Dim Sum in LA

The wrinkled, slightly translucent dumplings that usually have minced water chestnut, peanuts and greens in them along with the meat.

IIRC they do another egg renditiion with their ā€˜ā€™ā€˜lavaā€™ bun but overall the china red menu is actually quite limited compared to other places in terms of selections.

the plus side of that is that they donā€™t spread themselves too thin by trying to do too many things and having it affect quality adversely.

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Yes, we ate there on a Wednesday and the quality was high across the board (and the place was packed too). Still canā€™t justify the longer drive given the existence of Sea Harbour or even Lunasia.

eater holding it down once again, looks like IXLB is coming online shortly.

paging @chandavkl

The two primary Asian-American members of our recurring Food Posse will happily refer to themselves as ā€œOrnamentalsā€ ā€¦ though thatā€™s generally in in-group conversation.

A bit (very) off-topic, but internalized racism can run very deep in some peopleā€¦

Hopped over to King Hua for dim sum today while we were doing a mooncake haul. I figured the wait there would be less than other places since it was around 11:30. While the dim sum was quite good, I noticed some shady waiting queue system. We arrived, got our number, and hung out inside by the hostess stand next to the wine cabinet. As I noticed people arriving way after us, they didnā€™t receive a number and were seated almost immediately after a scant wait by the plant next to the wine cabinet. I recognize that this can happenā€¦I was just taken aback by how oblivious they werenā€™t trying to hide it at all. One of the guests just beckoned to one of the FOH staff that the table being cleared off was just fine.
While I know I shouldnā€™t be surprisedā€¦I still am. Iā€™m a regular at a few places, but I never expect (nor do I ask) for special treatment.

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When I am a regular, I expect, but do not ask, for special treatment.

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Never been to King Hua. Do you know if those folks had reservations (or a huge party)?

King Hua does have an on again, off again, reservation policy, so thatā€™s a logical answer.

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@paranoidgarliclover I think they have reservations for large partiesā€¦but I could be wrong. These parties being seated were parties of 4 or less. Thatā€™s why I thought it rather unusual.

@ipsedixit I donā€™t expect it nor do I ask, but I also donā€™t turn it down when offered :slight_smile: However, I wouldnā€™t feel right skipping the line knowing there are folks who have been waiting.

I believe King Huaā€™s reservations are less stringent than Lunasia, which requires 8. But I donā€™t know what the cutoff is.

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It appears the answer was on their website all along. Reservations for parties of 6 or more onlyā€¦so Iā€™m pretty sure what I saw today was obvious special treatment.

Bleh. Sorry about that experience. :frowning: Hope all the mooncakes wipes the bad taste out. :slight_smile:

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Really?

This is no different than TSA Precheck, or separate security lines for those passengers in First/Business class, at the airport.

This isnā€™t cutting in line. Because the folks who got seated first are in a different line.

Sorry, @ipsedixitā€¦I donā€™t see TSA pre-check and first/business class as being the same thing as shirking the waiting queue at a restaurant.
While I recognize that there are some folks who wouldnā€™t mind skipping the wait at their favorites haunts, Iā€™m sadly not one of themā€¦it just doesnā€™t sit right with meā€¦but everyoneā€™s different, right?

No one is shirking anything.

Just like those with PreCheck are not shirking taking off their shoes. Those who do not have to wait in a line at a restaurant are similarly not shirking the regular hoi polloi line.

Maybe one considers it special treatment, but it really is just different treatment.

If a person wants different treatment, they can either pay for it or earn it.

Itā€™s like that barista at your favorite coffee shop that youā€™ve been going to daily for that past 5 months. Sheā€™ll give you that extra shot of espresso in your Americano gratis because, well, youā€™re a regular. While everyone else who orders up an Americano and wants an extra shot of espresso has to pay for it. It is what it is.

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lines, aint nobody got time for that.

of course. being a regular at king hua might make you one of a group whose size is a multiple of the total seating capacity.