Din Tai Fung
23 Serangoon Central
#B1-10 NEX
9 Bishan Place
#01-41 Junction 8
290 Orchard Road
#B1-03 Paragon
4 Tampines Central 5
#02-01 Tampines Mall
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-08 Raffles City
63 Jurong West Central 3
#B1-68 Jurong Point
313 Orchard Road
#B2-01 313@Somerset
8A Marina Boulvevard
#B2-05 Marina Bay Link Mall
2 Bayfront Avenue
#B2-63 Marina Bay Sands
112 East Coast Road
#01-04 I12 Katong
26 Sentosa Gateway
#01-217 Resorts World Sentosa
http://www.dintaifung.com.sg/
Excellent Xiao Long Bao And Taiwanese Dishes
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $23 per person.
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Din Tai Fung specialized in authentic Taiwanese cuisine, and is especially known for their hand made Xiao Long Baos. Coupled with their reasonable prices, and other tasty speciality dishes, it is not uncommon to experience long queues outside each Din Tai Fung outlet.
The decor and ambience at Din Tai Fung is clean and simple, with touches of chinese influence. But the main attraction would be the open concept kitchen, separated from the dining area by clear glass. You'll be able to see each chef at work, whether hand crafting noodles, stuffing dumplings, or wok frying food.
Service at Din Tai Fung is quite good. Despite the long queues, you'll be able to view the menu beforehand, as well as decide upon your order. Food arrives quickly when you're seated. Furthermore, each Din Tai Fung is subdivided into various sections, with specific staff assigned to each section, ensuring that service is slightly more personal and efficient.
While Din Tai Fung doesn't have an extensive menu, most items they have are done well. Food generally features fresh, tasty, hand made ingredients. Nothing too complex, just clean and simple flavours. Can't really go wrong with any item on the menu, although if I had to nitpick, I'll probably say my least favourite is the marinated pork chop.
Din Tai Fung can get crowded during lunch / dinner hours, even on weekdays, so try to go early to prevent a long wait.
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The Steamed Pork Dumplings are a house speciality, and the most popular item here. Among one of the better Xiao Long Baos you can get in Singapore.
Steamed Pork Dumplings |
The Crunchy Mini Cucumber In Spicy Sauce is a traditional cold appetizer, with Szechuan inspired chili sauce.
Crunchy Mini Cucumber In Spicy Sauce |
The marinade on the Deep Fried Special Marinated Pork Chop wasn't very spectacular, but it was tasty. I felt this was slighly overpriced though.
Deep Fried Special Marinated Pork Chop |
Rolled pork belly stuffed with vegetables and seasoned with garlic, the Fragrant Pork With Crushed Garlic is a tasty cold appetizer. Recommended!
Fragrant Pork With Crushed Garlic |
The Fried Rice With Shrimp And Eggs had a generous portion of plump shrimp, though the rice was a little too sticky for my liking. But it was well fried and seasoned.
Fried Rice With Shrimp And Eggs |
I felt the Original Shanghainese Drunken Chicken was really excellent, easily among one of the best steamed / boiled / white chicken in Singapore. The rice wine added a nice savoury flavour to the dish.
Original Shanghainese Drunken Chicken |
The Sliced Duck In Crispy Spring Onion Pastry features smoked duck slices in a crisp spring roll casing. The duck was nicely salty and savoury, and the pastry wasn't oily.
Sliced Duck In Crispy Spring Onion Pastry |
A simple dish, the Stir Fried Nai Bai With Garlic features fresh, crisp nai bai in a simple stir fry of garlic and stock.
Stir Fried Nai Bai With Garlic |
I felt the Vermicelli Soup With Deep Fried Beancurd And Minced Meat Rolls had tasty soup, though the dough shell of the minced meat rolls were a little limp.
Vermicelli Soup With Deep Fried Beancurd And Minced Meat Rolls |
Loved the Oriental Wantons With Black Vinegar And Chili Oil. The sauce was really good!
Oriental Wantons With Black Vinegar And Chili Oil |
The Steamed Crab Meat And Pork Dumplings has the additional flavour of fresh crab meat.
Dumpling Xiao Long Bao |
Steamed Crab Meat And Pork Dumplings |
Giant Bonsai Tree! Nice decor, and quite fun to look at!
Giant Bonsai Tree |
I felt the Red Bean Paste Rice Dumpling was above average, but not outstanding. The paste is not as smooth as it should be, but the taste and texture is interesting, different from a typical red bean bun. Worth a try!
Red Bean Paste Rice Dumpling 01 |
Red Bean Paste Rice Dumpling 02 |
The Steamed Sesame Paste Bun is a nice dessert bun / bao, with sweet and smooth black sesame paste. Lovely when warm, so eat it quickly! See my sexy bao.
Steamed Sesame Paste Bun 01 |
Steamed Sesame Paste Bun 02 |
The Steamed Yam Paste Bun is a nice dessert bun / bao, though the skin is a little thick. But the filling is nicely sweet, with good yam flavour. The texture is pretty good as well, looks lumpy but is actually semi-smooth, and not too thick or cloying. Worth ordering!
Steamed Yam Paste Bun 01 |
Steamed Yam Paste Bun 02 |
Can't stop drinking the Tea Pu Er here, I loved the floral essence and fragrant aroma, it's so refreshing during a heavy meal!
Tea Pu Er |
The Szechuan Hot & Sour Soup is not as spicy as the original from China, but still retains a slight heat to make it yummy without being painful. The sour tangy kick makes me want to go back for more! Packed full of ingredients including tofu, black fungus, spring onions, and lean pork loin slices, this is satisfying, comforting, and absolutely delicious.
Szechuan Hot & Sour Soup |
The Deep Fried Vegetable & Pork Wanton has more vegetables than pork, resulting in a sweeter taste rather than being savoury. Decent, but not outstanding.
Deep Fried Vegetable & Pork Wanton |
The Steamed Chili Crab Bun isn't the best around, but decent and tasty enough to order if you're here. What lets this dish down is the shredded crab ball within, which borders between moist and dry. I also felt it wasn't as spicy as it could have been, but at least the crab is deshelled properly, and fresh. Taste is pretty spot on, it has hints of spice and sweetness you'll normally get in a typical Chinese style chili crab.
Steamed Chili Crab Bun 01 |
Steamed Chili Crab Bun 02 |
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CONVERSATION