Hello again from Taipei (臺北市).
Today we're on a bit of a food mission.
We've been hearing about Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐 - 鼎泰丰).
Apparently, they specialize in soup dumplings.
So that is what we're going to try today.
We absolutely love dumplings so any excuse for us to eat dumplings is always a good one
and yeah it is another rainy day in Taipei (臺北市) so we figured let's plan our day
around food.
Let's go eat.
Yes, and this place opens at ten in the morning and we are expecting huge lines.
So we're here early let's go get in line.
So we got here just as the place was opening at ten in the morning and we already have
probably about fifty people in front of us standing in line.
The good thing is they are handing out a menu to everyone who is waiting so you can have
an idea of what you want to order and then your food will be ready sooner.
So we are currently placing our order.
Of course we're going for the classic Xiaolongbao (小笼包 - 小籠包).
Gotta get those.
What else?
We're still deciding what else.
Still deciding what else.
It is a big menu.
It is a huge menu.
Look at that.
So many choices.
The location we're at has four floors and right now we're heading up to the third one.
I'm guessing the other ones are full already.
Well, we made it.
We're out of the rain and we got a table.
It wasn't that long of a wait.
No, like five minutes.
So.
No, I would say a bit more.
Okay maybe ten.
Fifteen.
Ten or fifteen but haha.
Maybe I was just so excited to be here that time is just going so fast.
Time sped up.
So our tea is already here.
They gave us free Oolong tea (烏龍茶 - 乌龙茶).
You do get free Oolong tea (烏龍茶 - 乌龙茶) and we've finally.
Oh and you also get slices of ginger as well too.
Yeah, that is where the dumplings.
That is for the dumplings and we finally decided on our menu.
So we're getting ah if you look down here we're getting pork xiao long bao (小笼包
- 小籠包) which is we're getting the ten pieces.
Oh.
And we're also getting for dessert we're getting a taro xiaolongbao (芋泥小包) and we're
only getting five of those.
So that should be sweet inside and then we also have a noodle dish.
Noodles with spicy sesame and peanut sauce (擔擔麵).
So really looking forward to that.
And is there one else oh yeah.
Sticky rice in a wrap with pork.
So that is probably going to be like a lotus leaf wrap.
So yeah we're just at this point waiting for everything to arrive and oh are we ever hungry.
We basically skipped breakfast for this.
Alright so before coming here we were reading the history of the place and apparently the
man who started this Yang he used to run a shop where he sold cooking oil and like that
was his business but apparently when that industry started to change and people weren't
buying as much cooking oil anymore he had to come up with a new business idea so he
and his wife decided okay we're going to sell soup dumplings and like they became such a
huge hit that today they have locations not only across Taipei (臺北市) and Taiwan
(中華民國) but also around the world in places like LA, Hong Kong.
So yeah, pretty cool story and now we're waiting for the food.
This is the look of excitement.
So the star of the meal has arrived.
The Xiaolongbao (小笼包 - 小籠包) is here on the table in real life.
And this is cool.
So you eat it with a special sauce and they actually give you instructions on how it is
done.
So here in the restaurant they actually give you a guide how to enjoy Xiao long bao (小笼包
- 小籠包).
This is how you eat it.
Um, and they basically explain how to prepare the sauce so we're going to try our hand at
this.
The waiter actually wanted to make it for us and we're like no.
We are filming this.
Haha.
So allow me to demonstrate.
Okay so first up we have our little plate with ginger right here.
So it says put some soy sauce and vinegar.
So it is one part soy sauce.
One part soy sauce.
And three parts vinegar.
I'd say that is about the right vinegar.
Next up we grab our little Xiaolongbao (小笼包 - 小籠包) and dip it into the sauce.
Once it has been dipped we place it on the spoon.
Let us see what is next.
Oh, let's not forget you have to poke a little hole to let out the soupy broth that is hiding
in there.
Can you see that.
Oh my gosh.
Oh wow look at it seeping out.
Pouring out.
And then then you take some of the ginger from the plate add it on top and it all goes
in in one bite.
Is that too big for one bite?
Try.
Mmmm.
Is that tasty?
Wow.
That is amazing.
That is so juicy.
Oh man.
Is that one of the best dumplings you've ever had?
It really is.
I'm so glad we came here and stood in line.
This is worth it.
Okay Sam, let's see if you were paying attention to the instructions.
There is a lot going on so okay first up we're going to grab it.
I'm going to try not to break the soupiness of it.
Dip it in here.
Put it in the spoon.
Grab a piece of ginger.
No no no.
What do you do first to the dumpling?
Oh, I've got to break it open.
Release the juices.
Gotta pierce it.
Oh, there we go.
It is coming out.
There you go.
There we go.
Oh my.
Alright.
Now I'll grab a piece of ginger.
Just like that.
And all in at once.
Oh yeah.
Hahaha.
Mmmm.
Isn't that amazing?
Wow.
It is just like.
There is two things that come to mind right away and the first being the quality of the
soup inside.
So the second thing is the skin of the dumpling.
It is just so thin and it such a wonderful it is almost I wouldnt' call it a buttery
taste but it just has a nice texture in your mouth.
Yeah.
Oh, this is so good.
I was reading apparently the chefs who have been training at this they can roll out twenty
dumpling skins per minute.
Which is insane.
That is insane.
Insanity.
That is like one every three seconds.
Right?
Yeah, I know three seconds per dumpling.
Wow.
That is crazy.
Wow.
Okay so we have ordered other dishes but before we move on can we just admire this dumpling
a little bit longer.
Can you see the soupiness in there.
