Also fair. But in my defense, I only ordered them one time.
And XLB are nice and all, but maybe we would all be better off if we moved on to more interesting pastures.
Back in my CH days I made XLB. Once. They were good but not great. And an enormous amount of work. So I really do appreciate them 
Forgot to mention, we got chicken dumplings too. Also very tasty. The chicken flavor really shone through.
I mean, I think they are a’ight. I’m happy enough to order them.I don’t think they go so far as to suck and I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum.
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Does anyone order them more than once from ROC?
I was forced to eat them a second time when I went out for a work lunch. They were improved from b/ but still pretty bad.
While I like J&J the best, I think DTF are totally fine. And, on the westside, maybe kinda/sorta our only viable option.
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I like dtf xlbs just fine but I’ve been to century city dtf twice and the xlbs at that location have been very very bad
I find the XLBs at DTF lacking in flavor outside of the locations in the SGV. eLoong in Westlake Village make XLBs with a wrap that’s almost as thin as DTF’s, but like DTF, I found them under-seasoned.
Um you need to head out to SGV, particularly east of the 605. There are a bunch of Shanghainese places including Shanghai No. 1 Seafood, Shanghailander, Southern Mini Town, Shanghai Restaurant, Shanghailander Palace Long Xing Ji, Shanghai Dumpling House, and S&W China Taste, to name a few.
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I was pleasantly surprised based on the negative reports. I was thinking it might have something to do with the fact it wasn’t very busy (no line, seated immediately, etc.). To clarify, what was so bad about them?
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I found the meat fillings to be bland, no seasoning; and the broth gelatin to be too mildly seasoned.
Sure, they’re not the best I’ve ever had. But that seems a far cry from “very very bad.”
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A friend who spends about 3/4 of the year in mainland Asia - the majority of it traveling in China - described Shanghainese cuisine as (comparatively) mild - almost bland. And he got the impression that the more mild/bland, the more desired/expensive (or vice versa). Much of the more higher end places he ate at seemed that way. Just assuming this has some comparative truth to it, do you think that the varying degrees of mildness in flavor are just stylistic choices of Shanghainese chefs/cooks?
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DTF is Taiwanese, and the thing is, I didn’t find the XLBs at the DTF Arcadia locations to be bland, nor did I find them bland at any other Shanghainese place that makes them out in the SGV.
They have been relatively cold (not piping hot) relative to other DTF locations. And on one visit 3 of the XLBs had exploded with the juices coming out of the wrapper which I have never seen before at any other DTF location.
Maybe I just got lucky then. I don’t recall any damaged XLB. I don’t actually like super hot (temp) food, but, had then been relatively lukewarm, I imagine I would’ve remembered. Maybe they’re working out QC issues (I’ve only been to DTF CC once).
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Yes, DTF is Taiwanese (I think that is common knowledge on this board), but the xlb are Shanghainese. So I’m wondering if xlb is supposed to lean toward subtle because of the Shanghainese roots?
Like I said, they’re more flavorful in the SGV, even the DTF locations.
Traditional Shanghai cuisine is a subset of the larger gastronomic tradition of China known as Benbang cuisine (the cuisine of neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangsu). The general ethos of Benbang dining is to “do less” to the starting ingredients, in order for their natural flavors to shine through. Delicacy is valued here, and so is the emphasis to have less “strong tasting” dishes.
Taiwan (post-1949) is home to people from all different regions of China. I read somewhere that Din Tai Fung has always “erred” on the side of more subtle flavors in its preparations, precisely so that there’s more of a “blank canvas” for the waishengren ( 外省人 ) customers in Taiwan to adjust tastes accordingly (e.g. Sichuanese diners will add more heat, etc.)…
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Thank you - appreciate the thorough response.
But it is fair to say that DTF is a Taiwanese developed/founded restaurant serving (mainly, but certainly not exclusively) Shanghai inspired foods.
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