LA foodies immediately took notice when Din Tai Fung opened its doors in Arcadia, Suddenly soup dumplings were the rage of LA and lines quickly formed around Din Tai Fung. Since that time others such as Dan Modern Chinese have entered the competitive LA market.
Dan Modern Chinese is located in Japantown, a busy ¾ mile strip on Sawtelle Blvd just north of Olympic Blvd. Parking in this area is usually a tough proposition, but because of the pandemic, nearby street parking was available. While most of the restaurants are focused on Japanese cuisine, it was a delight to find Chinese food.
The Xiao Long Bao “XLB” is what made Din Tai Fung famous. This is also Dan Modern Chinese’s signature dish and is a favorable comparison. Their dumplings ($6 – 7) are made fresh each day and like Dai Tai Fung, they are thin skinned and filled with a delicious soup broth. Pork with crab, spicy pork, chicken, chicken with shrimp are other proteins available.
Dumplings ($6 – 9) are also available without soup and are available pan fried or steamed. Pan frying the dumpling creates a nice crispy bottom, but the rest of the dumpling is chewy. Steaming them nicely showcases the quality of the dumpling as they are soft, supple and easier to eat. The pork meatball inside was nicely seasoned.
Scallion pancake ($6.25) is a savory flatbread folded with oil and minced scallions. It was sliced into strips making it easy to dip into the soy garlic sauce. Without the dipping sauce, I thought they were somewhat bland.
They offer a number of vegetable sides ($10). Each of them is prepared the same way, sauteed with quite a bit of minced garlic. This simple preparation nicely allows the taste of the vegetable to come forward. I happen to believe that bok choy pairs nicely with dumplings.
Their noodles are also made fresh daily and Dan mein ($15) is their version of chow mein. The focus is on the noodles and unlike chow mein that has a lot of vegetables, Dan mein is mostly noodles with a protein, and snow pea leaves tossed in a garlic sauce. The short ribs were extremely lean and tender.
Due to the pandemic, LA area restaurants are limited to take out or outside dining. Dumplings are best when eaten shortly after they are prepared. That said, if you live near Dan Modern Chinese, this is a pretty good option. By the time I returned home, everything was cold.
Sawtelle Blvd is their second location. The first is in Pasadena. They have plans to open additional locations in Playa Del Rey and Manhattan Beach.
Dan Modern Chinese, 2051 Sawtelle Blvd. West Los Angeles, CA 90025; 310.235.2089
danmodernchinese.com