The Dim Sum Truck

I used to think that truck food was always held by obvious limitations, and that I could only expect a shadow of what I’d get at a restaurant. I’ve since been proven wrong… but not by the Dim Sum Truck.
I got my normal favorites, and the star of the show is always BBQ Pork Buns. Here’s they’re passable, but nothing that would bring me back. Hubby loved his Cheeseburger Dumplings but not the shrimp.
Of course, they still win major points for their Dim Sum Song:

Listen to me: Skip the BBQ Pork Buns and order their Baked Potato Dumplings and their Cheeseburger Dumplings. You’re welcome!
As somebody whose eaten BBQ Pork Buns since I was a wee child, I know a good BBQ bun when I see one. The ones from the Dim Sum Truck? Nothing that can’t be missed.
The real deliciousness comes from the dumpling options they have. I had their Cheeseburger Dumpling first. The skin was perfectly crispy and the beef and oozing cheese inside go so well with it. Their Baked Potato dumpling is equally as good. Same perfectly crunch skin filled with delicious bunch of potato, bacon, cheese, and green onions. Those two are definite must orders! OM NOM NOM!
FYI: They do not take credit card so make sure you bring cash!
I will be back for more dumplings! 3 stars!

Like Nom Nom Truck, the Dim Sum Truck is one of the first trucks I knew about and have been wanting to try for a while now. When I saw that this truck would be at The Official Truck Stop event, I freaked out (just a little though).
My test for this truck was if they could make great BBQ Pork buns and Shrimp Har Gow dumplings. These two dishes are not only my favorite types of dim sum, but also two fairly traditional types of dim sum as well. If the Dim Sum Truck was at the top of its game, their buns and dumplings would have to be absolutely delicious.
Turns out… it was alright. Barely decent, in fact. Both dishes were not warm. The BBQ Pork was 25% pork and 75% bun (which was rather unsatisfying). Though the shrimp to skin ratio was better for the dumplings, there was nothing special about them. Not to mention, the skin on the dumplings was plasticky.
Why three stars instead of one or two stars?
Because the Dim Sum truck has a special weapon: cheeseburger dumplings.
The dumplings look pretty gross coming out, all greasy and brown. But once you get past the appearance, you can’t help but be amazed by how GOOD it is. The burger bits are juicy and whatever else that’s inside makes these dumplings extra delicious!
I’m sure that the Dim Sum Truck has other things to offer besides their cheeseburger dumplings. Just know that you should stay away from the more «traditional» items because their fusion/​unconventional dishes are their specialty.

Dumplings, Bao Buns and tacos… Oh MY!
I’ve been a fan of dim sum since I was young un going with my parents to Chinatown for a Sunday brunch.
I’ve tasted good bao buns and not so good ones. These ones are good. In fact my wife and I tried one of almost everything on their board. We were lucky enough to find this truck parked in front of White Rabbit in a Saturday afternoon.
The baos were fluffy and moist with good flavor, and the steamed dumplings were not too sticky. The even had some shu-​mai which we also liked. This truck never seems to be close to me so I’m kind of wanting to try them again.
Guys, come to El Segundo!

Before you waste your time, turn around and get in another line! Run! Now!
Not only did they run out of stuff… (duh)
The dim sum was kinda gross. Pork was gritty (bones?). Chicken was fatty. Just gross gross gross.
I felt dirty and bloated and nausiated after a couple little dumplings. Mehhhhhhhhhhhhh
Get the real stuff in Monterey Park. You won’t regret it.

