JJ Noodle House-Closed

JJ Noodle House
18303 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights
626-839-9269

I make it a point on every June 5th, to go to a Chinese restaurant, to honor Tank Man. For weeks in late May-early June, pro democracy students protested in Tiananmen Square against the communist Chinese government. Then on June 4, 1989, the Chinese government sent in troops who murdered thousands of those students. On June 5, 1989, Tank Man stopped a column of tanks, that were going to Tiananmen Square. And become a hero to many. The pictures and video have become iconic in the 22 years since Tank Man, stopped those tanks.



The northeast corner of Colima Rd and Fullerton Rd., in Rowland Heights, has a ton of restaurants. The New Diner has already reviewed two restaurants, Feedable BBQ Buffet and Pizza & Chicken Love Letter.




I wanted to try their xio long bao, XLB, $5.95, and got an order. The first thing I noticed about the XLB, was the thicker skin. I like the thicker skin, because it holds the inside contents, much better. The inside contents were, great. The soup was full of flavor, well seasoned, hearty. And the pork was great, well seasoned, cooked perfectly and great. The XLB here rank as one of my favorite XLB.

Service is good. The ladies are friendly and the food arrives quickly and hot. But, they only speak Chinese, and when I tried to call to get directions, they weren't very helpful. This is a cash only restaurant.

I would come back to JJ Noodle House for the XLB, anytime. The next time I come, I'm going to order the scallion pancakes, which looked great.

Luscious Dumplings-Closed

Luscious Dumplings 704 W Las Tunas Dr Ste 4 San Gabriel 626-282-8695 I love dumplings and have been to many dumpling restaurants, in my search for good dumplings. I went to Luscious Dumplings, based on some reviews, but sadly it was a waste of time and money. Chive, pork, egg, and shrimp $6.50, ten dumplings that are boiled. This dumpling barely had any pork, egg, or shrimp. It was mostly chives and the little meat, in this dumpling, was bland and just plain bad. Some dumpling places do overload the dumplings with chives, maybe as a coverup for the lack of meat, and Luscious Dumplings is no exception. Cabbage, pork and shrimp, $6.50-ten dumplings, that are boiled. Another bad, bland, flavorless dumpling. Though they were more pork and shrimp, it just wasn't good. No taste, no flavor, just bad dumplings. Pork with soup, xio long bao, $6.50. The xio long bao is maybe the only saving thing about Luscious Dumplings. The xlb were pretty good, not great, certain not the best I've had. The soup had a good flavor and the pork took some of the flavor from the meat. Though, the skin was a bit thicker than I'm used to. Service was OK but the servers were below average. This is a small place and my table was right next to where the servers are standing. Well, I could hear their entire conversation; from the point spread, to a basketball game, going up, to the nice legs of a female customer. Memo to all servers, what you say in private is fine, but never say anything within earshot of customers. Very unprofessional. I didn't lack for anything, and the food came quickly; that's what I meant by service being ok. I would not go back to Luscious Dumplings again. The prices are high, especially for the bad quality of dumplings and service a complete waste of time and money.

New Taste Dumpling House-Closed

New Taste Dumpling House 301 W. Valley Blvd., #110 San Gabriel 626-282-5953 New Taste was my second stop on the XLB tour, after going to Happy Kitchen. The beef rolls; $6.75, had a thicker pancake, but was cooked perfectly; light, flakey, and not oily. The beef was cooked well, tender and flavorful and they didn't overload the rolls with green onions. The XLB's; $5.95, really lacked flavor and seasoning. I'm guessing this was frozen and then steamed, not fresh at all. I didn't care for this at all. Service, is OK. They do not speak English but they try hard. Now, how would I rank the four XLB in this shopping center? My favorite is Jin Jian, followed by Happy Kitchen, then Mei Long Village; with New Taste ranking last. If New Taste sound familiar, it's the restaurant, where the former mayor of San Gabriel made a fool of himself, that lead to his resignation.

Happy Kitchen-Closed

Happy Kitchen 301 W Valley Blvd#111 San Gabriel 626-284-2619 When I went to Mei Long Village and Jin Jian, I noticed two other places in the same shopping center, that also serves xio long bao. So I made another two stop trip to try Happy Kitchen and New Taste Dumpling House. The xio long bao, $5.99, were tasty, with good seasoning and flavor. The pork was tender, fresh and flavorful. The soup was just bursting with flavor. Something I noticed was that the owner, came out covered with flour, so you know these XLB's are made fresh!! The beef cake rolls, $6.99, were ok, but the pancake was a bit on the oily side. They had too much green onion for my tastes, but the beef was pretty good. Service is OK. But they do not speak English and the husband and wife, who are the owners, will argue and yell at each other in Chinese, right in front of the costumers. Between Happy Kitchen and New Taste Dumpling House, I liked the XLB's at Happy Kitchen, but the beef rolls were better, here at New Taste.

