Din Tai Fung was founded in 1958 by Yang Bingyi and comes with a colossal reputation as the reigning authority on xiaolongbao (XLB) – a celebrated steamed dumpling filled with seasoned pork and scalding hot soup, typically served with a condiment of ginger vinegar. There are various ways to tackle them: piercing the top of the XLB with your chopstick and sipping out the broth before eating the rest in one bite, for example. I prefer to rest the little dumpling in a cool puddle of ginger vinegar until it’s at the right temperature to inhale. While travelling through Hong Kong, we chose to lose our Din Tai Fung virginity at their first branch in the Silvercord retail complex – a location awarded a Michelin star in 2009.
If, like us, you arrive without a booking, the queueing system is simple enough: take a ticket, join the line, and wait your turn. Even at a shade past 9 p.m., the place was still heaving. We were seated within ten minutes – a small mercy.
Ordering couldn’t be more intuitive. 
When in HK you get a Blue Girl.
The string beans with minced pork $48 landed first, and the quality of the ingredients was immediately apparent. They struck exactly the right balance of heat, umami, and natural sweetness – poised, vivid, and deeply satisfying. A must-order, and quite possibly the best beans I’ve ever eaten.
The steamed black truffle pork dumplings $188 were a genuine pleasure. First, a heady rush of truffle; then, the mouth-watering richness of juicy pork, all swaddled in a silken wrapper with just the right tension and bite.
The vegetable and pork wontons $58 were another high point, their flavour supercharged by the umami boosted hot oil they arrived in. Each bite was a slick, fiery rush – the kind that blooms across the palate and refuses to let go, leaving you extra-tempted to chase down with another one.
The xiaolongbao $60 was the reason we came – the classic pork, fresh and faultless in form. The broth was clean, the pork tender, the skin just thin enough to tremble. And yet, after the fireworks of the opening dishes, its subtler profile felt almost restrained, beautiful, but briefly eclipsed.
This is where I bath before being eaten.
The glutinous rice wrapped and steamed in lotus leaves $45 was another triumph – the stodgy master piece was seasoned beautifully with soy and came stuffed with hunks of divine swine. 
The wok-sautéed Indian lettuce $62 came with a wallop of garlic that wrapped itself neatly around the bitter-sweet leaves. Another unqualified win – proof that when vegetables taste this good, the world edges closer to being worth living in.
On to desserts, where the dumpling theme holds sway – and at this level, that’s a very good thing. The wrapper remains flawlessly chewy, cradling a sweet red bean paste that is both nutty and balanced, dangerously addictive. Each bite is a quiet, sly triumph, the kind that lingers long after it’s gone.
Last, but by no means least, we went for more steamed dumplings – this time with sweet taro paste $45. Once again, the wrapper was faultlessly thin, hugging a delicately earthy, subtly sweet filling. It was the kind of finale that doesn’t just end a meal, but makes you wish it could stretch on forever.
The verdict:
When did I go? Nov 2016.
The damage: Expect to pay $300 per head (£25) per head with drinks.
The good: From the string beans and wok-sautéed Indian lettuce to the black truffle pork dumplings and vegetable-pork wontons, the dishes demonstrated precision, balanced flavours with many moments of indulgent brilliance. The xiaolongbao impressed with subtlety, while the sweet red bean and taro dumplings closed the meal on a high. Overall, each dish was brought vividly to life with texture, the right level seasoning, with flair, highlighting both technical skill – places like this make me jump on a plane for more.
The bad: Not a lot!
Rating: 5/5
Would I go again? Yes
Address: Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui, Canton Rd, 30號306
http://www.dintaifung.com.hk
Leave a Reply