what's so special about those dumplings?

wow, it's been awhile hasn't it? thought i'd have more time to do my foodie blog but there's been so much going on. plus i must admit..i have strayed away from blogging since i've been spilling my beans on yelp instead. for shame! hahah, so i will TRY to blog if i decide to yelp as well. kind of the same concept right? i write about food, i show my pics, i give opinions on yelp. i think i pretty much did the same thing on this one. so here goes for more consistency....
so during my hiatus, i've been fortunate enough to visit hong kong, china, japan, & just last week new zealand! i'll be sure to add my two cents on the local foods from those past travels. right now it's time to talk about them dumplings. you know what i'm talking about....we've got one right here in l.a...well more specifically, ARCADIA. the infamous Din Tai Fung restaurant. what's so great about these dumplings (aka xiao long bao) you ask? specifically, what's so great about DTF's dumplings? i can get them at that restaurant in my 99ranch plaza you say?

well friends, despite what you may have tried at previous xiao long bao restaurants i will proudly say that i bet DTF's XLB (hehe woohoo for abbreviations!) will kick their arse in flavor, texture, & slurping goodness. the thin wrapping that is used for the dumplings is so delicate that if you don't pick up your XLB skillfully, well then party foul for you and what a waste of xlb juiciness! the great thing about the thin wrapper is that it's not so chunky and thick that it does not take away any flavor from juicy pork filling inside. i've been to my fair share of XLB restaurants trying to disprove that DTF's is the best...and man, DTF has set the bar. i'd say the closest i've come was at a restaurant we found (by pure luck!) in London..yes London, that serves freshly pulled noodles. we were lucky enough to sample their xlb's and they were super fresh and the wrapping was light and tasty like DTF's.

the trick to all xia long bao's:

1) grab your xlb from the top twisted area so not to rip the wrapper and have everyone tease you bc all the juice got knocked out of your dumpling!

2) dip your xlb in the vinegar/ginger mixture & place the xlb into the spoon you are given (for you black vinegar fiends like me...already having a little vinegar on my spoon is a must!)

3) take a little bite off the top of the dumpling and slurp all the yummy pork juice to your tummy's content! be careful, you may burn your tongue if your xlb just came out of the steamers!

4) add a bit more ginger to the top of your xlb and eat up my friends!

heheh, so of course when we visited China in March we had to go to where DTF originated - Shanghai!

The menu at Shanghai's DTF was more elaborate and offered us more mouth watering dishes than the simple menu at Arcadia's DTF. I'm not knocking our L.A. location at all...I'm grateful there's one that I can visit when I have the craving for xlb's. Actually, the L.A. DTF menu is perfect for me anyways! Haha too many choices and my mind goes crazy because I want to try it all=P.

                                                   Shanghai Din Tai Fung @ SuperBrand Mall

of course no XLB experience is complete without oodles of ginger & my favorite black vinegar to create that lovely dipping sauce.

and of course we ordered lots and lots of pork xiao long bao and also pork & crab xia long bao.

and while it was awesome to have Din Tai Fung in Shanghai, my friends and I were all in agreement that the Din Tai Fung back home is on par with it's originator. Thank goodness! Always good to know that good food doesn't drift far from it's creator=). And as was recommended by my friend, who's currently living in Shanghai, we tried out 3 of her other favorite dishes from DTF.

tofu with vegetable & bean curd (sooo good!)

XLB topped with glutinous rice (was okay, too much rice taking away from the juiciness underneath!)

XLB topped with shrimp (for you shrimp fans...this is for you!)

my dumpling just soaking it all in...hahah

man i love these dumplings. i'm drooling just thinking about it...think i might have to make a trip to arcadia this weekend=). you know you want some too!