Wife-«Hey, the Dim Sum truck is here tonight too!»
Me– «Cool! Let’s go get some tacos»
Wife– «OK! Wait tacos! What?»
I know, I know! Why on earth would I want tacos from a truck that specializes on things like buns and dumplings? Well, all I can say is I was in the mood for tacos so deal with it!
Don’t worry, we also ordered some dumplings. I mean, I couldn’t try this truck with out getting some of their dumplings.
The old ball and chain and I came across the Dim Sum truck at the Fig Produce truck meet up on Tuesday, March 22^nd. While we were waiting for the Grill Em All truck to open their gates we decided to get a few goodies from Dim Sum to scarf down while we waited. This is what we ordered;
Kung Pao Chicken tacos (3)
Cheeseburger Dumplings (2 per order)
Pork and Shrimp Shu Mai Dumplings (3 per order)
The tacos were really, really tasty. They were loaded with juicy chicken, peanuts and pickled red onions. My only problem with these tacos was they were three bucks a pop. In all honesty, it only took me two bites to finish one. That means these tacos are a buck fifty a bite, which is a bit too much.
The cheeseburger dumplings were good too. The guy on the truck described them as In N Out cheeseburgers in dumpling form. Well, he was right; they tasted like In N Out cheeseburgers in dumpling form. Especially when dipped in the special sauce that came with them. Since I don’t like Shrimp I didn’t try the Shu Mai dumplings but the wifey and her friend said they were delicious.
The guys working on this truck were really friendly. Since we had never been to their truck before they gave us all sorts of suggestions on what we should try. As I stated above, the tacos were a bit pricey. However, I think the dumplings were fairly priced.
My first impression of the Dim Sum truck was a good one, so I will try this truck again if I happen to come across it.

I spotted this truck in Highland Park Tuesday evening. There were numerous food trucks parked at this location. I learned that the event is sponsored by Figueroa Produce.
The duck taco was overly sweet. But the har gow was delicious ($ 3 for 3 pieces). There was ample shrimp in the har gow and the sauce was full of flavor. I really enjoyed it.

The Dim Sum Truck gets points for a great concept and really friendly people, but the food did not meet expectations. Justin C. and I were charmed by the talkative youngsters running the truck and ended up ordering a good portion of the menu on their recommendation. Since we were eating at the truck, we even got a free order of barbecue pork buns they had lying around. I wish I liked the food better, because if I did, I would give the Dim Sum Truck a lot of business.
The one stand-​out item was the pork and shrimp shu mai, and I would recommend getting just that if you happen to see this truck hanging around. It was very good, with meaty pork and snappy sweet shrimp enrobed in a thin pliant wrapper. Also decent was the crab and scallop dumpling, which had a nice transparent wrapper. The seafood filling was subtle, but not bland.
The pork belly and cabbage bun was just not good. The white bun was thick and bready and instead of offering juicy pork belly glistening with fat, the filling was bland and mushy. The price was right on that free barbecue pork bun, but the proportion were off. While I liked the sweet golden bread and the sweet flavorful pork, there was so little pork that more than half of the bun was hollow. The bread overwhelmed the filling. We also tried the duck taco for something a little different, and while I wouldn’t order it again, it was decent. There was too much plum sauce on the duck, but I liked the lightening touch of the pickled red onion.
Since I surveyed the supposed highlights of the menu, I’m reluctant to give Dim Sum Truck another shot. I still love the concept and wish the people well, but sadly, the food is mediocre.

Solid effort Dim Sum Truck. I liked. I wish I could say I loved, but (:gulp:) I didn’t. The concept of taking already mobile Chinese snacky-​snacks and swapping the traditional squeaky push carts for a trendy, giant cart (aka food truck) is pretty clever. I love Dim Sum and I love convenient. So of course, I was eager to give this truck a spin.
We ordered a slew of items, but the ones I distinctly remember were:
Steamed pork buns ($ 3)
Cheeseburger dumplings ($ 3.25)
Pork and Shrimp Shu Mai ($ 2.50)
Har Gow (shrimp dumplings $ 2.50)
I had high hopes for the pork buns and although they were good, they were just not that great… more pork, less dough please. The cheeseburger dumpling sounds like a hot mess, but it wasn’t bad… it was like a bite size, Chinese version of hamburger helper. Pork and shrimp Shu Mai were very good. Shrimp dumplings were good. Since I haven’t met a sesame ball I didn’t like, I was hoping to try their their balls. But my stomach had already reached full capacity by then… Oh well. It gives me an excuse to give the truck another go around and go balls out. (Okay, cue the ball jokes).

