The last time I was here visiting home several years ago and it tastes just as great as I remembered. Best of the locations. Didn't take great pictures because I was so hungry!

--Table Wait-- Was maybe 20 minutes. You need to stay nearby to hear them call the number (you put down the number of your party and take the number on the line that you wrote on). We did walk out for a few minutes and then decided to come back. There are a bunch of chairs lined against the hallway for this. You will miss out otherwise!!

--Service-- Was very nice, especially considering how busy they were. They were prompt with ordering, water, and happily took care of other requests we had. We didn't feel rushed. Very considerate!

--Food--

I gave a couple of recs but let my friend choose because it was his first time.

When I came with another friend in the past he was so ashamed to get the ~tang cu ji / sweet and sour pork~ but it was unexpectedly a highlight of the meal. I told my friend that story and he was curious about it, so we got it this time too. It was the perfect amount of crisp+batter : chicken ratio, which I was a little embarrassed for how much of it I ate. I think it was actually better than I remembered it. Guilty pleasure!

The ~niu rou juan bing / beef roll pancakes~ are always a highlight, where the wrapper is slightly sweet, flakey-puffed, and crispy versus the more savory pancakes you might find in street fare. The beef slices are tender and separate easily. I remembered that they garnished more sauce in the past but it still hit home for me. It's nice with the cucumber touch too, which balances out the flavors. Get a firm grip or it will fall apart!

Do I need to talk about the ~xiao long bao / soup dumplings~ ? Pretty solid. Wrapper is the right QQ texture requiring minimal teeth/ shearing force yet strong enough to hold ALL. THE. LIQUID. I'd say it doesn't have as much soup as I've seen in others but the filling has the optimal bundle of flavor and texture that I'm expecting, where it's soft to the bite with the different levels of umami that come with the collagen and minced pork combinations. I took too long to eat and even when they were cold it was still very enjoyable and pleasant to slurp. My friend didn't even eat them with the sauces; just had them straight.

~Side note: This is a higher value, authentic alternative to Din Tai Fung. The comparison I will make is the the XLB here is much better than DTF's. However, with regards to the underdog at DTF: ~hong you chao shou~/spicy wontons~ my sweet tooth does prefer the DTF ones because the thicker, full-bodied sauce comes from the additional sugar (but hey, sugar serves many culinary purposes!). The spicy wontons at Mama's is good too (closer to the original preparation) but I found myself adding some vinegar and chili to it last time to match that mouthfeel + sour flavor I wanted. So I didn't get it this time.

~Yang chow fried rice~ and ~beef chow fun~ were good too. Fried rice was fluffy and light. Chow fun had a good bite/spring to the noodles. I didn't pay as much attention because those were for my friend to take home to his roommate, and they were starch fillers, which I was trying to avoid ☺️

I'm so full.

-- Price -- My friend couldn't stop raving at the total amount. Upon leaving I took a sneak at the bill: ~$80 for 5 dishes including tip. He ordered the extra dishes to take home but we could barely fit them (they almost exploded) within the 3.5 boxes we had to ask for. So it was maybe.. 5 meals total? Especially in these times, it felt like a steal!

Always love coming back to SGV. This is one of those spots that hits the nummy and nostalgia chords. Thanks for the good memories!