Hey all, I’m fairly new to the LA area and have been lurking in the background mostly watching and taking notes!
Have a craving for shengjianbao (and xiaolongbao)… any suggestions on where to go?
Thanks!
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Welcome to FTC! There really aren’t too many quality options IMO and I’m sure some will disagree.
Kang Kang Food Court for shengjianbao
Din Tai Fun for XLB
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As @moonboy403 mentioned above, Kang Kang is probably the most widely acknowledged favorite for shengjianbao.
I also really like the ones at You Kitchen, and I have often seem them as a special at Hui Tou Xiang, which is another general dumpling favorite of mine. I’d recommend the same two places for XLB, tbh.
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Welcome!
Any part of town?
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Thank you!
Any part - I kind of expected the recommendations would be in Alhambra, San Gabriel.
Assuming @moonboy403 meant Din Tai Fung there are a number of different locations around town, Locations - Din Tai Fung. There is always a line at most of them. I was down in Costa Mesa for some reason and was able to walk right into the one there.
Long Xing Ji for me for xlb.
For the 'gram?
Courtesy of Yelp
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not sure the point you’re trying to make yet. surely DTF is way more of a gram spot
I jest!
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I’ve found the newer DTF’s, at Century City and Americana, have issues with their wrapper quality for XLBs.
Never had that problem at the old ones in SGV but I haven’t been to the new restaurant at the Arcadia Mall.
xiao long bao, Shanghai Dumpling House, Mama’s Lu.
sheng jian bao, I like Kang Kang’s for flavor, the one at Shanghai No. 1 was almost too perfect looking to eat, but good.
Was Shanghailander Palace another SJB recommendation from FTCers?
I was always under the impression that their stir fry stuff are good but their XLB is sad.
Perhaps there has been a decline since Mrs. Lu closed down Dean Sin World, but I understood that was still their supplier. Perhaps someone can update or enlighten the situation?
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looking for a delicate wrapper and a decent amount of natural tasting broth, my personal favorite is shanghai dumpling house, especially at that price point. mama’s lu: order the XLB & scallion pancake and skip the overpriced canto tourist menu. there are three places in prospect plaza that were stalwarts back in the day J&J, meilong village & happy kitchen. P P Pop has a more rustic wrapper, but at $5.50 an order (unless they’ve since raised their price) they’re a pretty good value. there’s also a place south of the 60 that does a buy one order get one order free, but the second order is made up of all the torn & leaky XLB.
the shui jian bao at tasty noodle in the same mall as golden deli are awfully good. the SJB at the shau may/kang kang in monterey park are better than the one in alhambra IMO. there aren’t many good SJB in LA.
EDIT:
i personally am not a fan, but it’s worth noting that they offer XLB sweetened with sugar, which apparently is popular among some shanghai-ese. the OP is free to try them at his own discretion.
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If one is on the West side Tasty Noodle House on Sawtelle does serviceable SJB. Not great (too doughy and the bottom crispy varies greatly from order to order) but scratches the occasional itch.
are the same lineage as tasty noodle house near golden deli? their pan fried buns are very very popular.
Isn’t Tasty Noodle House like Northern Cafe–the WSGV branch is largely unaffiliated with the others outside the WSGV (except for the new Northern Cafe in Rowland Heights?)