DUBLIN DABBLIN'

This quiet-seeming Tri-Valley city has a surprising amount of things to do, plus some morbid history

No, no, not Ireland. We're talking about California's Dublin, the Golden State's fastest-growing city of the last decade and a contemporary cultural melting pot with a whole lot of surprises — some historical, some pop culture-related and several very delicious.

There's certainly enough here to fill a Bay Area day trip, even if you're not already intrigued by the idea of the city's secretive military history and a certain notorious incident on “MythBusters” that saw a rogue cannonball blast through the side of someone's house and into a minivan.

No, you can't re-create that last one.

But might we suggest you start your day with a breakfast salute to the city's changing demographics? The Asian contingent in Dublin has roughly tripled in the past decade, accounting today for 54% of the population. So we're starting at the Dublin Ulferts Center, a two-story strip mall where the shift is delightfully apparent. You'll find jade and ginseng shops here, a Kee Wah Bakery with Chinese bridal cakes, a KTV karaoke lounge open until 2 a.m. and locally renowned dim-sum purveyor Koi Palace and — our first stop of the day — Egg Happiness.

This breakfast-lunch spot specializes in one kind of South Korean street food,

PHOTOS BY ARIC CRABB — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP The Dublin Heritage Park & Museums includes several historic buildings and a historic cemetery, church and picnic area among its 10acres.

A robotic waiter moves through the dining room delivering Korean-style egg sandwiches at Dublin's Egg Happiness breakfast restaurant.

Egg Happiness offers more than half a dozen Korean-style egg sandwiches, including this Bulgogi and Egg with Avocado version.