Greetings, Food Lovers,
When I returned to Seattle for winter break, I reunited with my best friend, Jamie, at Bellevue Square Mall. Hunger besieged us as we drooled over the unaffordable clothes in Anthropologie. I coyly picked up the phone, called my mom, and cheekily asked if we could all go to my favorite restaurant, Din Tai Fung. According to its website, “Din Tai Fung was founded in Taipei, Taiwan in 1958 as a cooking oil retail shop. In 1972, it transitioned into a full-fledged restaurant specializing in soup dumplings and noodles.” The successful chain now has many locations worldwide.
Din Tai Fung is notorious for their long waiting times; it can take up to 2 hours to be seated. My grumbling tummy was in no mood for waiting. Fortunately, on that particular Saturday evening the wait time was only thirty minutes. Could my day get any better?!
As we waited, the anticipation was slowly killing me. I wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into a hot, juicy pork dumpling. Around thirty minutes later, I felt my phone buzz and light up with a text from Din Tai Fung. Eagerly, I jumped up and speed walked into the restaurant.
The entrance to the restaurant is quite small, especially for the amount of people waiting to be seated. There is a large interior window that showcases the chefs making bajillions of dumplings. To the left of the restaurant is a bar with some small tables that always seems to be full. I have never seen an empty table at Din Tai Fung. It seems as though there are many dumpling lovers in Seattle
The hostess led us to our table and handed us menus. In addition to the menu, we were also given a slip of paper with every menu item listed; we were to write out which dishes we wanted to eat.
We ordered:
1 Matcha Milk Tea with Boba
1 Green Milk Tea with Boba and lychee jelly
2 Dishes of Pork XiaoLongBao
1 Dish of Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings
1 Dish of Chicken Steamed Dumplings
1 Dish of Vegetable and Pork Wontons with Spicy Sauce
1 Dish of Green Beans
1 Dish of Pork Chop Fried Rice
This is just a small sample of the dishes that Din Tai Fung serves. The menu also includes soups, noodles, buns, and most importantly, desserts.
Less than ten minutes after taking our order, the Pork XiaoLongBao arrived at our table. The Pork XiaoLongBao is the softest, most delectable bite-sized dumpling filled with pork and hot soup. I like to make a vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger mix that I can dip my dumplings in. The Pork XLB is by far my favorite dish at Din Tai Fung. I love the meatiness mixed with the hot soup coupled with the tanginess of the vinegar, soy mix. Once you pop it in your mouth, a heavenly explosion of flavorful soup and pork rushes through your taste buds.
Next to arrive at the table were the drinks. Bubble tea is quite popular in the Seattle area, so it is absolutely essential to order it while at a dumpling restaurant. The Matcha Milk Tea is bittersweet by itself, similar to an Iced Green Tea Latte you would order at Starbucks. The boba gives the tea an extra hint of sweetness and a jelly-like texture, which I love. Most people tend to dislike boba because of it’s slimy and chewy texture, regardless, I still love the taste of it. As for my dad’s Green Milk Tea, he told me that he really enjoyed the sweetness of the drink. In addition to the boba, he also added lychee jelly bits. These make the drink even sweeter, in my opinion, but if you have a sweet tooth, like my dad, then this is the perfect drink for you.
A couple minutes after the drinks arrived, the green beans and pork chop fried rice arrived. Even if you aren’t keen on vegetables, I can guarantee you will like any of the greens served at Din Tai Fung. They are beautifully sautéed with butter and garlic (everyone’s favorite combination) yet, the green beans retain their crispy crunch. The pork chop fried rice was something new we tried. The rice itself was amazing. I mixed it with some of my vinegar/ soy sauce to give it a tangy taste. The pork chops, while they were delicious, were not as tender as I expected.
Next up were the vegetarian and chicken dumplings. My mom loves the vegetarian dumplings (she ate 9 out of the 10 that were served!). The veggie dumplings have a green exterior and interior, so imagine you are eating a large, meaty vegetable. The chicken dumplings are the simplest of all the dumplings at Din Tai Fung. Despite their simplicity, these dumplings are incredibly juicy and are most satisfying on the palate.
Lastly, the spicy vegetable and pork wontons arrived. This is by far the most flavorful dish I have ever had at Din Tai Fung, and I would highly recommend it to those who aren’t afraid to spice up their life. After mixing the wontons into the spicy chili sauce, I popped one into my mouth, and I could feel my taste buds dancing with flavor. There is a slight sweetness to the sauce that tones down the spice level, yet it still retains the zesty flavor.
(Pro tip: Mix the spicy wonton sauce with any of the dumplings for an epic combination!)
Overall, Din Tai Fung never fails to satisfy me and my stomach. It’s affordable ($20-$30 per person depending on how much you order) and undeniably worth the wait! So, the next time you want to savor the taste of a juicy, delectable morsel of food, I highly recommend Din Tai Fung. I promise you will not be disappointed.