I was early for a meeting over at the Natural History Museum so I decided to cut through USC and see what trucks were over on Jefferson and Hoover. With only three trucks there and with no line at Dim Sim, I would start with them.
Figured I would go traditional (BBQ Pork Bun) and the not-​so-​traditoinal (Cheeseburger dumplings) as my introduction to their truck with both served up quickly.
One bite… two bites… and still looking for the pork. Once I found it was underwhelmed at both the lack of taste and quantity contained inside. The bun itself was on the dry side and it was now up to the dumplings to save this meal.
I never figured that a cheeseburger dumpling would work but the flavors came together well. The onions and beef and ketchup blended rather well in my mouth but was gone after only a few bites.
I’m not saying that I wouldn’t go back but wouldn’t necessarily rush back to do so.

Ooh cool, dim sum without having to flag down the old Chinese lady so she can stamp your card having no idea how much it costs!!!
Har gow — It’s pretty good. Not overcooked so the skin stays moist and soft. The dipping sauce is great.
Spicy pork belly bun — Decent. Wished it was spicier and more flavorful to offset the bun itself.
They ran out of duck tacos when I got there :(
Having dim sum without having to tip is always a plus in my book!

Life is kind of funny sometimes. Even though a friend of mine lives, works and runs in San Francisco just like I do we run into each other no more than three times a year, sometimes less. So who is the first familiar face I see at this past weekend’s half marathon but my friend from San Francisco. I spotted him in one of the start corrals and after talking for awhile we both decided to start way back in the 15^th corral 20 plus minutes after the first runners had already taken off. Being a faster runner my friend took off once the starting horn for our wave sounded, and I never saw him again during the race.
Cut to the finish line of the race and guess who finds me in the finish line festival area. I’m shocked that we finished less than one minute apart from each other. So we’re catching up on old times, talking about the good and the bad of the 13.1 miles we just defeated, talking about San Francisco things and up out of nowhere in our conversation comes the subjects of Off the Grid, Eat Real and Chairman Bao.
I looked up to the right of where I was standing as the finish line concert had begun to play and I thought I was hallucinating because suddenly I saw food trucks parked on the street beside the Staples Center. I wasn’t hallucinating either. My friend saw them too. Five food trucks parked in a straight line with the first one catching the attention of both of us being a white truck dubbed the «Dim Sum Truck». We decided to skip out on the Neon Trees concert and opt for some food truck food instead.
The menu list was huge with possibly up to 20 items offered. There were assorted dumplings, steamed buns, sweet and savory desserts and duck tacos too plus cold drinks. Endurance running tends to screw up most people’s systems and even though we’d probably just gone four hours taking in nothing but fluids neither of us were very hungry. We split an order of the Shrimp and Bamboo Dumpling (Har Gow — 3 to an order) and an order of the Spicy Pork Belly Steamed Buns (2 to an order) plus a couple of cold sodas. You order at one window, pay and get a numbered receipt.
Service was very fast as both of our numbers got called almost immediately. The big Shrimp and Bamboo Dumplings were very good with much more shrimp than bamboo in a nice, chewy translucent skin. I didn’t taste any MSG either which is a big plus. I would compare its quality to some of the better take out dim sum places in San Francisco. The Spicy Pork Belly Steamed Buns got a lower approval rate from both my friend and I. He said it tasted closer to frozen steamed buns which I’ve never tried. I thought the soft, fluffy steamed bun was very good, but the filling wasn’t spicy and the pork was definitely not pork belly. The pork was very coarse in texture, had very little if any fat on it and basically seemed dry which it would definitely have been had it not been for the not-​spicy-​at-​all spicy sauce. If anything its size was more than adequate for filling us up after the race.
If I see this truck again in the future I’ll definitely consider the duck tacos but based on the two items we sampled I’m going to stick with a very average rating.

We caught the truck in the South Bay the other night, and my man was intrigued by their cheeseburger dumpling. It actually wasn’t bad, it tastes exactly like a cheeseburger, but not in a gross way. I still love their shumai, and I got a bunch of bbq pork buns to-​go. Bao all the wayyyy! Oh, he also tried their duck taco and said it was delish.
So as always, great food, great friendly service!

