NOVEMBER - When news hit that Del Amo Fashion Center would get DTF as part of a major renovation, we got really excited...but it seemed to take forever for this location to finally open. Heck, the revamped mall opened a year before the restaurant!

While waiting for a table, Valerie decides we should check out Nordstrom...lured away from the South Bay Galleria to anchor this significantly transformed mall

This is my first time inside since their $300 million-plus renovation

Din Tai Fung locations are notorious for having long lines, but text messaging and a mobile app allow us to wander from the restaurant while we wait

As with other DTF's, you can watch dumplings being made

Valerie and I have been hoping for a more local Din Tai Fung since Pete introduced us to their Arcadia location in 2010

Finally!

Pork XLB...still my fave (we will place another order before we leave)

Shrimp and Pork Wontons in Spicy Sauce...more sweet than spicy

Braised Beef Noodle Soup brings beefy goodness, but the noodles were disappointingly soft and the broth really needed to bring the heat...both in terms of spice and temperature (our waiter mistakenly described this soup as being like Bun Bo Hue).

Shrimp & Pork Shao Mai look better than they taste. The filling is fine, but the noodle wrapping is a bit heavy and Valerie found them too doughy