Din Tai Fung -Arcadia

1108 South Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91007-7508
(626) 574-7068

my pizza creation..

who doesn't love pizza? our trip to ny last november spoiled us with the thin crust goodness. so of course coming back home i wanted to replicate it. successful? well, it tasted good..but was no where near the good stuff we got back in manhattan. i drool just thinking about it=P. it's all about the crust, and i've got lots of learning to do!

 my take on a margherita pizza

pseudo margherita pizza but with pesto sauce

you always hear the argument between chicago deep dish pizza and new york's thin crust. i've had both and i think they are two totally different species! chicago's is more like a pie...super thick crust with crazy toppings. do i like the crust? not really...it really is like a pie crust. and i have to eat it with a fork and knife..hahaha. so i think my allegiance will fall to ny thin crust. guess i just prefer it better. of course you've got the thin crusts that fail to hold all the toppings and everything slides off in the first bite. FAIL big time. but once in a while you find that awesome place that just keeps you dreaming about going back there again. i'd like to say i found that at bleecker's street pizza & at john's pizzeria on bleecker in new york. so freaking good! please please won't you open an establishment here in socal? hahah, wishful thinking.

back home i guess i still love eating round table pizza. something about those thin little slices and the tangy tomato sauce they use. first class pizza's "ultimate thin crust" is a close second full of garlic, pepperoncinis, pepperoni..mmm all that good stuff. hahah. and surprisingly, domino's new and improved pizza is actually that..new and improved. not my favorite, but still...for a company to undergo a total 180 degrees to appease the masses? that's a big risk, and i applaud them for that. so yes, dominos is our $5 cheap eats when we're lazy to go out=P.

i'll post pics of the ny pizza joints in future posts..mmmmmmmmmm...so good just thinking about them=P

shabu-shabuuuuuu

who doesn't love shabu shabu? okay, i guess there may be a few out there who don't prefer it. maybe it's because they haven't gone to shabu shabu house in downtown l.a.'s little tokyo? or they don't do their sauces right? haha who knows. i can pretty much eat shabu shabu at any time, though i love it the most on a cold day. kinda like craving ramen or pho on a rainy day (future post on those later=P). 

i think the cut of the meat and the ponzu sauce are the kickers to a great shabu shabu place. i've been to many, and none so far compare to my love for shabu shabu house! well, on my trip to japan in '06 we had some kobe beef shabu shabu..but we were still rookies at it and didn't appreciate how good it was. can't wait to go back to japan next month and raid all the shabu shabu joints!

some friends posing at a shabu shabu place in tokyo's ginza district:

a few months ago on a trip to marukai market i saw some hot pot burners on sale. well, didn't take too much convincing to buy some and enjoy shabu shabu at home=)

go get yourself some shabu shabu..NOW!

Shabu Shabu House

127 Japanese Village Plz Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 680-3890

Marukai Market (various locations)

123 Onizuka St. #105

Los Angeles, CA 90012

2975 Harbor Bl.

Costa Mesa, Ca 92626

cuppycakes!!!

i love baking as much as i love eating baked goods! and one of my favorite things to bake are cupcakes. these are some homemade strawberry cupcakes with a whipped cream frosting (yup both made with fresh strawberries!) that i baked for my younger sister on her college graduation. she loves strawberry cake/cupcakes..so why not make her some cupcakes to celebrate=).





i don't know, there's just something about baking that makes me happy. just the smell of the goodies baking in the kitchen, getting everything prepped, and getting to share what i've baked with everyone just feels good=).

mallomars & pinwheels

remember these?

when i was a kid i used to have to beg my mom to buy these! my mom and my older sister never understood why i liked them so much. i got hooked when i was playing at a friend's house and her mom opened the freezer and pulled out a brand new package of pinwheels. she said they tasted the best when frozen. i think it's the coldness of the marshmallow and chocolate that just teased the senses. it was just THAT good. looking for a good snack? go out and buy a pack of pinwheels or mallomars. think i'll add this to the top of my grocery list. brings a smile to my face just thinking about how happy i was as a kid with my frozen mallomars/pinwheels.