Din Tai Fung was founded in 1958 by Yang Bingy and comes with a colossal reputation for being the reigning authority for Xiao long bao (XLB), a celebrated steamed dumpling filled with seasoned pork & ripping hot soup – typically served with a condiment of ginger vinegar. There are a variety of techniques to devour them, such as piercing a hole on the top of the XLB with your chopstick and sucking the hot soup out, then taking the rest as a one biter. I prefer resting the little dumpling in the cool puddle of ginger vinegar, until they’re ar the right temperature to inhale. So whilst travelling through HK, we chose to take our Din Tai Fung virginities at their first branch located in the Silvercord retail complex, which was awarded a Michelin Star in 2009.
If you haven’t booked like us, then the queueing system is simple, grab a ticket and get in line. It was still heaving when we got there, a smidgen past 9pm. We got in within 10 minutes thankfully.
Ordering couldn’t be more intuitive.
When in HK you get a Blue Girl.
The string beans with minced pork $48 came first and the quality of the ingredients really shone through. The dish had right the balance of heat, umami and natural sweetness. A total must have and are possibly the best beans I’ve ever had.
Steamed black truffle pork dumplings $188 were a real treat to eat. You get a whoosh of truffle, mouth-watering juicy pork, all wrapped in a silken dumpling skin with the right amount of tension and bite.
Vegetable and pork wontons $58 were equally as special as the flavour was completely amped by the hot oil it came with.
Xiao long bao $60 is what we came here for and this is the classic pork one. Albeit, fresh and delicious, it was perhaps overshadowed by the initial dishes as the flavour profile was on the subtler side.
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.
Wok sautéed Indian lettuce $62 came with a wallop of garlic that complemented the bitter sweet leaves. Another winner, and if all vegetables tasted this good, then the world would be a better place.
Onto desserts now and the dumpling theme prevails – it can only be a good thing when they’re this good. This time, and still with that perfect chewy dumpling wrapper, it’s filled with sweet red bean paste. The nutty sweetness is balanced and addictive.
Last but by no means least we ordered some more steamed dumplings, this time with sweet taro paste. ($45). Again, it came with that faultless thin wrapper and a delicately earthy sweet filling. We couldn’t have ended the meal in better fashion.
The verdict:
When did I go? Nov 2016.
The damage: Expect to pay $300 per head (£25) per head with drinks.
The good: Not only do you get relentlessly good value for money, but cooking that deserves cred. The dumplings are crafted brilliantly, with stunning translucent skins and mouth-watering fillings. This place is dumpling royalty that’s for sure.
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
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