I know. See what you did?
…Anyway, look at these sad little things.
They didn’t even give me a spoon. But at this point, do you really care?
I was driving my usual route from work and happened to look left. Okay, it’s “dumpling month”, so why not?
The first warning bell was when I chatted up the cool counter girl, asking how they were doing in that 'hood (Beverly Hills) She said (paraphrasing) “Good. They first tried Japanese and that didn’t do well. So, they changed to dumplings.” Oh boy.
Hot and Sour Soup
It was neither hot or sour; just luke warm, I don’t know what. Sadly, this will not help in @Starchtrade’s quest for a slimy food movement.
Beef Bao
Just no. Instead of doing a tender chicken or a shrimp without pork - in an effort to appease the non-pork eaters they did this clunky beef thing.
I will say this again… With a few exceptions, unless you are willing to pay a fortune, Beverly Hills is a culinary dead zone.
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I feel like this deserves its own specific post as it reveals an entirely new restaurant. Things get swallowed up in these more specific threads!
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ROC - Beverly/Grove Version
Moving farther east, this is a little more like it… kinda’.
I’ll ignore that they list most dumplings as just that, “dumplings” - not good for those of us who want to learn, but hey…
Shrimp & Chicken XLB
I didn’t particularly care for the shrimp/chicken combo. But that’s my problem. They were still juicy & flavorful.
Spicy Chicken Dumplings: that’s all they wrote, so I’ll say, Potstickers(?)
Pan-fried Chicken w/Hot Sauce & Secret Sauce (hoisin/plum?)
The Deliciousness that is Black Bean Paste in Oil
I have a question. Is it okay to request a certain done-ness to the wrappers?
ROC may not be what true dumpling seekers want. But we are sorely lacking in this 'hood and were thrilled when they opened. I was particularly thrilled about the chicken options (savvy addition for this market) Anyway, though the fillings are still delicious, the cook on the wrappings is not what it once was.
Example of what they looked like when they first opened 
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Happy Dumpling Eating!
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Thanks for the report back @TheCookie, and taking one for the team. 
Yah, it sounds just as bad as our visit to their first location in Rowland Heights a while back (it was bad):
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while schmaltz is a wonderful thing, it’s the pork fat that makes XLB what they are… my first thought is that if they tried to find a substitute for pork to accommodate those who don’t eat pork for religious reasons, why did they pair it with shrimp?
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I don’t know. It wasn’t a good combination though. But I do like ROC. Because they offer a variety of fillings aside from pork. I might mention the wrapper thing.
Yeah, I get that about the pork fat in XLB and I actually love pork. It is a perfect food 
. But, as with J_L’s dislike (hatred?) of what these cheap poke places will do to the oceans and the fishing industry - I am horrified about the conditions on the average American pig farm. My dream would be to have a Dumpling spot that uses humanely-raised meat… what are the chances of that? 
I rarely bring this up, because I just think everyone is their own counsel on such matters. So let’s get back to eating!
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OMG… It’s a chain!
Yes, I now remember reading your report. It seems they have a much wider variety at the locale you went to. Unfortunately though, a wider variety of not goodness 
.
Thanks!
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if there was sufficient demonstrated financial demand for it, someone would probably supply it. but i doubt anyone will want to risk spending the money to find out that there isn’t sufficient demand - unless you’re andy ricker.
to make this post about food again, yes, i found the choice of a chicken/shrimp combination a curious one as i actually prefer a fatty pork/shrimp combination to just shrimp alone because without the pork fat, shrimp can be on the dry side. i don’t see a shrimp/chicken texture as being all that aesthetically pleasing, unless one added a lot of schmaltz or something else like maybe corn starch…
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Yeah, I know. It’s only a dream. People would definitely be complaining about the price. They’d have to be perfect.
The shrimp/chicken were juicy enough, but the flavors just didn’t go well together. The shrimp made the chicken fishy.
Life is too short for hatred. I rather liken it to more of a “disdain”.
Exception: I do hate it when places don’t take cash. May those places rot in the lower depths of plastic purgatory, in eternal financial damnation.
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I don’t know how “done-ness” you like your wrappers but I prefer ones that are delicate and not doughy. Last weekend we were at Koi Palace (Daly City) and Beaux Dragon in San Francisco and both places had soup dumplings with wrappers that were soft and very thin. Yesterday I went to Northern Cafe in Westwood for soup dumplings - the wrapper was pretty good but not quite as delicate as the ones we had up north (also not as much soup inside).
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i knew it. you’re a hate-ist. an anti hate-ite.
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Hi @TheCookie,
Regarding done-ness of wrappers, I don’t think it’s an option like with noodles. The issue is that generally the ingredients inside the dumplings are raw. So they have to cook them a certain amount of time to guarantee that the filling gets cooked through.
I think restaurants can get around that by adjusting the thickness of the dumpling skin (and the skill of the dumpling skin maker), with super thin dumpling skin vs. thicker iterations.
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i await the day when a vendor specifies: “apple pay only”
Well, whatever it is you feel about it is now in my head. When I see poke on a menu I’ll think twice. Knowledge is a pain in the a_ _.
P.S. Cash is king!
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Hi @Chowseeker1999 & @blackave -
In my case it was undercooked wrappers. When ROC on 3rd first opened they were scrumptious. They’re still good, but now the top seams are slightly stiff and undercooked. I was wondering if I could ask them to cook longer, but realize it could effect the juiciness of the fillings 
.
I got a little happy with the sauce, but maybe you can see how nice they were at one time.
I know we could travel miles for a perfect dumpling, but it would be nice to have good ones in our 'hood. What to do 
?
Thanks!
Hi @TheCookie,
Ah I see. Wow, yah, if the tops of dumplings you had were stiff and undercooked, that’s a separate issue. Bummer, and thanks for the warning. 
I agree, hopefully there’ll be a nicer place closer to the westside soon.
Oh, @CiaoBob did mention that Benitora (Sawtelle) has a variety of new gyoza now, perhaps you can try them? (Or I’ll report back if we get a chance to stop by earlier.) 
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Mmmm… Love gyoza. Would like to try a place that does more than the standard. Thanks!
Since we’re on the Dumpling thread and @CiaoBob (so to speak), I’ve been meaning to ask you Bob - what makes the wrappers black on the black gyoza?