Luscious Dumplings' Second Generation Owners Are Offering a Delicious Twist to Their Traditional Dish
When Ker Zhu and his wife Michelle Wu opened up the second branch of Luscious Dumplings in Monrovia, they knew immediately that they wanted to try something a little different.
“Uni and cheese dumplings,” Zhu says, bragging about his two new products. “You can’t get this anywhere else in Los Angeles.”
Wu is the daughter of Alan Lam and Grace Li, the now-retired owners behind Luscious Dumplings in San Gabriel which, as a brand, is considered by many as one of the best dumpling joints in the greater Los Angeles area.
Opened in 2001, it’s their pork pot stickers, specifically, that have won over the hearts of Angelenos. The matriarch of the family, Grace Li, was born and raised in Shenyang — a northern Chinese province known for dumplings and dough — and imparted her knowledge to her children. The dough and the fillings are made entirely by hand. Every day, up to a thousand fresh dumplings are stuffed and pinched in less than three hours’ time. At its core, Luscious Dumplings is traditionalist.
But Zhu and Wu have always intended on taking their dumpling heritage further.
At Luscious Dumplings Monrovia, they recently rolled out two new dishes: boiled uni dumplings and beef and cheese potstickers. The former is pork stuffed with sea urchin gonads. While it’s an uncanny combination, it works surprisingly well. No sauce is required; the uni, by itself, already is quite substantial in flavor. The dumplings are merely boiled. Just pop one in your mouth and enjoy the complex flavors of the ocean.
“I’ll admit this isn’t for everyone,” Zhu says. “It’s only for people who really like uni.”
Beef and cheese is a more universally loved pair. The final product is essentially a Philly cheesesteak in a dumpling form – or a cheeseburger – depending on who you ask. Zhu has opted for white cheddar cheese, which is then mixed with ground beef and folded in dough. The dumplings are pan-fried in hot oil; the edges come out nicely crisped and the cheese is melted to sweet perfection.
“The recipes took us a couple of weeks to figure out,” he says. “We love how they turned out.”
Indeed, the dumplings are stunning. The flavors are balanced and the dough retains its signature consistency without any hint of compromise. Luscious, after all, is a dumpling expert. These are people who can roll out a platter of 50 dumplings in five minutes.
But there is more to this story than just cool new dumpling flavors.
Zhu and Wu represent an up-and-coming generation of Chinese restaurateurs who, unlike their predecessors, have been raised in America. The menus are more specific and specialized, the interiors are much more polished, and the branding is much more polished. Unlike their parents, these entrepreneurs are more conscientious of how they are perceived by the mainstream, and intend on creating a product that appeals to a more diverse demographic.
The couple, who are in their 30s, have been scouting out new locations, specifically eyeing Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles. Their ultimate goal is to eventually open a fast casual place under a different name with brown paper trays and a higher price point.
Yes, they still plan on serving traditional dumplings, but they aren’t purists when it comes to Chinese food.
For Zhu, that means allowing his creativity to soar, while holding fast to the traditional Chinese medium that is stuffing in dough. Uni dumplings and cheese potstickers are simply a delicious, firm-footed step in that direction.
Luscious Dumplings' new restaurant is located at 919 W Duarte Rd, Monrovia, CA 91016.