Which places have you gone in LA, and which dim sum items at Dragon Beaux are “non-traditional”?
With the caveat that I have not gone to Dragon Beaux, looks like SF prices, but otherwise doesn’t look that remarkable (though the prices are certainly high, even compared to the higher end places in LA).
elite, sea harbour, dtf.
items from the specials section, mushroom and truffle bao, abalone tart, duck burrito, xlb, desserts…
Fish Chip Red Rice Roll, XO Pan Seared Rice Roll…
Well I still don’t know why people would lump DTF with Cantonese dim sum places as DTF is not Cantonese dim sum and shouldn’t be treated as such in my opinion…
But I’d also say Dragon Beaux > Koi Palace. At least at Dragon Beaux the waiting process is much more simpler and straightforward and I’ve never had to wait more than 45 minutes for a table. Other inventive items include the chilled honey bitter melon, bitter melon and chicken rice roll, sea cucumber and fish millet congee, etc.
Their hot pot is also good, by the way. It’s also the only really Cantonese hot pot in the Bay Area (or dare I say the US?).
Yank Sing first started serving XLB’s. People gradually associate it with dim sum. I notice this when reading Yelp reviews from Bay Area Yelpers.
In SGV, we don’t really do that. If you want XLB, you go to a Shanghainese place. DTF is not dim sum, it is Taiwanese style Shanghainese food.
It’s not strictly a bay area phenomena. I’ve had XLB during dim sum in Singapore. Some reasons it is popular in the Bay Area include the worldwide popularity of XLB, the lack of quality in local Shanghainese places, bulk suppliers of frozen XLB, and the availability of machines to form the XLB ( that is what koi palace and Dragon beaux use)
If I arrive by 11 on a weekday without a reservation, will I be seated immediately?
I’ve never been on a weekday but i would say yes. But, why not just make a reservation for 11am?
11am reservation request was not available online. I’ll just go and take my chances. Thanks.
We went on a Friday. The place didn’t get full until around 11:15-11:30. If you get there at 11:00 should be ok based on our limited experience. But parking is another matter.
I am #happyasfuck that I found this place. Obscenely well-priced and generally incredible food. Not sure how such a place exists in SF??
#NoReservationsNoProblem
Quail landed as a special. Tender, juicy, crispy skinned and super savory. Whew, we knew we were at the right place when we bit into this bad bird.
XLB are savory, soupy, and nicely done. Though I am a total neophyte here. Quite nice.
Taro buns are bomb as fuck. Sweet, savory, simple and awesome.
I had egg yolk buns too that were deliciously saccharine and savory in conjunction, but my photo seems to have disappeared.
BBQ pork steamed buns were very enjoyable with ample pork and soft chewy bun.
Seafood chow fun is really well done, lovely texture on the noodles, and scallops, squid, mussels, and shrimp seem very fresh. Maybe wouldn’t reorder, but conservatives will adore it.
Taro puffs were incredible. So light and fluffy yet crispy, pairing taro and a bit of pork. Whew…absolutely delicious.
Sesame buns really displayed the saccharine side of sesame profoundly, and had a nice subtle crunch to them as well.
Dude, that fucking pork belly is unreal… not sure if I’ve ever had pork belly skin that crispy. WHEW!!!
The duck burrito is actually called that…amazing. It was a little bit of a letdown as it came out somewhat cold and felt like a kind of lesser version of a beef roll or something, but not terrible or anything.
Scallop shumai were amazing though. God damn. Just bursting with the sweet essence of scallop.
Plain shrimp dumplings were lovely. Just perfectly chewy wrappers and savory shrimp, really wonderful.
The gluttinous pillows, again an actual menu item name, are fucking amazing though. Holy shit. So soft, crispy, savory, and seemingly impossibly flavorful… might’ve been my favorite dish outside of the pork belly!
No more traditional egg tarts, but the Portuguese variety are impossibly good. Like mini saccharine quiche, but better than anything I’ve had in France. Fuck…
Get some tea and sake because why the fuck not?
What a meal!
Love that fucking pork belly
Yeah, the sauces with it are also lovely.
Does this place manage to be in existence in SF by having an expensive dinner? Or just volume? Or what? It seems to be almost absurdly cheap for the quantity/quality of food.
Actually it is a little more expensive than Koi Palace. Their hot pot dinner is more expensive than competitors.
Damn I really need get to this place. Excellent reports all around.
That scallop shumai and crispy pork belly is driving me crazy! I need those like right now.
Would it be premature to call this place one of the best dim sum houses in the US?
It may be the #1 since it’s better than all the LA places that are thought of as the best in the country right?
No.
Yes