Food truck business has become a phenomena this past few years. With the spread of word of mouth, tweeting and facebooking, almost all food truck sounds good. However, as I always say, ‘There is only one way to find out.’
Every Saturday, Dim Sum Truck parks on Sawtelle and serves up dim sum, which no other trucks in LA serves out as of now. First thing first, the Dim Sum Truck is no Elite, in case you get too excited.
But with all the hype, I needed to try it out. I ordered siu mai, baked bbq pork bun, peking duck taco and turnip cake. All of which totaled up to $ 10+. The siu mai was somewhat fresh and plump. The shrimp has no off taste, while it could be served hotter, it’s pretty good coming out of a food truck.
The bake bbq pork bun was mediocre. While the bun itself has sweetness to it like it’s supposed to, parts of it was harden and chewy. The bbq pork at the center was just alright.
The peking duck taco sounded quite exotic, but it isn’t really comparable to the real peking duck. At 3 bucks a pop, I thought it was quite pricey considering what the outcome was.
Hungry for more food, I’ve decided to order more food from them. The sticky rice and all the dessert were out, so I settled with turnip cake. The turnip cake was not bad. It tasted like it was home made so that ‘s good.
All in all, this truck might be over hyped but I’ll give them props for serving up dim sum in a truck instead of a cart.

Along with three other trucks, the Dim Sum truck was parked in downtown today on Hope & 9^th. It was almost 2pm so the line was non-​existent.
I ordered the pork and shrimp shu mai dumplings. They were made fresh, but at best they tasted okay. Nothing to rave about. Three dumplings for $ 2.50 and served with a dipping sauce (check out my pic).
I guess if I was serious about dim sum, I’d be eating at a restaurant, but for a quick fix, the truck is okay.

Lucky me the Dim Sum Truck came by the USC area last week, + even better, it was for a private event + so the goods were freeeeeee (!!!) to those who participated in silly games put on by the student organization hosting the event. There’s perks to the truck founder for being a USC alum, eh?
However, I only got to try the 5 items that they had available for this event: Siu Mai, Har Gow, Steamed Chicken Bun, Steamed BBQ Pork Bun + Baked BBQ Pork Bun. All of them were quite good, though!
I liked the steamed buns more than the baked ones since the baked ones were kind of hard or dry … but the flavor + amount of meat in each of the dishes was generally on par with what I am familiar with. As the event did go on for a few hours, of course, the dim sum was indeed sitting there under the counter for a while + wasn’t fresh nor warm. At this point, I’d choose dim sum from 626 or a good hole-​in-​the-​wall place over this, but if the dim sum truck were at the right place at the right time, I’d rush to grab some in a heartbeat.
For sure, I need to catch up with this truck again in the near future to try more items from its diverse menu + thus be able to write a more fair review of its prices + such. I want to try the Peking Duck Taco + Sticky Rice next time! ^_^

Whoops! I guess that Taco wasn’t my last update…
I tried the Ham Sui Gok yesterday, 2 for $ 3 was abit pricey for me, but yes it’s really good and greasy, just what a chinese food should be. I can’t deduct more than one star cause I still luv their other stuff.

Disappointing. I normally LOVE dim sum. LOVE! There was nothing wrong with this dim sum but nothing really special about it either. They used the same sauce for all the dumplings which gave them a monolithic taste.
It was forgettable.
To their credit at the shrimp didn’t taste fishy.

This truck hit close to home just because it reminded me of the manapua trucks we have in Hawaii. Just for the simple fact that they served «little manapuas» aka pork buns.
The dumplings and desserts were really good. Bite size which is always good when you’re eating on street food. well, on the street!
The owner of the truck, Alex, was especially nice. he hooked us up with dessert! He must’ve felt sorry for us for driving all the way from Vegas to feed our faces: p lol

I was only able to try the Chicken Mushroom steamed bun tonight, but I thought it was delicious and fairly reasonable at $ 3 for two buns. Perfectly warm and moist chicken and equal ratios of chicken, mushroom and bun. I have no complaints, other than I was too poor to buy another order.
I will be back for more Dim Sum Truck.