Koi Palace, Dublin, CA

There are good reasons why there are always such horrible long wait during weekend brunch hours at Koi Palace. Both the Daly City location and this East Bay branch (used to be Koi Garden) serve easily some of the best dim sum dishes in the bay area. 

Best in the bay area they might be, the quality is unfortunately still shy in comparison to South Cal food scene. And if you are fortunate enough to have been exposed to the true delicacies at heart of Cantonese cuisine in Hong Kong and Guangzhou region, you probably won’t be too thrilled by Koi. Still, dim sum enthusiasts fight their way into the restaurants every week without fail. 

I have had dim sum at both locations and there were really no significant difference in quality as far as I can tell. Most of the dishes are very similar in taste and presentation. There were minor inconsistency every now and again. If you grabbed something that had been sitting around for a while, I can guarantee it won’t taste that great. Stick with something that is made to order or fresh out of the kitchen then you are good to go.

What are some of my favorite dim sum items here? 

- Crispy Fried Taro Puff

- Baked BBQ Park Bun (not the normal steamed one but those with a crust on top)

- Baked Taro Paste Bun

- Roasted Suckling Pig

- Lotus Wrap 

- Sugar Egg Puff (best I had in entire bay area)

The lamb buns in clay pot is pretty good too if you a fan of lamb.

Non VIP wait time is still long but not nearly as crazy as the Daly City location. The service is also friendlier. 

Final Verdict

Food: 4/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 2/5

Price to Value: 3/5

Town of Dumpling, San Mateo, CA

Some said it is a sister restaurant related to Kingdom of Dumpling in the city but I can’t tell for sure. I had never been a fan of Kingdom. Their middle of the road dumplings just did not leave too much of an impression.

I think I like Town of Dumpling a bit more. The dumplings still weren’t the most impressive but you really can’t go too wrong with something so freshly made. Perhaps also because the restaurant was very busy (yet), the food was prepared with greater care. Dumplings and XLBs were alright but the real winner was the skewer. The lamb ones had such a nice char flavor. The meat was tender and juicy with the right amount of tongue numbing spiciness. The beef tendon noodle soup was good too. The fresh housemade noodle had a nice chewy texture. If you want something for dessert I could recommend their Shanghai Style Donut. It is a baked black sesame pastry with a subtle sweetness.

It is located in the off the beaten path part of San Mateo. Not the best place for business but great for those who doesn’t want to fight with the long lines and struggle with parking in crowded downtown area.

I Dumpling, Redwood City, CA

An updated review after trying their dumplings.

They make fairly nice Xiao Long Bao and excellent dumplings.

Xiao Long Bao - Skin was slightly thick but the amount of soup was decent. The filling was a bit plain but the texture was good.  I love how they use lettuce leave instead of paper as lining. They won’t stick to the bottom so you won’t have any trouble with breakage.

Dumplings - Tried the lamb and the pork & shrimp with green chives ones. Both were lovely. I like the gamey lamb flavor and the juicy filling. I think the dumplings trumps all of their dishes. I could easily eat a dozen or two.

Their pig ears appetizer is quite good too if you like that kind of things.

Very primitive ambiance but super friendly service. Would return for more dumplings.

Bamboo Garden, Mountain View, CA

Xiao Long Bao here is really not bad. Freshly made to order. Delicate skin with good amount of filling and soup. The broth is not the richest but is well seasoned. I don’t think it tasted too mellow. The only problem is breakage and leakage. The fault lies on the presentation rather than the preparation. The steamed xiao long bao sticks too much to the paper liner. Using lettuce leaves could have easily solved this problem.

While I found the xiao long bao and wonton quite decent, the other entrees were just average. The gluten puffs were too soft and not as chewy and spongy as I would like. The sauteed crystal shrimps has good crisp texture but some didn’t have the veins properly removed.

The restaurant is very kid friendly and accommodating to the little ones.

Xiao Long Bao Xiao Long Bao Fish Fillet Soup with Salted Vegetable Stir Fried Greens

Shanghai Family Cuisine, Milpitas, CA

Shanghai Family is a hole in the wall restaurant with only a handful of tables. This is the kind of place you would expect to find the most authentic cuisine. Clientele was 100% Chinese and all conversing in fluent Mandarin. 

