1108 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia 626-574-7068
Type: Dumpling
Quality: !!!!! Price: $-$$ Ambience: **
This is a must-visit restaurant. The dumplings are extraordinary! They are freshly made by hand in the kitchen. The wraps are also freshly hand-made, which yield a delicate but slightly chewy texture. This restaurant was started by the owners of a famous dumpling house (I believe of the same name) in Taiwan. It is exceptionally popular. When I went, we were handed a small menu and marked our order while waiting for a table. They have a decently-translated menu (only about 40 items). Expect to wait for a while on the weekends. Normally, I won't wait in line at any restaurant, because the food usually isn't worth the wait. But this is an exception. Highly recommended.
301 W. Valley Blvd., #112, San Gabriel 626-284-4769
Type: Dumpling and then some.
Quality: !!! Price: $-$$$ Ambience: **
I think this is a Shanghai-style place, but I'm not too sure. It looks like it has a hodge-podge of cooking styles. The dumplings are generally pretty good. The potstickers were tasty. The Xiao Lung Bao (aka Shaghai Steamed Dumplings) were also quite flavorful. Overall, food was generally pretty good here, although it seems to me that they put a wee bit too much MSG into their fillings. Of course, I could be completely wrong about this. Parking is a pain, but if you're in the area, give it a try.
301 W. Valley Blvd., #109, San Gabriel 626-308-9238
Type: Shanghai
Quality: !!!! Price: $-$$ Ambience: **
It has been said that the Xiao Long Bao here is the best in the San Gabriel Valley. I definitely agree. It's not as delicate as those in Din Tai Fung, but the flavor is heartier. Even better, they were cheaper than Din Tai Fung : $4.95 for 10 as opposed to $6 for 10. We had the regular pork ones (aka Steamed Pao--item #71), but you can get crab ones, too (item #70). The potstickers were also tasty. The chicken noodle soup was good with a distinct but subtle chicken flavor. One of my coworkers heartily recommended the Curry Beef w/ Vermicelli Soup. This restaurant is rather small, so expect a wait on the weekends. Parking is a pain: it's in the same mini-mall as Mei Long Village, which is also a good place to eat, especially if the wait is too long at JJ.
1423 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia 626-574-8055
Type: Shanghai
Quality: !! Price: $-$$ Ambience: *
A true hole in the wall--it's dark and cozy. Actually, it's dark and a bit cramped. The Xiao Long Bao is actually pretty good here, but the other dishes were altogether a bit on the salty side, which detracts from their otherwise decent flavor. For a small place, it has a surprisingly large menu. They gave us small, flimsy paper plates to eat on and styrofoam cups for water and tea. I don't really mind using paper plates, but at least they should be bigger than six inches in diameter, and they should be a stronger. I mean, don't use the "200 plates for $0.99" special from the 99 cent store! But perhaps that's why the food is dirt cheap here--lunch specials average about $5-$6. This is tucked into the corner the Rite-Aid mall, so you probably won't be able to see it from the street.
627 W. Duarte Rd., Arcadia 626-445-0606
Type: Shanghai
Quality: !!! Price: $$-$$$ Ambience: ***
No matter how hard I looked, I could not locate the garden in this restaurant. Having failed at that, I ordered some food instead. In general, the food here is good. We had xiao long bao, which is almost a requirement at all Shanghai restaurants. The Shanghai-style chow mein, which uses much thicker noodles than Cantonese-style chow mein), was very decent. Stir-fried lamb with green onions had the clean flavor of lamb, but if you don't like lamb, you'll hate this dish. We also had the Lion's Head dish, which is comprised of giant meatballs with what appears to be mung bean noodles. I suppose it vaguely resembles a lion's head, but my imagination is not quite up to that task. The ham and melon soup was very refreshing. The decor is quite nice. The designer actually put thought and money into the modern decor. I personally prefer Jin Jian, which I think tastes better and is much cheaper ($4.95 for 10 xiao long bao as opposed to $6.95 here). On the other hand, I sometimes don't mind eating at places other than my usual hole-in-the-wall joints.