Architecture students Hao Wei, left, Pohsien Hou and Juihung Weng share dishes at lunch at Chengdu Taste in Alhambra. Chengdu Taste specializes in the Sichuan cooking of Chengdu. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Daily delicacies are listed on a board at the entrance to Chengdu Taste in Alhambra. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
The dining room at Chengdu Taste has been streamlined and lightened, made brighter with red paint and track lighting. You can get numb-taste dumplings at the Alhambra eatery. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Wang Xing Ji, an import from Wuxi, China, is on Valley Boulevard in San Gabriel. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)
The dumplings at Wang Xing Ji are memorable. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)
