MY FAVORITE CHINESE: Din Tai Fung

I've always been intrigued by this restaurant. I mean who isn't, when introduced to the fact that they are one of the best restaurants in the world according to the freaking New York Times? I was dying to try them, especially after Bram told me that they have great food. So one night, I decided to go to the one nearest to my house, Pacific Place (where else? haha). My favorites are their Xiao Long Baos, gyozas, and mango pudding.


I knew they're famous for their Xiao Long Baos. What is a Xiao Long Bao? It's a kind of dumpling, with some broth inside it. I've seen them before. I've seen Tony Bourdain enjoy them. I've seen people in China slurping the broth happily. I didn't dare try them in China because I knew it was laden with pork and/or lard. So I was excited to try DTF's version.

(pic not mine)

I ordered the chicken and crab XLB. I read the directions on how to eat them properly. So, we are supposed to put one in our spoon, pierce it so the broth flows out, slurp it,  put a mix of vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger in the spoon, and eat the whole thing. OH MY GOD. Holy deliciousness, Batman! The broth was warm, silky and buttery. The skin was soft. The filling was heavenly, and the taste of the condiments complements everything nicely. It was SO AWESOME. Yes, I wrote that in caps on purpose because it was just so good.

Next, their gyozas. I can't find a proper picture :( I basically love gyozas, and always order them wherever. I figure if they have good dumplings, they must have good gyozas. And their gyozas are simply the best I've ever had. The char on the bottom is so crispy and gives a nice crack when you bite into them, and their filling is great. Their dipping sauce was awesome, very strong. I could eat 20 gyozas easy, because they have such an amazing blend of textures and flavors.


Save the best for the last! MANGO PUDDING.

(pic not mine, found it off google)

When they're not raving about XLBs, people are raving about how delicious DTF's mango puddings are. When I was there, everybody ordered one. Not wanting to miss out, of course I followed suit. It has whipped cream on top (extra points for this, I'm a slave for whipped cream) and a small shot glass of vanilla sauce. I poured the sauce on the pudding, and tucked in. I couldn't speak. I closed my eyes and relish the flavors. The softness of the pudding, the beauty of the sauce, how amazingly their flavors blend together....... It was almost a high. I was high of pudding, imagine that. I always say, "If in heaven there's a pudding, it will definitely be Din Tai Fung's mango pudding." I can't say anything more, everybody that loves mangoes MUST try this.

In conclusion, Din Tai Fung is awesome. Price-wise, they're pretty expensive, but everything is worth every penny. The other things I love are their tom yum noodles, fried rice with fried chicken, soft shell crab with mango sauce (Te Sate's is better tho), and szechuan beef noodles. You'll never go wrong when you come eat here. Because truly, if there's gonna be chinese food in heaven, Din Tai Fung will be providing it.