Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 @ Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐, an international brand that synonymous with XiaoLongBao 小籠包 (steamed pork dumplings). Founded in Taiwan nearly 60 years ago, Din Tai Fung has enjoyed worldwide acclaim for its amazing XiaoLongBao. Din Tai Fung has been making waves with branches throughout the world, including Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, UAE, USA.

Ranked as one of the world’s Top Ten Best Restaurants by The New York Times in 1993 and in November 2009, the restaurant’s first Hong Kong branch at Tsim Sha Tsui, Silvercord Branch (新港店), was awarded one Michelin star by the Hong Kong and Macau 2010 edition of the Michelin Guide.

Din Tai Fung definitely not a stranger to us Malaysian as there are several branches across our country but I’m glad that I had the opportunity to savour the ORIGINAL taste of Din Tai Fung at Taiwan during my recent trip. Are you ready for a splendid XiaoLongBao feast?

 

It was our dinner after the visit to the Taipei 101 observatory deck. Din Tai Fung’s popularity is evidently seen from the long queue and the crowd that thronged every outlets especially their original branch on Xinyi Road, Taipei that has queue snaking down to the street.

 

We were there on a weekday and the restaurant was brimming with patrons who shares a common love for XiaoLongBao. The huge space is brightly lit, dressed in soothing natural tone, furnished with simple wooden furniture and sparsely decorated with framed drawings adorning the walls.

 

Holding everyone’s attention is the glass enclosed kitchen that sits on the dining area  where dozens of chefs rapidly turning out a dazzling display of dumpling after dumpling. Each XiaoLongBao undergoes 6 precise preparatory stages before it is presented to you. A perfect dumpling has about 18 folds, and a chef must take half a year of training before he/she can be certified to make them.

Din Tai Fung House Special 招牌小菜 & Sauteed String Beans with Minced Pork 干煸四季豆

Sweet-sour twang of this distinctive oriental salad of beansprouts, julienne seaweed, rice vermicelli and beancurd strips in special vinegar dressing is a refreshing start to a promising meal.

Sauteed String Beans with Minced Pork was just run-of-the-mill but I like the string bean still remained their crunchy and sweet nature.

 

A handy guide to enjoy XiaoLongBao is conveniently placed at every table.

 

XiaoLongBao 小笼包

Din Tai Fung’s signature XiaoLongBao comes with a minimum of 18 intricate folds, remarkably delicate skin and premium minced meat filling with hot refined broth. Minced pork is combined with a gelatinous mixture, which becomes the soup when steamed. The pork filling showcased satisfying dimensions of flavours, robust with pleasant porkiness note without being too greasy. Those XiaoLongBaos are always excellent like a work of art.

Try the original flavor of the dumpling before dipping with the vinegar soy sauce and ginger. Having dined at Din Tai Fung back in Malaysia and I can tell you that there’s not much difference in quality between the two branches. Consistency definitely their secret of spawning an international soup dumpling empire.

Crab Roe & Pork XiaoLongBao 蟹粉小笼包

Green Squash & Shrimp XiaoLongBao 丝瓜虾仁小笼包

While the filling of the original pork XiaoLongBao is soft and tender, this Green Squash & Shrimp variation yield a pleasant crunchy and bouncy sensation.

 

Steamed Shrimp & Pork Shao Mai 虾仁烧卖

The skin of this Shao Mai was slightly thicker but the meat filling was equally delicious.

 

Steamed Vegetable & Ground Pork Dumplings 菜肉蒸饺

The filling of vegetable and pork is quite common for dumpling but it is a combination that can’t go wrong for everyone.

 

Steamed Fish Dumplings 鲜鱼蒸饺

This was my first time trying dumpling with fish filling but to be honest it did not impress me. The texture and flavour was not to my liking.

 

House Special Spicy Shrimp & Pork Wonton 红油抄手

Drenched in crimson red hue sauce, the Wonton weren’t as spicy as it looks.The shrimp filling was plump with flavor distinct from the pork. The spicy oily sauce struck my palate with a bud tickling chili kick.

 

Shrimp & Pork Pot Stickers 虾肉煎饺

With a thin and crispy brown lace at the bottom connecting all the dumplings, one can get a half crunch half tender bite from the outside and complemented by the moist, tasty filling inside.

 

Hot & Sour Soup 酸辣汤

The fairly thick potage of hot and sour soup filled with shredded beancurd, wood ear fungus, bamboo shoot and other ingredients, was velvety and bursting with loads of flavors and textures.

 

Stir Fried Taiwanese Lettuce A 菜

For the Vitamin C quota 😛

 

Shredded Pork Fried Rice with Egg 肉丝蛋炒饭

Although Din Tai Fung is known for their XiaoLongBao, however there’s much more worth sampling on the menu such different types of fried rice. Our Shredded Pork Fried Rice with Egg was heavenly with loads of egg, pork and spring onion. I love the fluffy and moist Taiwan rice, every grain separated and no lumps detected.

 

 

Steamed Red Bean XiaoLongBao 豆沙小笼包

Delicate dessert dumpling encasing the creamy red bean paste with adequate sweetness to conclude our satiated dinner.

 

Verdict: My two cents worth, Din Tai Fung certainly shows how devoted they are to the art of dumplings! My XiaoLongBao feast at Taiwan definitely an enjoyable experience and I’m glad that I still can savour the same food quality at Malaysia, consistency is the keyword!

 

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐

B1, No.45, Shifu Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City 110, Taiwan. (Taipei 101 Mall)

Tel: +886 2 8101 7799

Operating Hours: 11.00am to 9.30pm (Sun – Thu), 11.00am to 10.00pm (Fri & Sat)

Website: www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/default.htm

 

Check out my other dining experiences at Taipei:-

Silks Palace at National Palace Museum 故宫晶华 @ Taipei

Zheng Kee Pork Knuckle 郑记猪脚

Yunus Halal Restaurant 泰富豪清真料理

Shin Yeh Taiwanese Cuisine 欣叶

Yong Kang Beef Noodle 永康牛肉面 & Smoothie House 思慕昔

陳根找茶 Chen Gen Zhao Cha & 邱记凉面 Qiu Ji Cold Noodles

Breakfast @ Humble House Taipei 寒舍艾丽

 

 

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