**** Xiang Yuan has closed
**** Xiang Yuan no longer serves Dim Sum
We had one stop to plan on our way back from Santa Barbara last year. The Missus really wanted dim sum. And naturally, Sea Harbour came to mind. But I wanted to try something different. And after showing the Missus a couple of blog posts, I talked Her into stopping at Xiang Yuan Gourmet. The Missus was somewhat skeptical since "Xiang" basically means Hunan.
Still we made the drive to Temple City, to a portion of Las Tunas Drive that I don't think I've ever been to.
The restaurant is clean and modern and was totally empty during our entire visit.
The service was quite good…..and very efficient, though I guess being the only customers might not be the best gauge of that. It seems that the menu serves dim sum during the day, with the Hunan menu coming into play for dinner.
The menu did indeed feature some interesting nouveau style dim sum items.
We ordered some of our favorites, along with some interesting items I'd seen on other blog posts.
Crystal Shrimp Har Gow.
The shrimp were very moist and plump, with a nice "shrimpiness". The wrapper was a bit too think for my liking. I think that the version at Sea Harbour is better than this.
We both enjoyed the nice "pull" of the wrappers on the Vegetarian Dumplings.
The filling had a nice combination of textures and was pretty tasty overall. Surprising for a vegetable based dumpling.
I usually enjoy Chiu Chow Dumplings and this was no exception.
The wrappers, while on the thick side, weren't too gummy, the ingredients, peanuts, chives, mushroom, shrimp, all worked together well. Very balanced.
We also ordered this….
To translate, least you think we're one "k" away from skunk. Bean Curd Skin Roll with Cordyceps Flower.
The broth was delicious, and not overly medicinal. The bean curd skin was nice and crunchy, though the roll was on the bland side.
Turnip Cake is a must order item for the Missus.
Nicely studded with Chinese Sausage, this was very soft. It doesn't hold a candle to the version with XO Sauce at Sea Harbour. The Missus said that She enjoys what I make at home more than this.
The last three items that came out were the one's we were really interested in trying.
The Mushroom Bun……really looks like a mushroom.
The dough was a perfect combination of soft-fluffy, while still having a slight chew and not overly sweet. The filling of mushroom and bamboo shoots had a perfect savory flavor, with just the right amount of crunch from the bamboo shoots and carrots, which added a touch of sweetness as well. My favorite item of the day.
The Crispy Bamboo Shoot Paste Balls really make an impression.
They arrive looking like carrots….I'm not sure why, there's no carrot in this. The exterior is said to be made from bamboo shoot paste, which reminded me of exterior of glutinous rice dumplings. It was overly sweet and chewy for our tastes and the amount of salted egg filling just didn't stand up to the sweetness.
Ever since first having Durian Pastry almost eleven years ago at Elite Restaurant, I always have to try it if it's on the menu. The version here is quite nice, if not as visually appealing as the previous two dishes.
The crust is fairly light, the filling thicker than other versions, but very tasty and not too sweet. As a bonus there's a slice of durian along one edge of the pastry. Very nice in a mildly savory-not overly sweet-custardy kind of way. I'd gladly have this again. Another winner.
The Missus really enjoy this meal. In fact, She told me that we should return as soon as we are able to. 
In fact, She told me that "this might now be my favorite dim sum restaurant". I'm not sure. I think I still prefer Sea Harbour. I'm going to need several revisits to both. You know; for research purposes……
Xiang Yuan Gourmet
9556 Las Tunas Dr
Temple City, CA 91780
nice assortment of foods.
I’m always concerned about dining in an empty dim sum restaurant! But since you’re ordering from a menu, empty isn’t a concern. That’s the strangest turnip cake I’ve ever seen; guess it’s very nouveau fusion!
That’s strange you were the only customers. Hope that place stays in business.
Yeah, odd that it was so empty but still had the food quality to be a big hit with the Misses. If it moved to SD, it would probably be the best dim sum restaurant here, but in the SGV it’s par for the course. Too bad they don’t move down here and become the biggest fish in a small pond, instead of where they are the smallest fish in a big pond.
It was a nice visit KAt!
I was too Sandy; but things turned out pretty good for us.
I think they will Soo. I heard it’s pretty popular in spite of the location.
Hi Jason – They would easily be the best dim sum in San Diego. We thought they were really good even by SGV standards.