Yu Ton Dumpling House

Part 5 of 5 Memorial Day weekend APIHM series.

I came especially for their not-so-stinky tofu. For those who are not familiar, it is deep-fried fermented tofu topped with spicy sauce and Szechuan pickled cabbage. Although it is not stinky as it should be, I enjoyed it nevertheless.

The beef tendon noodle soup with handmade noodles was aromatic and delicious. We also tried the spicy seafood udon noodle soup which was equally tasty.

They offer weekend breakfasts such as soy milk, youtian (Chinese fried dough), congee, and soybean jello just to name a few. You can also purchase a variety of frozen dumplings (50 pc) to cook at home.

Service was friendly and swift considering the number of customers they have. The little boy at the register offered to pack the noodle and soup separately for my long trip home. Now, that's what I call customer service. Nicely done, young man!

Hubby and I were in the area and decided to pick up some food on our way home. We called in our order and it was ready within ~20 minutes. There's a surcharge if you pay with credit card so be prepared with cash or be wary that there is an extra fee with card.

We shared the sweet soy milk, chive box, beef flapjack, two twisted crullers, and steamed pork dumplings. The twisted crullers were HUGE and we could have easily shared just one between the both of us. They went great with the sweet soy milk which was only mildly sweet to my liking. The beef flapjack was mostly bready and had minimal filling. Hubby liked the chive box but I found it to be really oily. The pork dumplings were also good and we both liked them. I had the spicy beef noodle soup. The portion size was good and I liked the flavor of the broth. I was expecting it to be spicy but it was very mild so I forgot it was intended to be spicy. Hubby got the pork chop noodle soup which he scarfed down. I wanted to try the stinky tofu but didn't see it on the menu but will ask for it next time we come!

Come on the weekends. Make a beeline for the ever-growing line to Chinese Café, which also doubles as a register for Yu Ton Dumpling House run by the same crew. Drool over the countless orders of hot, house-made soy bean milk and crispy sticks of golden-fried dough as you inch towards the counter.

Grab your fill of 甜豆漿 (tian dou jiang, or sweet bean milk) paired with 油条 (youtiao, or deep-fried breadsticks) or 鹹豆漿 (xian dou jiang, or salty bean milk), which comes topped with youtiao. There are plenty other options on the special weekend menu ranging from savory crepes and cakes to soups and porridges. The majority of these have mixed opinions from the Yelp community, from delight and nostalgia to complete disappointment. Feel free to grab a few options to try for yourself and see what you think, but for a first weekend visit, I would consider soy milk and fried breadsticks mandatory. Look around at the endless breakfast spreads on the tables around you while in the queue, and you'll see why.

They'll be immensely busy, as you'll clearly see, and service will likely be gruff, especially if you don't know the language - order, pay, get a number stub, wait. Orders won't be called in English, so if you don't know what to listen for, keep those eyes glued on the counter as orders pour out of the kitchen. Drop in on the vegetable market that they convert their next-door Yu Ton Dumpling House counter into for fresh-picked Asian greens and squashes while waiting if you'd like.

I did also grab an order of seafood porridge and was dismayed for the same reason I was underwhelmed by their triple seafood noodle soup a few days prior - the quality of the taste was that of a typical Chinese fast-food joint. Since the name wasn't triple seafood, I was expecting a seafood porridge that was deliberately made, reminiscent of the richly-flavored seafood medley and even straight fish porridges I'd grown up spoiled by. No such luck. This was the consistency of your order of hot and sour soup at the local Panda Express, swapping rice soup for broth and egg ribbons for mushroom slivers. I got sick of it very quickly.

What's more, this comprised entirely of shrimp lacking in flavor and imitation crab sticks that were so clearly full of filler components, I finished the rice soup as leftovers later on out of a sense of responsibility to my food rather than any desire to taste it again (I didn't) - leaving nearly all of the imitation crab and the rubbery shrimp behind at the bottom of the container. In the triple seafood noodle soup, there was at least chewy, real-tasting squid in the mix to make it more tolerable. Ah, well. The frothy, steaming-hot soy milk and tender-crisp breadsticks definitely made up for the waste - they truly are the stars of the show.

They also offer a pork porridge option, which is the same bland porridge of fast-food consistency laced with ribbons of egg and topped with shredded dry-fried pork. Whereas the Vietnamese version of this protein - known as chà bông - is salty, the Chinese version is sweet and salty.

While I love sweetness in meat dishes, I never took a liking to what I felt was an overwhelming sweetness in the Chinese chà bông. Who knows, maybe you might. Though I still think the quality of the porridge isn't worth sacrificing the tummy space, taste buds, and money that could go to more 豆漿 and 油条. Just saying.

I want to live in a world where I can eat fan tuan every day.

I don't even mind if I got fat doing so, I just want it readily available for me. Yu Ton Dumpling House has the good stuff, so much so that I get two sticky rice balls every time I go and keep one for the next day and it's just as delicious. Pork, egg chinese donut and it has the portability factor to it--whats not to love?? I was literally sitting in the little food court area, eating, dancing in my chair and smiling. I wasn't a huge for o their congee since it was a bit runny for my taste and I like more fixings but the portions are spot on and service is quick. Cash only so get to the ATM beforehand!

Yo Ton Dumpling House and the one next to it look like it's ran by the same family because on the weekend it says to order here, regardless where you go. I ordered the beef tendon noodle soup and the pork dumplings in hot sauce.

The dumplings were way too thick. I felt like I was just eating a mouthful of dough, although the meat filling was pretty tasty. I didn't enjoy my tendon soup as much as I had wanted. The broth just didn't taste as good as it should and was more greasy but without the flavor. Not bad, if you're in a pinch, bit I would try and go to Katy's Dumpling House if you're already in Westmont.

Unreasonable long wait on weekend mornings. Surcharges on credit card usage without alerting you.

I'm a long way from anything close to authentic Taiwanese food so when I flew into town, I was looking for spicy beef noodle soup. For those of you who have visited/lived in Los Angeles, Dallas and/or Chicago, a company called Ding Hao owns all these international malls. They sold Yu Ton Dumpling House this space about twenty plus years ago and have been here ever since.

The first night, I had the spicy beef noodle soup and fried dumplings (potstickers as many Americans call it). I opted in for the handmade noodles which were definitely fresh. However, next time I would probably save a dollar and opt for the regular noodles. The broth is flavorful with a hint of spicy. Even the beef was amazing. I loved it all! The fried dumplings were amazing too! The auntie who runs the counter is friendly and awesome! She told me to come back on Saturday so I could try their breakfast.

On the Saturday morning of my flight, I dropped by. This time I ordered soy bean milk, pork congee, and sticky rice balls. Everything reminded me of Taiwan and how its been so long since I've been back. Everything had depth of flavor and brought back memories to make a grown man cry. Ok, I didn't cry but I definitely got nostalgic. Come early on Saturdays. The entire eating area gets packed quickly! Also, this is cash only just like many Asian restaurants/cafes. I would recommend this place without hesitation. Extremely affordable for authentic Taiwanese cuisine!

This place (inside the International Plaza) serves transitional authentic Chinese/Taiwanese breakfast in the weekend. The long line of patrons starts forming around 11 am. See the attached Weekend Breakfast Menu for selection.
I personally like the Salted (spicy) Soy Bean Milk, Twisted Cruller (fried dough) and Salted Rice Ball the best.

Staffs changed. Price increased. Reduced menu. The cook was super rude. After 20yrs, we decided to stop going there.

I love to get dumplings and crispy chicken here. The family is so sweet and helpful. It's very authentic and has been a great experience every time I've gone.