sorry - you might have been there on an off day. I've been there five times, and only once (of course when my parents were in town) was I disappointed (but certainly not eww). even the red bean ones were not as good as expected. not sure what explains it, other than overwhelming demand at certain times, which might influence the skins if they're in a rush.
Skins I understand, to a point, but the pork filling is horrific. Probably the worst filling I've ever had in a dumpling anywhere. I've had others who have tried other DTF's around the world tell me the filling is nothing special as well. It's all about the skins. Which to my mind are done better with better pork and soup filling in Singapore anyway. Heck, even the Sam Woo in Irvine has actual pork flavor in their XLB despite being thick and gummy. Probably need to find a mom and pop shop somewhere around here.
I'll have to remember next time I'm up there. Seems if the XLB aren't up to snuff, the egg tarts are universally lauded. I also have yet to find anyplace in the US that can do a proper Har Gow. Those skins are even harder to do properly than XLB it seems to me. At least material wise. Shaping the XLB is definitely harder. I can tell by just looking at the pics, the skins are too thick.
A&J is OK. I used to frequent there a lot only because they were one of few places in OC that had Chinese donuts, sweet soy milk, and other Shanghainese / Taiwanese style dim sum. The items on the menu are hit or miss. Mostly miss, but beggars (Irvine) cannot afford to be choosers. The Yi Mei chains (Rosemead, Arcadia) provide an experience much closer to street food or dim sum in Taiwan.For Cantonese dim sum, Elite in Monterey Park is good. NBC Seafood down the street is good too. For downtown / Chinatown, CBS Seafood is good. There are no ABC or FOX Seafood restaurants though.Seafood Harbor in Rosemead is the best I've had so far for Cantonese dim sum. They take a very traditional approach (very basic menu, straightforward style - none of those oddball fried thingies), but they master what they make.
If anyone is in the mood for a roasted baby pig, Atlantic Seafood (Atlantic Time Square plaza) makes it the best.
Do tell more! Monterey Park?
NBC's dinner food is quite bad, so I expect their Dim Sum to be similar.
