Yeah those are from Ming Court, though they were a little more muted in colors where I sat. I have no real issue with the use of color in these settings and nothing against how Dragon Beaux is doing it. Though I know Koi had those colorful XLB and I think Dragon Beaux had it. The colors were definitely not as bright as those seen in the Ming Court dumplings and I couldn’t say I was a fan of those flavors (beets, tumeric, etc.)
To get back to zippo’s point, I think internet in general has changed the food industry. A little for the good and a little for the bad. For Instagram to be specific, I would say it has shifted the dynamic from fragrance and taste to color and presentation. Afterall, that is what people focus when they look at Instagram. Not only customers are more focus on the colorful dim sum, but the chefs are also encouraged to make eye-catching dim sum to get the attention. The one who get the most attention is the one who will get more customers.
As for if this will lead to better dim sum? This will depend on the definition of “better”
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One place I haven’t seen mentioned (unless I missed it) that deserves a place in this conversation is Din Tai Fung. The branch in the South Bay is where I have had the best Dim Sum in recent years. Regarding Dragon Beaux, i have been to 2 or 3 times and had high expectations but was not wowed by the food. It’s not at the level of DTF the times I went. Especially disappointing we’re multicolred XLB which were meh. But I’ve been meaning to go back and give it another chance.
A problem I have noticed at many Bay Area dim sum places is a lack of QC. You will order the same dishes but quality will vary greatly on different visits. This is of course an issue at all restaurants but seems to be especially problematic at Bay Area dim sum places. This is especially an issue at KP in recent years (disclaimer- I haven’t been to KP this year yet). The congee at KP can vary from excellent to dishwater depending on the visit.
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Hmm, the only question I have with comparing DTF to other dim sum restaurants is what are your comparison categories? Are we comparing just the XLBs? The style of cooking is slightly different in DTF vs Dragon Beaux as one is Taiwanese versus Cantonese. That’s one reason why I do not compare the two for dim sum since I find them to be different styles.
Can you compare things? Definitely! However, I tend to judge dim sum restaurants by their siu mai, har gow, bbq pork buns, and their rice noodle rolls. Out of those items, I can only recall DTF having siu mai but I only had that twice in Arcadia which I thought was okay (I found it a little on the sweeter side but that was at least two years ago).
But what do you normally order at DTF vs. say Dragon Beaux?
Regarding the QC issue, I have heard that that dim sum chefs tend to move around somewhat frequently but others have a better idea on that.
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Yeah, I just ate at Tai Pan today, which I raved about months ago. Two out of the three dim sum items were pretty bad. Ugh.
Oh 
That’s disappointing. I was thinking of trying that place actually but normally don’t’ drive that far south.
I think most Cantonese restaurants do not have great XLB. It is just not their specialty. Din Tai Fung is the opposite. The brand started as a XLB specialty store. XLB is its bread and butter. If there is one thing Ding Tai Fung has to not fail, it would be XLB. In addition, I don’t view Din Tai Fung as the same as Dragon Beaux. Their audiences are quiet different. Din Tai Fung aims to improve XLB in within the traditional Chinese framework and gear toward Asian-Chinese. Dragon Beaux is not. The article states: “while Dragon Beaux’s nontraditional items bring in more non-Chinese diners and more second- and third-generation Chinese Americans.”
Too colorful for you, huh?
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I will have to try DB again and revalute.
In the past I haven’t appreciated the distinction between Cantonese and Taiwanese dim sum. I’m still not sure that you can’t compare the two because there is overalap but I am not an expert on Dim Sum. DTF does have many different types of dumplings and noodle dishes and buns you could compare to DB.
Hi. I probably didn’t say/describe what I really meant. I think you can compare these similar dishes. However, it will be nice to understand that these restaurants have different focuses. Let me think of an analogy… Oh here. KFC fried chicken is KFC flagship product. McDonald also has fried chicken too. I think it is perfectly fine to compare McDonald fried chicken to KFC fried chicken. Just keep in mind that comparison of their fried chicken is not the same as comparing their entire restaurant quality. I don’t mean Dragon Beaux is a great restaurant though.
