The Masters of Dumplings!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much food for three people EVER in my life before…Last night, I went to dinner at Dumpling Master with Dannah and Tom Mannion. As food reviewers for the Tech, he wanted to take us out and show us somewhere that he really likes and wants more Techers to go to. Well, he’s definitely got us sold! We met up with him at dinner time and he drove us through the windy streets of Pasadena/San Marino to get to the restaurant, down in Monterey Park. We knew it was legit when we saw the signs were all in English and Chinese. So after we got seated (being a Monday, it was not crowded at all), we let Tom work his magic and order us our dinner. When he prefaces ordering with “Do you guys mind taking home leftovers?” you know it’s going to be a lot! Then, he showed us how to make a more traditional dumpling sauce - mostly vinegar, with a bit of sesame oil, soy sauce, and hot sauce to taste. Very different from the sweeter ones you get at the standard Chinese take-out, and it really went well with the dumplings! Speaking of dumplings, look at our spread!
Well, needless to say, we could not finish it all off. I loved everything we had, from the pork to the three types of dumplings to the homemade noodle soup… it was all so delicious! Oh, and they gave us fried dough with condensed milk for dessert - DELICIOUS! It was such an amazing experience, so I definitely have to make sure to thank Tom Mannion again for taking us out! Little things like this is what makes Caltech unique - the ability to make personal connections with administrators and faculty, which in turn allows you to expand your horizons and try things you may never think of trying otherwise (or can’t get to otherwise without a car or directions).
Oh, and of course there are leftovers - lunch time!
