialty Chinese cuisine.
other places i highly recommend: Cocary and Heavy Noodling.
annie says:
September 7th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
i like this place. din tai fung is totally overrated (even the original one in taipei).. at least there’s no wait at this restaurant.
Pauline says:
September 9th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
Annie - Glad you liked Dumpling 10053, but you must have been really lucky (or early) to avoid waiting. On my first visit here, I waited for over 30 minutes for a table. After that first experience, I learned when their rush hours were and always went either before or after those times.
Kat says:
September 11th, 2006 at 10:43 am
Sorry, didn’t like this place. Service was terrible - the waitress ignored several of our attempts to flag her down and when she finally acknowledged us, it was from 8 feet away. I guess she was expecting me to yell above the din of the noisy restaurant. We started with the marinated tofu which was very bland. The beef noodles were terrible - soggy, overcooked noodles, bland soup, and beef that was chewy like an eraser. Pan fried dumplings were so-so - not crispy enough and not enough juices. We also ordered a veggie dumpling and that was the only thing that sort of tasted good.
Pauline says:
September 12th, 2006 at 5:38 am
Kat - Sorry to hear you didn’t have a great experience there. I have to admit, with the exception of the vegetable dumplings, I have never tried any of the items you ordered. Now I know to stay away from them! Thanks for the heads up. If you ever do consider giving them a second chance, I recommend ordering some of the items I listed in the review. Those are their best selling items. As for service… eh… that’s hit or miss. Sometimes it’s really good… and then there was the time I went during the world cup, and the waitress was so engrossed in a mini tv someone brought to the restaurant that I almost flew out of chair from how hard and how long I had to flap my arms to get her attention.
MeltingWok says:
January 10th, 2007 at 12:58 am
Thx, I have totally missed this post & so glad I enjoyed it :)