Think he was referring to his meal at Tai Pan and not Ming Court.
This group is pretty savvy must say! Yes DTF started their fame with XLB and now a empire built on that singular execution. But XLB was invented in Nanxing just outside Shanghai and became the iconic dumpling of the entire area. See those lines at Yu Garden at the original where many thousands are their way to now 4 stories tall building and many outlets. DTF style was bit difffeernt as their skin in bleached white flour with gluten that special translucent like skin which marked their standard. And yes Cantonese chefs hate making this dumpling as it is outside their repertoire and in a way geocentric dislike to this Shanghai famous dim sum. In fact, few will make it delicately enough not to have a spoon cradle it or a aluminum foil cup to hold the dumpling in tact with the soup inside. In fact, that is sacrilege in Shanghai if either showed up in the presentation. Same with our China Live Sheng Jian Bao (pan-fried with broth inside). Our SJB is the #1 seller loved by most all our guests. The Cantonese have plenty of prideful items without breaching XLB and SJB…have you ever eaten a live shrimp Har Gao from Fook Lum Moon? It’ll blow your mind…good intelligent discussion and hope you all don’t mind a chef interloper in this chat group.
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The XLB at Dragon Beaux (& Koi Palace and MY China) are a good example of the question behind Kauffman’s article. They use machines to form the dumplings, so the chef’s training and consistency drops out as an issue. They use high-quality ingredients, so to some degree the inability of the machines to produce thin skins can be forgiven. The dyed skins are a clever distraction from the dumpling’s lack of translucency. However, in support of the trend towards food voyeurism, the rainbow of spoon-diapered XLB provide a more passive, but perhaps more pretty, photo compared to the DTF “saggy XLB” action shot.
How does that work? Don’t the dumplings have to be steamed?
Ha. Awesome.
Well the shrimp is not Live inside the dumpling skin…it is made with fresh Live shrimp as plentiful in Asia but exorbitant in the West. FLM 4 piece is not cheap at $14 per order. I have eaten Live prawns…if you don’t be careful, it will flip flop around when you bite it even after they shell and clean the live specimen. There are also drunken small grass shrimp where they’re basically inibreated but will flop around in the bowl with the seasoned wine and liquor and spiced broth :))
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Dim Sum labor is extraordinarily high…imagine SF labor costs and the intensely tiring labor to fold these little delicacies…so I don’t fault restaurant groups like Koi/DB as it would add 30% price if all made by hand. Machines obviously have a difference but hey are people really willing to pay for them so they can enjoy that extra fines and delicacy? I loose money on most dim sum items as labor for dim sum is 60% labor albeit very low food costs. I don’t even let them freeze much of anything and try to make ours daily for service. Also know XLB/SJB don’t feeeze well and the skins will crack and juice won’t be there upon steaming!
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Huh, never knew that the skins would crack so easily when frozen.
If you don’t mind me asking, how do they put the soup inside the XLB? Is it usually a gelatin mixture? I don’t think there’s enough juice and fat to melt down just from the meat itself.
Also regarding the har gow, to make the skins more translucent isn’t the tapioca starch usually added to make it look more clear? I know for some other dumplings that have a very chewy consistency if you go overboard with it. Actually… how hard is it to make a har gow lol. Might play around with it since it sorta… looks easier than XLB…
Most people cheat by grinding 40% fat and skin do when steamed the fat melts but that’s not the right way. One must make gelatin from cooking the pork down to get that layer in the middle when cooled…clear aspic gelatin and this mixture is reserved in cooler until ready to use and a ice bath is placed under the mixture when folding it into the meat mixture. Shanghai secret is also using chicken feet as gelatin from that is extra sticky and tasty. Now you have a ancient CHINESE secret!
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Correct assumptions on hargaw! Skin mixture proportions are key as well technique of course.
