Has it really been a year since Paradise Dynasty opened its doors at South Coast Plaza, in the Bloomingdale’s wing of the shopping center?
The fact that the restaurant launched in the middle of a pandemic said a lot about founder Eldwin Chua’s belief in his cuisine and concept. But then, he does have nearly 50 successful restaurants in Asia, so it should come as no surprise that Paradise Dynasty has not only survived, but thrived.
South Coast Plaza is the first U.S. location for the popular noodle and xiao long bao (a steamed bun or dumpling) restaurant, but probably not the last.
Chua told the Business Journal last year that he was looking for iconic locations, and South Coast Plaza was at the top of his list.
“No. 1 in sales for shopping malls in the U.S., highest traffic, sales volume, it’s what we were looking for. We could go somewhere else, but it would not be iconic,” Chua said.
Iconic also describes the Paradise Dynasty macaron dumplings, the signature item on the menu that is a must have. Chua created them in 2008. He says they are the world’s first macaron dumplings in terms of color and flavor.
East Meets West
As far as the décor, Chua summed it up best: “The overall look at first is modern and contemporary with oriental touches, not a Chinese style of décor. It’s East meets West. It’s comfortable, and the menu is basically comforting Chinese food. We have a variety of dim sum at the highest quality we can achieve. We are looking to deliver a pleasant dining experience in terms of comfort and food quality and service.”
Chua has indeed delivered on all counts—including his Le Shrimp Ramen restaurant located downstairs from Paradise Dynasty.
“We are the first in the U.S. to have ramen with shrimp broth. The technique we use is complicated but produces full, rich, smoky, creamy shrimp broth. We wanted a competitive edge that nobody else has. It’s inspired by Japanese ramen, infused with Chinese technique.”
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The eight-flavor, rainbow xiao long bao at Paradise Dynasty includes cheese, crab roe, foie gras, garlic, chicken liver pate, black truffle, Szechuan and the original filled with Kurobuta pork.
That was the first dish I sampled at the restaurant last year for their one-year anniversary.
This is a dish I could easily eat every day. The dumplings themselves are thick enough to hold their ingredients but thin enough to pop the entire thing into your mouth at once to savor the flavors that come bursting out of the dumpling. I loved the variety of flavors, each one more interesting than the last.
Next, the Singapore chili crab xiao long bao, available only until the end of October—unless they somehow find their way onto the menu. Chili Crab is widely regarded as the national dish of Singapore, and Paradise Dynasty is offering it in soup dumpling form. This is another must have, especially since it’s a limited time item.
After that came steamed vegetable dumplings, followed by a refreshing cold dish of white shimeji mushrooms tossed with spicy garlic vinaigrette. As a mushroom fan, this is one of the better fungi dishes I’ve had, especially served chilled.
Then came a dish that made my tastebuds swoon—crispy-fried prawns tossed with mayonnaise and walnuts. Simple, yet the flavors lingered on my palate like a summer sunset.
The stir-fried black pepper angus beef with basil was a treat, as was the crispy pork chop fried rice.
Paradise now has a liquor license, so I was able to try two cocktails: a Singapore Sling and a Pear Mule Paradise, both refreshing.
If you love shrimp (as I do), you’ll also love Le Shrimp Ramen. I had the Le Signature Trio Shrimp Ramen with handmade ebiko prawn paste, succulent prawn dumplings and fresh big prawns, served with signature shrimp broth and noodles.
Paradise Dynasty at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza: 3333 S. Bristol St., Costa Mesa, (714) 617-4630, paradisegp.com
