dumpling master

In our neverending quest for a more thorough understanding of our obsession with dumplings, I proposed a dumpling crawl to our crack team of reporters. (When I say reporters, I really mean eaters). Anyway, this plan was met with some skepticism, and so begins a somewhat regular feature on dumplings. As you may or may not be aware of and you may or may not really care but my current (and long standing) favorite is Din Tai Fung Dumpling house in Arcadia. Over the past few months there seems to be a copius number of articles in various publications. With a small mental list of contenders to the throne and a blog sorely in need of updating, we set off to see who could unseat Din Tai. A loose idea of what we're exploring

Our first contender, hailing from Monterey Park, with the catchy name of Dumpling Master was just a few miles east of Los Angeles. As you can see from the ornate sign, the profits have not been poured back into the company...


Neatly tucked away in a small strip mall.


Extending the brand...

While I certainly admit that we didn't have the full Master experience as evidenced by our collection of three photos, the selection of dumplings on the menu does not seem as wide and varied as expected from an establishment named Dumpling Master.

First out of the chicken were these perfectly crisped chicken dumplings. The wrappers are thicker and more substantial than many others and all the better for it. The chicken is mixed with what we believe to be a mixture of green onions and chinese cabbage. Definately a delicious concoction and according to Los Angeles Magazine a quintessential example of northern Chinese cooking.

pan fried chicken dumplings

I enjoyed but didn't love the scallion cakes. The multiple layers of this thin chewey dough tasted as a tad bit floury. It was uncannily similar to some thicker flour tortillas I've eaten. My only other experience with scallion cakes is from the deceased Mandarin Deli in Little Tokyo and those were always crispy on the outside and lighter to the tooth than the Master's rendition.

scallion cake

There are two types of steamed pork dumplings on the menu at DM. unfortunately we ordered the standard dumpling that was similar to our first dish of chicken dumplings. These didn't have the benefit of being pan fried but were still pretty darn good. Again, the northern Chinese spices and flavors made for a unique and tasty dumpling.

steamed pork dumplings


Overall, I would say Dumpling Master is worth a visit if you're in the area. At the very least get a bag of very reasonably priced frozen dumplings to go. You'll be glad you did, especially if you've got a bag of those weird dumplings from Trader Joe's in your freezer like we do.
The reigning champion of dumplings is safe for at least another week.