dinny dun got himself dumped. dayam!

Been meaning to do this post for a while now, but kept delaying it.
Din Tai Fung @ Arcadia. Famous dumpling chain around the world. I went a few months back to try it, and then went again Thanksgiving weekend.


It used to be just here, next to Life Plaza, but they got themselves an expansion in the back.


It is a lot nicer/modern than its counterpart. What was funny was that I noticed a lot more Asians outside the old place than here. I've ate at both, and foodwise, nothing is different.


A look in the inside of the new place.


To the left when you enter, you can watch Mexicans (the modern Jack of All Trades) making the food.


Shanghai rice cakes. We ate family style, so it's just a small portion on my plate. I had this before for the first time here a couple months back, and I thought it was okay. It was kinda like the Korean dduk boki, but not spicy, and a lot more oily. The cakes provided a pleasant chew, and the chili sauce perked up the dish a bit. Overall, I thought this dish was okay.


Chicken noodle soup. Very simple broth of chicken and ginger. It was definitely comfort food.




Juicy Pork dumplings. Haha, like you can even tell right? Sorry, but I just don't have the patience yet to take a bite out of something, and then take another picture. But you'll just have to take my word when I say, Que sabroso! There are directions on the chopsticks wrapper on how to eat this tasty little morsel. From what I remember: 1. Take a small bite. 2. Drink the soup. Be careful now, you don't want to burn your lips! 3. Dip into the soy sauce/ginger mix. 4. Eat whole. And close your mouth when you chew!

We also ordered some other stuff, but I didn't take any pictures. We tried shrimp and also vegetable. I'm not a fan of the veggie. It's dry and makes me feel like I'm munching on tea leaves.


For dessert, red bean dumplings.


I lied. I took a bite and took a picture, just for you. Red bean sweetened with honey. A nice ender to a delicious meal.




Mom also picked up some to go for me once. Trip from Arcadia to Diamond Bar + Traffic = fail. They were still good, but you really can't beat them fresh.

Service was pretty quick, as I can imagine they got a production line going on in the back. There is a break between lunch and dinner, where the restaurant is closed, and we were waiting in line for the place to open. However, the wait wasn't that bad. When I went to this place before, we had to wait, but it was about 10 minutes at most. With the expansion opened, lines won't be as long, and I think there's a second story too in the new one because I saw some people going up some stairs.

Overall, a good place to try, but it is pretty pricey, and you'd have to pay a good amount to get full, if you're a glutton like me. I'd advise stopping by In and Out or Hot Dog on a Stick before going here if you're strapped for cash...

Din Tai Fung
1108 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007

Before dinner, we stopped by the L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.


Got a shot of this beautiful caterpillar chillin and munchin on a leaf.

Man the weather has been so great lately. I wanted to take a nap on the grass in the sun today, but turns out the library has some comfortable sofas.