101 Noodle Express

101 Noodle Express
1408 E Valley Blvd
Alhambra
626-300-8654


As readers of The New Diner know, when it comes to dumplings, I love Dumpling House in Arcadia, and in my quest for dumplings in the San Gabriel Valley, I have also think highly of Dumpling House in Temple City.

So when I read about 101 Noodle Express, being among the best dumpling places in the San Gabriel Valley, I had to give it a try. 101 Noodle Express is, just west of Mei Long Village and Jin Jian, on Valley Blvd. but a bit tough to find because the sign is pretty small.




Pork roll;$6.75. I would normally get the beef roll but today I got the pork roll and what a treat. Served warm, this roll was great!! The pancake was slightly toasted, flakey, and a bit chewy. The pork was tender and flavorful, with lots of green onions but not overwhelming. Two huge pieces came with the order. I would get this again, any time.




Pan fried, pork dumpling (10 pieces); $6.49. I wasn't expecting xio long boa, but these dumplings had the juices inside. I was a bit surprised, but I did like this. The skin is thicker than normal; about the thickness of three wonton wrappers. But the pork was well seasoned and tender. I liked the juice, very good flavor, and seasoning.




Steamed shrimp and pork dumpling (10 pieces); $5.99. I normally don't like shrimp and pork dumpling together. But the shrimp and pork dumpling here was great. An entire medium sized shrimp was mixed with the pork. Good seasoning, good flavor. I would order this again.

Service was OK. Part of the problem was English isn't spoken, so it is hard to communicate. I thought the food took a bit longer than normal. But, overall nothing too bad.

I do like 101 Noodle Express but I don't think it's anywhere close to Dumpling House. I do think the pork roll was awesome, and while the dumplings were good, they didn't blow me away. 101 Noodle Express is cash only, no credit cards are accepted.

Dumpling Master-Closed

Dumpling Master
2124 S Hacienda Blvd
Hacienda Heights
626-369-3788

When searching for the best Battle Xiao Long Bao in LA, Dumpling Master came highly recommended. I did a little research and found one in Hacienda Heights. They have another location in Monterey Park.

As readers of The New Diner know, Mei Long Village is my standard bearer. But a recent trip back to Jin Jian improved their ranking. Din Tai Fung is the restaurant that is known for their XLB's but I'm not a big fan.



Scallion pie, $2.95. This was thin pieces of dough that had about two scallions per piece. A little greasy, though nicely fried. I wasn't impressed.




The xiao long bao are listed as mini steamed pork buns, $5.75. This was wonderful. Very good but not as good as Mei Long Village. A thin skin, hot flavorful juice and nicely seasoned pork. A very good example of XLB.




Pork pan fried dumplings, $5.75, pot stickers. This had no flavor at all. The skin was overcooked as you can see, very tough, chewy and so bland. I would not order this again.

Service was much like the taste of difference between the XLB and pot stickers. The lady was pretty rude and unfriendly. The man was nice and friendly. The lady never brought the water we asked for. The man was quick to please and got us anything we needed. The lady was too busy talking to a family she knew to bother helping us.

I would go back to Dumpling Master because the XLB were very good. But the other two items I got weren't good at all. I saw some regular Chinese dishes that looked pretty good and I may go back to try those. I guess you gotta take the lady with a grain of salt.

Q Noodle House-Closed

Q Noodle House 18930 Gale Ave Rowland Heights 626-810-5108 I found a contender in Battle Xiao Long Bao (XLB), Q Noodle House, in Rowland Heights is better known for their noodles (duh) but they have some great dumplings and Xiao Long Bao (XLB). My standard bearer for xiao long bao is Mei Long Village. I know Din Tai Fung is more well known but Mei Long Village is so much better. Green onion pancake, $2.50. Service hot, with a crispy outside and soft chewing inside. Nice texture, nice flavor with lots of green onions inside, and just a great dish. Well worth the $2.50 price. Potstickers, listed at, $4.95. These pork potstickers were shaped a bit different than other potstickers but these were great. The pork inside is so well seasoned, lots of flavor, and the pork is grounded into a finer, smaller pieces it has a different texture. I really like this, though they could have been a bit larger. Xiao Long Bao, listed at $4.50. WOW this was very good. These xiao long bao were about the same size as Din Tai Fung but had better flavor. The pork was the same as the pork inside the potstickers. The skin was a bit thicker than I'm used to be but a good chewy texture. There wasn't much soup in there but the soup was well seasoned and hot. Service is OK. After writing this review, I think they overcharged us for the meal. The menu price has potstickers and xiao long bao at $4.95. The price listed on the bill was $5.50. That's ok because I didn't tip as much because the server was rude, short and not friendly at all. I would go back to Q Noodle House and get dumplings to go. I don't need or want the bad attitude of the servers. Mei Long Village is still my favorite for xiao long bao, but Q Noodle House is solidily in second.

