Din Tai Fung
Shop 11.04, Level 1
World Square Shopping Centre
644 George St,
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: +61 (0) 2 9264 6010/6012

The moment you get to this restaurant, you’ll be thinking – whoa, that’s a long queue!

The long queue at Din Tai Fung

Before you join the queue, make sure you go right to the front of the concierge table, outside the restaurant, and let the person who’s in charge know the number of people you have and let them know whether you minds sharing a table.

The concierge will then give you a piece of paper and a pen for you to order your food and if  you don’t get the menu with pretty pictures, go ask for one and join the queue.

Order anything that looks like dumplings because that’s what you are there for. The first thing I tick is xiao long bao (Din Tai Fung signature pork dumplings). Get the 8 pieces one as you’ll always endup ordering a second batch .

After you finish your paper order, hold on to it until your number is called. Just a little warning, if a number before yours is called it does not mean you’re is next. While waiting for your number to be called, you should definitely watch the chefs cook. You can see dumplings being made in a surgical-like manner as everyone is wearing white with a mask on their face.

Once your number is called, enjoy the food as you are about to eat the best dumplings in Australia!

Dumplings making factory

It's a serious business making the best dumpling

A guide provided in the table to eat xiao long bao (dumplings)

fresh ginger in vinegar and soy sauce

Follow the instructional card on how to eat the dumpling as it will help with the mess you may cause and maximise your tasting experience.

The moment the dumplings arrive, I quickly grab one and follow the instruction by dipping the dumpling into the soy vinegar ginger sauce and the put it in my spoon and take a bite. As I bite into the pork filling and dumpling skin, I let the juice, which is trapped inside the dumpling skin, to drip onto my spoon so that I can slurp it up. YUM YUM!

Dipping dumping in sauce

Mai feasting on a dumpling

The best pork dumpling (xiao long bao)

Prawn and Pork Siu Mai

My other favourite dish is the noodle. There’re 2 noodles that I like. The first one is Dan Dan Noodle which you have the option to have it spicy or not. It’s a handmade pull noodle in a soup of sesame seed oil and peanut sauce. Tastes soooooooo good. The second noodle I like is the Taiwanese spicy minced pork noodle as shown below in the picture

Taiwanese Spicy Minced Pork Noodle

Vegetarian Delight - mixed tofu, mushroom and glass noodle

One of my other favourite dish in Din Tai Fung is the chicken soup. This is quality clear broth chicken soup. According to my chinese friend this has medicinal qualities but really tasty. The broth has lovely flavour – combination of long boiled chicken, vegetables and lots of things.

Chicken Soup - Soothing and delicious

If you have room left for dessert, I highly recommend you get one of the ice cream. I’ve tried the black sesame seed ice cream, it has a black sesame seed and sugar powder crunch that compliment the creamy full flavour of sesame seed ice cream. Divine!

Sesame Ice Cream with Sweet Sesame Seeds powder

My best dessert that I never fail to have is the Taro Ice Cream with Taro Bread. The Taro Ice Cream is a little bit too sweet to my liking but it tastes really nice. The Taro Bread on the other hand is lovely. The crispy warm toast thats deep fried is filled with soft dense taro. droool…I would usually eat the ice cream and the taro bread together in bite size pieces!

Taro Ice Cream with Taro Bread

A bag stand which looks like a dirty towel bin or magazine rack is provided when you dine there

Ok I’ll admit Din Tai Fung Restaurant isn’t cheap but it’s not too expensive either so it’s kind of an betweeners . The bill for the above food is roughly $27/person. So not too bad at all. Now you know why people are willing to queue. The queue was long even when I left late evening. Din Tai Fung has to be the best dumpling restaurant.

Update 2 May 2010

I finally got a chance to take more photos having dined regularly at Din Tai Fung. 2 of my favourite dishes other than the ones above are:

Taiwanese Style Crumbed Chicken – the star here is the crumb coatings. Crispy with lots of flavour keeps the chicken moist and really tasty. Eat this by itself or combined with Dan Dan Noodle (Noodle with sesame and peanut sauce) – YUM YUM

Taiwanese Crumbed Chicken with it full of flavour crumb

Prawn and Pork Dumpling – equally as tasty as its cousin xiao long bao, it is worth your stomach space

Prawn and Pork Dumplings

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