For some reasons the lady who took our order shown a bit of concern when we ordered the Fish Fillet Soup with Salted Vegetable. Not sure if it was because the chef don’t make this often much or she was worried we would not like such a homey dish. The soup turned out to be excellent. Very soothing texture and well balanced flavor. No complaints for their simple stir fried vegetables either. It was nicely cooked with a likeable crunchy texture and not oily at all. My only disappointment was the xiao long bao. It was probably my main reason to visit a Shanghainese restaurant. The xiao long bao here was mediocre at best. The skin was too thick. The filling was too firm. While the soupy flavors are mostly there, the texture really killed it. I am too spoiled with delicate little dumplings.

Love the intimate atmosphere and friendly service. This restaurant is worthy for a return visit for their other dishes but not the xiao long bao.

Juicy Dumplings with Crab Meat Juicy Dumplings with Crab Meat Juicy Dumplings with Loofoh & Shrimp Juicy Dumplings with Loofoh & Shrimp Fish Steamed Dumplings Fish Steamed Dumplings Green Onion Pancake Sweet Wine Purple Rice Ball Soup Sweet Wine Purple Rice Ball Soup

My Dumplings, Milpitas, CA


Haven’t had Xiao Long Bao this good after my meal at Din Tai Fung in LA. I am glad to have finally found a worthy dumpling house in Bay Area. There is no wonder why there are always a line outside this restaurant during prime lunch and dinner hours.

Just like every highly specialized restaurant, not everything on the menu are as good. The best they could offer are the XLBs (Juicy Dumplings) as expected. Out of those, the Loofoh & Shrimp variety is the true winner. They reminded me of a bit of Hu Chiang Dumpling House back in their good old days, only better. Crunchy texture, juicy, flavorful yet still refreshing. I could easily devour a full steamer of these goodies all by myself. The Crab Meat variety is decent but I found the crab flavor not strong enough. The dumpling skin is slightly on the thick side but still delicate.

The steamed fish dumpling was a let down. The oil used in the fillings actually tasted a bit stalled. I hope it was just a fluke. Green onion pancakes were thin and crispy. The Sweet Wine Purple Rice Ball Soup was a great finale to my meal. Wine flavor was strong but not overwhelmingly acidic like many others and the sweetness was just right. The purple rice ball was very chewy and soft. Could use more peanut fillings though.

This place is better than any other dumpling houses in the area that I have tried. I would definitely come back for more.

Steamed Vegetable and Pork Buns Steamed Vegetable and Pork Buns Xiao Long Bao Xiao Long Bao Dark Vinegar

Panda Dumplings, San Carlos, CA


I did not have too much hopes for Panda Dumpling but I was decently surprised. Granted it wasn’t the best XLB I had in the bay area, it was still better than most.
Besides the slightly thicker skin and oily soup, they have done everything else right. I enjoyed the complex pork filling flavors. The oversized dumpling resembles those from Joe’s Shanghai in NYC which I adore. Super juicy with lots of soup. Ingredients was fresh. Texture was nice.

The style of Panda Dumpling is very similar to Shanghai Dumpling Shop in Millbrae. It is a strong contrast to the delicate style like Din Tai Fung. If you like a bolder flavors and meatier creations, you might like this style better. I like their dumplings. The vegetable and pork steamed buns were very good as well.

Xiao Long Bao Xiao Long Bao Xiao Long Bao Vegetable with Pork Wonton Soup Yellow Croaker in Wine Sauce Steamed Dumplings stuffed with Seafood a Steamed Dumplings stuffed with Seafood a

Shanghai Dumplings, Saratoga, CA

With so many good dumpling shops opening up in the area, I have trouble narrow down my top tier list. Shanghai Dumplings in this quiet Saratoga neighborhood has a lot of potential but just missed the mark of excellence by a thread.

I think their xiao long bao is beautiful. Small dumpling with delicate skin, good dough to filling ratio and everything is made to order. The ladies don’t even start rolling the dough until after you place your order. Dumplings don’t get fresher than this. However, there are still a few things that needs to be improved. First, the dumplings stick to the wax paper too much. About half the dumplings had the soup leaked out because of that. I am a native chopsticks user and I am pretty confident  with my skills. I think that might have something to do with the fact that the dumpling was just made. Perhaps switching from paper to lettuce would be a better choice. Second of all, and most important, is that the dumpling filling tasted too sweet. I can’t say if it’s because of too much MSG or plain old sugar. That sweetness just doesn’t belong.

Their steamed dumpling is more memorable than their XLB. Love the texture and the juiciness. Vegetable with Pork Wonton Soup was good too but unfortunately all dishes seem to suffer from the same sweetness problem.

I did feel slightly thirsty afterwards so I am suspecting the MSG. If that is the case I hope they go easy on it. The food is good. Just needs to straighten out a few more things.