Jin Jian

Jin Jian
301 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel
626-308-9238

Just a few doors down from Mei Long Village, is Jin Jian; another contender in battle Xiao Long Bao (XLB). I reviewed Din Tai Fung and their Xiao Long Bao, didn't live up to the hype.




Xiao Long Bao (XLB) $5.50, a thicker skin but I thought this was very bland. The pork was OK but nothing great.





Xiao Long Bao with crab meat, $6.50. The first time I've ever had xiao long bao with crab meat. I would say the ratio was about 70% pork to 30% crab meat. Same bland soup and thick skin. What I didn't expect was biting down on pieces of crab shells. Of the eight pieces, there were crab shells in six of them.

Service is pretty good but they rush you.

Jin Jian had a B rating and I can see why. I asked for ice water and there was somethign in it. The xiao long bao with crab meat had crab shells in it. Not a good place.

I will not go back. Mei Long Village still has the best xio long bao.

Mei Long Village-Closed

Mei Long Village 301 W Valley Blvd San Gabriel 626-284-4769 Having recently been on a dumpling kick, really a Xiao Long Bao (XLB) kick, I first went to Din Tai Fung, known for it's XLB's. But I found them small, lacking in flavor and not worth the high price tag. Then I found Dumpling House in Arcadia; and I loved it. Huge sized XLB's with so much flavor!! So I heard about Mei Long Village and I decided to see how their XLB's stacked up. I got the XLB, $5.95 for ten pieces and potstickers, $6.95. Xiao Long Bao, wow, huge sized, a thicker skin than the other XLB's, but still great. The pork had so much flavor and the soup was great. All in all a great XLB. How does it stack up to Dumpling House? Dumpling House is 1A and Mei Long Village is 1B. The potstickers were pretty good. Same great pork as the XLB. The skin was thicker too. What was different is that inside the potsticker was the same soup as the XLB. Interesting but very good. Service was good. The server was nice and friendly. But the potstickers too forever to arrive. Why? Not sure. They may not have been worth the wait but they were good. I would go back to Mei Long Village anytime for their Xiao Long Bao dumplings. I have now found another good place to get XLB. Who is better? I think Dumpling House in Arcadia by a small margin. Interesting fact, this is the first Chinese restaurant in San Gabriel I have reviewed.

Dumpling House- Arcadia

Dumpling House
921 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia
626-445-2755

This is not the Dumpling House in Temple City, that I reviewed and really enjoyed, earlier. This Dumpling House is in Arcadia, near Din Tai Fung and they are not affiliated with the Dumpling House in Temple City, in anyway.

On a rainy Friday night, I decided to have dinner at Dumpling House. Parked in the back and then walked into the restaurant. Be careful the floor is slippery. They give you an order sheet, much like a sushi order sheet, where you mark how many orders of each item you want. They do serve Chinese dishes but I came here to try the dumplings!!!

I got the pancake with sliced beef and green onions, $5.95. This was amazing, a rolled light flakey pancake with flavorful sliced beef inside. I liked the pancake and loved the beef which was tender though I was surprised it was served cold. But still a wonderful dish and a steal at $5.95.

Xiao Long Bao dumplings (XLB) or in English, juicy pork dumpling, $5.95. This xiao long bao is so much better than Din Tai Fung. They are much bigger, more pork and a more flavorful juice. The pork is tender and has a nice texture, the juice is wonder and just bursts in your mouth.

Pan fried pork dumplings, $5.95. These were very interesting. One side was fried to a golden brown but the other side wasn't fried for as long. So one side was a nice crispy side and the other was a bit soft and chewy. The pork was the same as the xio long bao, so it was great.

Service is good. The were attentive, getting me extra napkins even before I asked.

Dumpling House in Arcadia is so much better than Din Tai Fung, I don't know why people would go to DTF!!! Not only are the portions bigger but the quality of food is so much better. The place for xiao long bao is Dumpling House in Arcadia, not Din Tai Fung.