Starting life as Shanghai-style dim sum in exile, Taiwan’s Din Tai Fung (DTF) has not only made a successful trip back over to the mainland, but is now represented in most corners of the globe.
Success is owed, of course, to those oh-so-tasty xiao long bao – steamed dumplings with meat or fish, stewing in an embryonic fluid of piping hot and intensely flavored juice.
The DTF experience is not one to be missed in Beijing. It’s simply that good. Exemplary reputation in the capital, elsewhere in China and – as its menu proudly proclaims –voted one of the top ten gourmet restaurants in the world by The New York Times.
A ringing endorsement, then, but one from way back in ’93 – so it’s been echoing for some time. The opening of the latest branch, in the ostentatious Parkview Green shopping emporium-cum-gallery, allows for the perfect excuse to see if the dumplings are still up to scratch.
Yes, is very much the answer – and the brilliance isn’t limited to dishes served in a bamboo basket. We got the gastronomic juices flowing with some crisp greenery – Sautéed Bean-Shoots, (RMB58) – and the subtle sweetness of the Spring Bamboo Shoots (RMB45).
But the dumplings are the centerpiece, so try the Shao Mai (pictured, RMB58) or in-season Shanghai Hairy Crab Roe and Pork RMB45) which is sourced, we’re assured, only from rock pools meeting the highest of standards. That’s in line with the DTF philosophy of microscopic attention to detail at every step – and given their roaring success, who are we to argue?
// Daily 10am-10pm, B2/F, LG2-20 Parkview Green, 9 Dongdaqiao Lu 东大桥路9号侨福芳草地大厦地下二层LG2-20 (8562 6583)
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