Los Angeles is home of the new phenomenon of following favorite food trucks via Twitter to munch on the cheap and tasty fare prepared inside the roaming kitchens, serving food curbside out of the windows of  chicly painted trucks. The trucks change locations daily and park for only a few hours on any given day or night. The kitchens inside the trucks are compact, so when the food is gone, they're gone--until the next day--or later that night --at a new location disclosed; sometimes last minute; to their Twitter and Facebook following.

Such was the case with owner, Alex Chu's new Dim Sum Truck being added to the latest fleet of movable eateries. The official launch party was set for February 28 at 7 p.m. in Venice. Chu made several street appearances beforehand where he prepared traditional Chinese dim sum menu items and his own fusion creations that were received with great enthusiasm.

Chu's location "tweets" in the days before the launch party were revealed last minute making it difficult to catch him, which only made my cravings for har gow and turnip cake more intense as the countdown-- until he would be in a confirmed place on the Westside at a specific address- began. When Saturday arrived-- so did bad weather, the powerful February rain storms Los Angeles had seen all month-- Chu's followers feared the party would be a bust. After all, it's only an outdoor food truck. Who wants to stand outside in the cold rain, eating dim sum standing in high-heels on a windy Saturday night? Chu posted on Twitter that afternoon, "Chinese believe rain on the day of a grand opening means good fortune."

Saturday night, 7:30 p.m., under cloudy skies filled with an immense full moon instead of rain, sat the Dim Sum Truck. Strategically parked in the parking lot alongside The Brig's  giant  brick wall, an oversized mural was  illuminated with sky lights which made for a nice dramatic back drop. A few stand-up only tables on the edge offered a place to eat while waiting for your order to be called.  Most people stood near the truck mingling companionably.

After being greeted by one of the friendly staff members at the first window, you checked off your choices on a small sheet that also served as the menu, paid cash and waited for Alex to prepare your order at the next window. Waiting approximately 20 minutes for an order of har gow, gow choy, turnip cake and egg tarts seemed appropriate considering the nice sized group already forming. When 22 year old Alex calls your name he proudly serves the neat little baskets he personally prepared for you with a great big smile, apologizing for the delay. The food was delicious, tasty little snacks to share with friends while standing around in a lit up parking lot at the start of a night.

Har Gow: 3 Sweet Shrimp Steamed Dumplings $2.50 round, fresh, light, touch of ginger, good starter for people unfamiliar to Dim Sum. Gow Choy: 2 Shrimp and Chive Dumplings $2.50 crescent shaped, fresh and light, larger than Har Gow stronger flavors due to the freshly minced chive. Turnip Cakes: 2 pan fried squares $3.50 batter is cake-like blended with shredded daikon radish and steamed. Customarily dotted with Chinese sausage which tends to make it oily and heavy. Alex uses dried shrimp instead, pan frying it before serving making it crispy on the outside and soft but firm on the inside. Mildly spicy. Outstanding. Egg Tart: 1 egg Custard Brulee` Pastry $1.50 Cute little round tart filled with baked egg custard. Crust tasted heavily of low grade oil. Served (for the launch party) with 2 adorable tiny chocolate cupcakes slightly bigger than a sewing thimble. Subtle flavor of cherry with perfect white icing swirl on top.
Follow Alex at  www.dimsumtruck.com and to see the complete menu with beautifully displayed photos. Currently serving Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Venice, USC, downtown and lots of TBA locations.