San Gabriel: Hui Tou Xiang Noodles House

Originally we wanted to go to Luscious Dumplings which is next door to Hui Tou Xiang Noodles House but we got there late and they were already closed. Hui Tou Xiang (HTX) was just about to close but luckily we were able to get an order in.

 

My friend did all the ordering so it was fun for me to figure out each item. We got pork belly noodles and leek pancakes to start.

These pancakes were not like the beef rolls or the spring onion pancakes I’m used to. These were more like empanadas. They were filled with glass noodles, bits of leek and scrambled egg. These were my favorite.

The noodles lacked flavor and the soup was pretty much useless except to keep the noodles warm and separated. I wished the pork was braised more. Later I heard they were better  for their tomato beef noodles soup.

I restrained myself from eating too many of these pancakes so I could sample the other dumplings.

My friend felt our server had a bit of censure in his voice when he brought plate after plate of dumplings. But we believe in leftovers. And we like to sample a lot.

These shu mai were fine. I thought they were different from dim sum shu mai. First off, they’re huge in comparison, an odd shape, different wrapper and creased differently. But they did have a hint of that shu mai flavor- porky.

Apparently this place is known for their “hui tou” which given its name, we probably should have ordered. Those dumplings are oblong and pan-fried.

Next were the three-flavors dumplings. These have shrimp, pork, egg and chives. This egg stuff is popular here.

 

And to round out the meal, we tried HTX’s XLBs (enough 3-letter abbreviations for you?). These xiao long bao or juicy soup dumplings were fair. The skins weren’t too thick and most remained unbroken when we picked them up. I always prefer more soup in mine and would have liked a tiny bit more in HTX’s versions.

My recommendations is to get there earlier so you don’t feel so rushed and to order what they’re known for. We left full but I couldn’t help but feel I was missing out on some great secret.

 

Hui Tou Xiang Noodles House

704 W Las Tunas Dr., Ste 5, San Gabriel, CA 91776  —  (626) 281-9888

 

© The Minty 2013