The Dumpling Ground: Dim Sum in Koreatown?

A A A Comments (4) By Jonathan Gold Saturday, Mar 6 2010

Dear Mr Gold:

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Ddo wa Restaurant

3542 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90020

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Region: Mid-Wilshire/ Hancock Park

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Why does Koreatown lack any form of proper dim sum? Are there secret dumpling hiding spots beyond the traditional Korean dumpling houses I have found?

—Aaron Schmidt, Koreatown

Dear Mr. Schmidt:

The Chinese cooking most popular with Koreans tends to be from the parts of China closest to Korea, including the Shandong and Dongbei areas, whose cooking is influenced by Korea itself. Dim sum is from China's south. In Koreatown, you will find hand-pulled noodles but no har gow; the boiled meat dumplings called mandoo but no shiu mai; delicious tteokbokki but no chow fun. If you want dim sum, you're just going to have to drive to San Gabriel like the rest of us. Or groove on the Korean dumplings, boiled, fried or steamed, at Ddo Wa.

It's up to you.

DDO WA: 3542 W. Third St., L.A. (213) 387-1288.

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Michelle Cho 03/12/2010 4:38:00 AM

Dear Mr. Gold, Your finely tuned observations about food usually make it to the page (or the screen) with a directness that elicits an embodied response--usually, for me, deep hunger pangs--which is why I don't understand your restraint in responding to Aaron Schmidt's question. Why does Koreatown lack any proper form of dim sum? Um, because, dim sum is Chinese, not Korean, stupid. Also, not all dumplings=dim sum. Go ahead and get Gustavo Arellano on this guy; the question deserves a hard hitting response--anything more subtle probably won't register.
MundaMark 03/07/2010 11:30:00 PM

On the same token, I wonder if there isn't room in Koreatown for something like a dim sum joint or even a Taiwanese snack shop/coffee shop/bakery. I was putting down some good grub at Dean Sin World yesterday, and the owner was chatting with my wife who speaks Mandarin (the owner's Mandarin was quite good being that she is from Shanghai). She was telling my wife that a couple from Koreatown was jonesing for some xia long bao, and they had heard about how good her's were (among other things). Thoroughly enjoying their experience, they came back the next day in a group of 19 - basically taking over the tiny dining space of Dean Sin World and keeping the kitchen busy for over an hour.
jejkim 03/05/2010 4:52:00 AM

Well put with the answer Jonathan. This was a ridiculous question, like someone going to France and asking why they can't find any spaetzle (which by the way I love). It's a different culture, duh! Perhaps one can attempt to learn about the cultural origins of a food and its people before attempting to locate it.
Edward 03/04/2010 9:18:00 PM

Great answer as usual Mr. Gold, particularly the cultural reason why you won't find dim sum in Koreatown. One thing I would add is that, at least to me, the dim sum is decent in Chinatown. Empress Pavilion in Chinatown is where I go with my Taiwanese friends.