Editor Pick
The Best Export from Taiwan
- October 19, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Eric from Aiea from San Jose, California
Din Tai Fung is originally a Taiwanese restaurant that had opened branches in several countries and in several key international airports. It is constantly rated as one of the world’s best restaurant chains for exactly the same reason that you will always find any branch packed and a line outside– it really is that good. I have had many experiences with several branches of DTF since a banker from Hong Kong insisted we go have dinner at the Taipei 101 location, and each has left me waiting for the next chance to go have lunch or dinner there again. I have never tried any of the DTFs in the USA, but can say that the Paragon DTF measures up well to that which I had in Taipei.
The one I went to in Singapore is located in the large basement food court area of the Paragon Mall on Orchard. The Paragon is a high end retailer mall, with many of the famous clothing lines and brand names having their shops there (as well as the just opened Ion Plaza). In Singapore, there is also a Din Tai Fung over at Raffles City, the Tampines Mall, and three others as well. It does not matter which one you chose to go to, there will be a line of people waiting to go in if you get there at lunch time or at around 6pm.
Din Tai Fung uses fresh ingredients and makes use of simple Taiwanese cooking styles that allow it to offer tasty and healthier choices. It was interesting to note that the now famous shop sign for DTF is the work of a famous calligrapher, Mr. Youren Yu, who provided his skills to the original owner in Taiwan when it was a shop selling peanut oil. The original dumpling restaurant came about after the introduction of salad oil with commercial metal containers made the peanut oil market slump and the owner ventured into another business that eventually became the first restaurant.
After you have placed your name on the waiting list, you are given a long order slip and can go ahead and figure out what your order is to be once you have your table. The wait for me actually ended up being only about 10 minutes, so it was not that bad, but I waited till 1pm before arriving. There are about 50 or so items on the checklist that is the order slip, with descriptions in Mandarin and English. The portions other than soups are more like dim sum, and provide a great excuse for ordering several things to try for two people or a whole lot of items for three or more.
The pork dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) are - of course- the main feature of DTF, and their praise is what won the growth of the restaurant from Taiwan throughout the world. They are perfection in itself, with the hot broth inside each one making you take the small bite to avoid burning your lips or tongue. They are best dipped into a mix of soy sauce, fresh grated ginger, and chili oil. The taste of these dumplings is definitely the mouthwatering experience you want to find.
The menus 50 dishes also have a lot to offer to those who are not huge fans of dumplings. Try the stir fried spinach with garlic, which has a perfect texture to it. From the selection of really good soups, the vegetable and pork wonton soup is delicious with a very light chicken broth surrounding very tasty wontons. Try the Fried Green Pea Shoots as well. The Dan Dan Noodles are noodles with sesame oil in a light peanut sauce that looked very good. I have yet to have ordered an item in many trips to DTF that I did not enjoy! But I do recommend saving some room and trying the red bean dumplings because they are the perfect ending to a great meal.
From journal The Uniqueness of Dining in Singapore