Don’t let the bold script on the storefront fool you. Dean Sin World is neither a “bakery” nor a “deli.” There is also no “crab shell” on the premise. All you need to know about Dean Sin World can be summed up in three words: Party time. Excellent.
Dean Sin World came highly recommended by Tony C. of SinoSoul. The boy is completely mad about the place and even offered to join me to help navigate the Chinese/obscure English menu. I took him up on his generous offer with my friends Bex and Laurie, and our three boy toys in tow.
The woman who runs the joint and Tony C. are super-tight because he dines here a lot. Having a regular in our group boded well for superb service, jovial banter (in Chinese, of course), and big smiles (universal language).
Our midday meal began with complimentary fresh-out-of-the-oven red bean paste buns. These sweet and flaky treats were warm to the touch and well-received by everyone. Dessert buns that I’ve eaten in the past have usually come from Chinese bakeries where they’ve been sitting around for a while. These, on the other hand, were wonderfully fresh. The quality and care that went into them really showed in the taste.
Next, we dug into some xiao long bao ($4.85). Juicy and savory pork wrapped in deliciously pliable wrappers—what’s not to love?
The pork dumplings paired well with vinegar and shards of fresh ginger.
A giant steaming bowl of beef noodle soup arrived next. The broth was pleasantly salty, while the beef was tender and plentiful. The noodles were linguine-like in width, eggy in flavor, and al dente in texture. The beef noodle soup is listed only in Chinese on the restaurant’s menu. Thank goodness Tony C. was around or else we would’ve really missed out.
Macro photography has a funny way of tricking the eye, so let it be known that this bowl of noodles was more than enough to divide six ways. I divvied up the goods with my masterful chopstick skills.
The Lion’s Head Soup, which is also listed only in Chinese on the menu, was spectacular. According to Tony C., the unique texture of the meatballs inspired the soup’s colorful name. The thin glass noodles provided a pleasant contrast to the soft and plump meatballs. Pure awesomeness.
The pan fried dumplings ($4.80) had a nice sear and disappeared quickly.
These buns with black sesame seeds tasted similar to the “bread food” that The Astronomer and I downed at Qing Dao across the street. Whatever space our group had left in our stomachs was taken up by these thick and bready dumplings.
Just as we were about to burst, the kind proprietress gifted the table with some egg rolls. Mostly filled with cabbage, these babies weren’t as exciting as our previous treats. We took the bulk of them to-go.
We wrapped up our dim sum gorging with a little something called Wine Blew ($2.70), which was also on the house. The warm and sweet Wine Blew consisted of soft egg curds and cooked rice in a bath of rice wine. After such a pork- and carb-intensive meal, the dessert soup was ultra soothing.
Thank yous are in order to Tony C. for orchestrating such a kick-ass feast and Dean Sin World for their unparalleled hospitality. I was so pleased with the meal that I gave the smiling owner a big hug before we left.
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Dean Sin World
306 N. Garfield Avenue
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Phone: 626-571-0636
YUM! I love, love, love red bean paste in anything. Also, your noodle shots are hilarious. Definitely enough food for a crowd, though in the initial picture I was fooled into thinking it was a modest little bowl.
Which reminds me to go get my pot roast in the pot. Ciao…
P.S. Reviewers who hug the owner are the best kind. I’m so *done* with snooty reviewing.
Indeed, thanks Tony C.!
And the best part of all was the bill: $35 for 6 people!
SICK. Dean Sin World (tho I should really change ALL the reviews to show : “Tastio” ) hooked us up again Saturday.
$22 for 4 people, with enough left overs to go. And I got to hear Mrs. Lu’s life stories. PRICELESS!
C’mon Gastronomer, now that your face is GLORIOUSLY posted, can I please toss up the pix in front of Kogi’s?
love the name Dean Sin World and looks like quite a feast. lucky you to get the guided personal tour from TonyC!
Fiona – I’m such a touchy-feely diner. Dean Sin World felt a lot like the joints back in Asia. Family-run places are the best.
Bex & g’ma – It’s time. Time for Loco Moco Fest ’09.
TonyC – The day the Kogi truck goes out of business is the day we can share the photo with the world. Capiche?
foodhoe – TonyC is bomb. His enthusiasm for good eats is contagious.
*adding to list of SGV food*.
the food really does look solid. NRM looks hearty and well-endowed, dumplings fried perfectly.
Gotta check this place out next time I’m in SGV =) The beef noodle soup there looks delicious!
All the food you ordered looks so delicious and all are favorites of mine. I will definitely put this on my list for my next trip to Monterey Park. I’ve never had Lion Head in a soup form before, it looks so good!
Great post as DSW is one of my favs (Thanks to Tony’s recs,of course). Mrs. Lu always hooks me up with random food. I think I had one of the first batch of her beef noodle soup while she was testing it out before putting it on the menu. She can use me as a guinnea pig whenever, esp when the food is free :P.
I think I’m going back tonight for some XLBs…it’s been like 3 weeks since my last visit.
C, you and the other 2 girls all look like triplets.
And the food looks just as great.
Gastronomer – love your blog. Which frozen dumplings do you usually pick up to make at home?
Darin – Pork and leek. Throw em in some boiling water. Then top em with chili oil. Mmm, boy!
We love Dean Sin World. We are regulars, but we have no translator in our immediate circle. Any idea how to find out if they are open on Christmas Day? My kids would much rather eat here than have a traditional Christmas dinner and so would I.
Scott – Shoot an email to my friend Danny (dtachen [at] gmail [dot] com) and ask him nicely if he’ll call the resto to inquire for you about Christmas day.
Per your recommendation I recently went here with some friends and it was so good! We stuffed ourselves with dumplings, lions head soup and pancakes. The owner was beyond sweet giving us complimentary sweet buns. Thank you!