Dumpling restaurant empire expands its territory into Orange County
It took a total of one day for dumpling fans and foodies of all stripes to sniff out one of the buzziest Orange County restaurant debuts in recent memory.
Paradise Dynasty opened its first U.S. location at South Coast Plaza July 20 with zero advertising, and the next day people were piling up outside the restaurant, waiting up to two hours for a seat.
The Singapore dumpling empire has 45 other locations in nine countries throughout Asia, but this is their first in America — a long-awaited dream, says Eldwin Chua, who co-owns the chain with his younger brother, Edlan.
“All the biggest brands are from the U.S.,” he told me. “To have that international eyeball, it has to be an outlet in the U.S.”
The brothers have been trying to land a spot at a Southern California shopping center for the past decade. Every mall they lobbied though, from the Grove in Los Angeles to the Americana at Brand in Glendale, already had a Din Tai Fung, a Taiwan-based restaurant chain that is the undisputed juggernaut for soup dumplings in the U.S.
Malls didn’t want to lease to a competitor, particularly one without a track record in this country. South Coast Plaza was no exception. A Din Tai Fung opened there in 2014 and still draws crowds. Paradise Dynasty was sent away.
Recently, though, Irvine developer Morgan Zhang leased a giant space inside Bloomingdales to create an elevated food hall called Collage. He then reached out to Paradise Dynasty, offering the brothers a sublease — inviting them to be the centerpiece.
Jackpot.
“We are fortunate,” says Eldwin. “What beats the best location in Orange County?”
He and his brother, along with a small kitchen team, flew in from Singapore a few weeks ago for the opening.
While some foodie influencers have forecast a dumpling war between Din Tai Fung and Paradise Dynasty, Eldwin says it’s not a competition: The two have different styles.
Din Tai Fung is famous for its Shanghai-style soup dumplings & noodles. Paradise Dynasty, on the other hand, has a menu that draws from eight different regions in China and includes traditional dishes like fried rice and stir fry, in addition to soup dumplings.
The thing that put Paradise on the foodie map is that they were “the first in the world” to make dumplings with a variety of flavors and colors, according to Eldwin.
“I didn’t want to be labeled a copycat,” he says. “Another Din Tai Fung.”
Natural dyes are added to the dumpling dough — spinach juice for green, carrots for orange, squid ink for black.
Their Rainbow Xiao Long Bao dumpling basket is almost too pretty to eat. Eight plump little pouches arrive arranged in a circle. Diners are instructed to eat them in order, from the milder OG pork dumpling to bolder-flavored fillings like foie gras, black truffle, luffa gourd, cheese and crab roe. The final dumpling is fiery red with a spicy Szechuan kick.
“The thing about Singapore is we have a lot of bold flavors from all these neighboring Southeast Asia countries,” says Eldwin. “So we created our own Singapore-style Chinese flavor. The taste is bolder, with more layers of flavors. The food is more refined.”
Each dumpling is sized to be eaten in one bite, although a big bite. Pop it in your mouth, sink your teeth into the soft dough, and savory broth seeps out with the filling. Fans call them flavor bombs.
Eldwin, now 44, started his culinary career at a McDonald’s when he was only 12. The legal working age in Singapore at the time was 13 so he lied to get the job. Soon after he moved up to hotel kitchens.
“It was there I learned the basic culinary skills,” he says.
At 22, he took over his grandfather’s coffee stall. And a few years later he opened his first Paradise Dynasty, handing out fliers on rollerblades when he wasn’t buying ingredients at wet markets or working in the kitchen.
His vision then was the same as it is now, he says.
“It’s the total experience. The food has to be good, the service has to be good. The price point has to be right. So it’s like you are entering a very tasteful restaurant that is affordable.”
The South Coast Plaza spot is contemporary, westernized with modern Asian elements and a sleek bar. Beer, wine and cocktails will be served once the liquor license is approved.
Eldwin says he hopes to have a partial reservation system by the grand opening on Sept. 13. He’s also setting up a waitlist via Yelp to shorten the lines, which have stretched to up to 100 people on weekends.
It’s a good problem to have.
Lori Basheda is a contributor to TimesOC.
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