Luscious Dumplings

Every time I go back home, there are a few restaurants that I must eat at, at least once.  Luscious Dumplings is on the list.  No surprise here, though.  Jocelyn has heard me rave about Luscious Dumplings countless times.  With a name like Luscious Dumplings, it's hard to forget.

People literally line up even before they open, so make sure you get there early.  They also run out of certain items toward the later hours (since they make their dumplings fresh everyday), so it's more incentive to get their early.  Early bird gets the dumplings!

I usually order the Noodle + Dumplings combo (Beef Noodle Soup + Shrimp/Cabbage Dumplings).

  

Shrimp and Napa Cabbage Dumplings

The skins of the dumplings have a nice chewy texture.  The filling is not too salty, so you can eat it with lots of spicy sauce if you like.

Spicy Sauce with Sesame Seeds

This sauce is so good.  It's actually not that spicy, so you can eat plenty of it.  Each table has a container of this sauce, so I just eat it by itself while I'm waiting for the food to come.  (It's that good.)  It has a very distinct texture with sesame seeds and chili bits, and with a gentle kick of spice, it is just perfect with the dumplings!

Beef Noodle Soup

Their beef noodle soup is pretty good too, even though they specialize in dumplings.  The soup is actually beef-flavored (unlike some that are just soy sauce and water).  The noodles itself, however, are not so good.  They are pretty limp, so I don't particularly enjoy eating them.  

Pan-fried Pork Dumplings

Now these are the real reason I make the hour-long trip to come here.  They really are pan-fried to perfection.  The crust is nicely caramelized, giving it a sweet crunch.  The inside filling is pretty juicy, and is the right balance of savory.  And of course, adding the spicy sauce makes it 10x better.

However, the last two times that I've eaten here, I have noticed that these dumplings have gotten a lot smaller and flatter.  Despite this, the flavor was still as good as before.

Eaten by Cathy.

Luscious Dumplings

704 W Las Tunas Dr
Ste 4

San Gabriel, CA 91776

(626) 282-8695
http://www.lusciousdumplings.com/