Is that in focus?
Yeah, you can tell.
Look at that.
And the dumpling on top you've probably noticed it has the perfect swirl.
Apparently, the chefs have to pinch it eighteen times to get that beautiful shape.
So I mean like the amount of detail that goes into this is crazy.
And it is so tasty.
So I'm just going to keep eating them.
Let's go for another.
Release the soup.
Oh la lah.
More ginger.
Let's put lots of ginger in there.
I'm not afraid of ginger.
Haha.
And in it goes again.
Mmmm.
Wonderful isn't it?
Alright, so the Xiaolongbao (小笼包 - 小籠包) is amazing but we did order more food so we
have to move on.
We did.
So we've moving on to noodles that are in a peanut and a spicy sauce (擔擔麵).
So yeah.
Yeah, peanut and sesame.
Yeah, it has got sesame.
That look so good.
So I'm just going to give it a real good mix here.
Yeah, just basically trying to soak up all of the noodles in the sauce.
Alright.
I love peanut sauce.
Me too.
So I'm super excited.
I'm really excited for this one I have to admit.
Okay.
Mmmm.
Look at you go.
Oh man.
Sam doesn't waste any time.
Wow.
You, oh it is spicy.
It is one of those things where you can tell it is spicy as soon you have it but then as
you're swallowing it is like woah.
Oh my.
So yeah, really nice and spicy.
You really taste the peanut and you also really taste the sesame sauce too.
And it is just so good.
It is kind of sweet.
It is a combination of being sweet and spicy and I just love that and the texture of the
noodles they are quite dense noodles.
So really like that.
Big hit instantly.
Okay so now I'm going to try the noodles and one of the waitresses just came over and told
us apparently we have to stir it more because there is still lots of sauce left at the bottom.
So let's obey.
Let's give it a real good mix Audrey.
Let's make sure we're doing this the right way.
That we're getting all that saucey goodness.
I think that looks good.
I can't wait for you to try this I think you're going to really like it.
Let's see.
And the one thing that we've now been in Taipei (臺北市) for this is what our third or
fourth day.
And my gosh is this ever a city for foodies.
Like if you're into food this is the place where you've gotta come.
That is amazing.
It is like so nutty.
Nutty and sweet and spicy.
It is an amazing combination of flavors.
I like this a lot.
And we weren't even going to order this.
Sam was like eh I don't know this sounds kind of plain but this is the star.
Okay, time to move on to the third dish.
Yeah, so we've got sticky rice wrapped with pork (糯米雞 - 糯米鸡).
So what I'm going to do is just try to dissect that to see.
Oh, look at that.
You can see the pork right there.
Oh my.
Oh, look at those colors.
Turn it back around.
Show us that baby.
It is so sticky.
There we go.
Look at that.
Look at those colors.
So I'm going to go in for the pork and obviously the sticky rice (糯米雞 - 糯米鸡).
That pork looks so juicy.
Oh, my gosh.
It might be like along with what the Xiao Long Bao (小笼包 - 小籠包) I actually
like that even more than the noodles and that is saying a lot because I love the noodles.
It is just that pork is so juicy and so fatty.
It has just got so much flavor to it and then the sticky rice really enhances it.
Oh, loving it.
This is just like an awesome meal man.
This is so good.
So I've already been sampling the rice and that is pretty good.
If you take a look at the plate I think what makes it so special is that is has a little
bit of fat that adds juiciness but like it is not chewy fat that you wouldn't want.
It is just like that fat that just melts in your mouth and adds flavor.
Yeah.
Exactly.
And just look at the color of that meat.
It is just so amazing.
Mmmm.
So yeah I'm going in for bite number two while you're holding the camera.
Quality control.
Look at that.
Look at the pork.
Look at those colors.
It is like a golden brown.
I know.
And literally it just melts in your mouth.
We finished every last morsel of our mains so now we're moving on to dessert.
Yeah, so we're trying Taro Xiaolongbao (小笼包 - 小籠包).
Yeah.
Going back to the Xiao Long Bao (小笼包 - 小籠包).
Okay, that is the star of this restaurant.
I can't wait to try this.
I bet it is going to be amazing.
Mmmm.
Oh yeah.
Wow.
The taro is just so sweet and then it is just so rich and creamy inside of my mouth and
so piping hot and warm.
Yeah, it was still steaming when they brought it.
It makes the perfect dessert.
Okay, so my turn to try it.
I actually had my eye on the chocolate dumplings but those cost a lot more so we figured let's
try taro instead.
So yeah, this is made with taro root.
I've never tried that before.
So I'm going to take a half bite so I can show you what it looks like inside.
Mmmm.
It is like purple.
Wow.
That is like manioc.
Like sweetened manioc.
Do you like it?
Mmmm.
What do you think?
It was not what I was expecting but it is not bad.
Lasting impressions of Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐 - 鼎泰丰).
Oh, this place was fantastic.
Not only was the food really good but the service was very attentive.
So in terms of the price point looking here it is five hundred and twenty eight Taiwan
dollars which is sixteen dollars and fifty cents US.
So you're looking at roughly eight dollars per person and that was for four different
things and unlimited tea.
And it includes the service charge.
Yeah.
So I mean that.
How can you get better value than that?
I mean we're leaving full.
We're leaving satisfied and it also didn't cost a fortune either so highly recommend
this place.
I know for a fact we'll be back again before leave Taipei (臺北市).
So somebody got a little souvenir to remember their meal here.
So I like the quality of the chopsticks so much here that I got a set for us.
So we each get our own set and this will be for our future house.
Haha.