Din Tai Fung - so much more than XLB.
Noodles with minced pork sauce.
I don’t recall when I last went to DTF and actually ordered any of their XLBs, but it’s been a while.
I found the ones at this location to be quite underwhelming.
Okay, I’ve got to go to one of the Seattle ones in a couple of weeks. Those were so, so good. But then I have little to compare them to.
Would have to agree had lunch there last Friday and the xlbs were pretty poor maybe they didn’t bring the sifu in to train them properly
Highlights were pork chop fried rice and hot and sour soup
Not sure if we got lucky or what, but we hit the Century City location for a late lunch last Thursday and were very pleased with the soup dumplings. These were a step above other Westside options, including Tasty Noodle House. The skin was very supple and did not stick or break. Beef noodle soup was also quite tasty.
I like the food here, but the ambience not so much. The layout is awkward with odd sight lines, and the lighting is too bright. Sitting at the bar has you staring at a wall, and it feels like a dead space next to a kitchen door.
South Coast Plaza is much nicer.
How does the line compare to the South Coast Plaza location? Sometimes the wait at that one can just be ridiculous…
The line seems to move faster in Century City, but dinner time at both is a similar wait, with CC a bit faster, in my experience. However, there is better browsing while waiting for the beeper summons at South Coast. So much fashion. 
But the people watching in Century City can be… fascinating. 
DTF has the best XLB on the westside, I reckon.
But they aren’t so awesome compared to what you can get in SGV. I think the XLB at DTF are well made but kind of bland.
Where do you go for your dumplings?
Oh man. I’m so not the guy to bother asking.
But I like Mama Lu’s or Hui Tou Xiao the most.
I remember liking J and J, but it’s been a little while.
I also remember really liking Mei Long Village, but it’s been a lifetime since I’ve been.
It’s hard to find a better constructed XLB than DTF, but I just don’t think they taste like much. Now that there is a DTF on the westside, I’ve had DTF way more often. I think any of the above have a deeper flavor.
But really. I’m no expert. I only know what I enjoy.
Those two were our go-to places as well. It’s been a long time for us too. The problem with both was, unlike DTF, the xlb weren’t so well-crafted in our last few tries. The last two or three visits at each left us disappointed with leaky overcooked examples.
We should go back and try them again. But Shanghainese cuisine has been drowned out for us by Northern and Central Chinese cuisines for now.
Too true! Wish there was more shanghainese around. My favorite kind of Chinese food!
Yep. I finally got in the habit of sending orders back at Mei Long Village. HTX has been pretty consistent for me lately. And the best part of Mama Lu’s is taking a bag or three of frozen dumplings home.
The XLB at DTF suck.
Hey. You eat a plate of XLB from the likes of ROC Kitchen and you will beg for some DTF XLB.
That said. Fair assessment.
At CC only?
When people do that, I can literally feel the ground shaking from Darwin turning in his grave.
