Laguna Hills was once part of a cattle ranch. The city incorporated fairly recently, in 1991. Now Laguna Hills, which is wedged between the 5 and 73 freeways, houses planned communities and strip malls. Destination food has been hard to find in this city, besides Break of Dawn. Laguna Hills does have one more sneaky good international dining option. Wok & Dumpling is a Chinese restaurant with cream-colored walls. Colorful paintings depict subjects like panda, koi, and dandelion puff. The original owners are no longer in place, but the opening chef apparently remains. Wok & Dumpling makes dumplings in-house that more than satisfied my cravings.

Wok & Dumpling xiao long bao now rank behind only Din Tai Fung’s Costa Mesa branch in my Orange County hierarchy. Pork and Shrimp Wontons in Spicy Sauce ($8.65) were the most impressive dish I tasted. The chefs demonstrated deft handiwork. Wontons with juicy cores and thin-skins luxuriated in a menacing pool of chile oil that imparted tongue tingling ma la (numbing spice). I would have gladly bought a bag of 50 dumplings to bring home to Los Angeles, if I had a cooler handy.

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.