On a rainy, cold evening last week on our way to the Gourmet Traveller Institute with Mark Best, we stopped off at Din Tai Fung for a quick bite to eat. We wanted just a few light things, not to fill us, to allow for potential taste-testing later.

Din Tai Fung was perfect for that.

It was funny watching the staff with their protective gear 🙂 I don’t know why the need for the face masks. It seems that protocol is a priority. Our table was less than 3 feet from the counter, but it was still necessary for the staff to put the drinks on a tray and then turn around and take the drinks off the tray and put them on our table.

Now, for the dumplings. This is where that attention to detail shines, with 18 folds at the top of each dumpling. We ordered by ticking a list of items on the menu, then they went away and made what we ordered, fresh to order. First, the xiao long bao, the steam pork dumpling with the hot soup inside which spills out as you bite into it.

Then the vegie dumplings:

Then the crab xiao long bao, similar to the first one, except with crab as well as pork inside:

On the top right here are the shrimp and pork shao mai. They look spectacular, looking like a fountain with some shrimp sitting on top. Very tasty.

And then we had to have some of the good-sized steamed buns. On the left vegie bun with green vegies, and on the right the pork bun. The pork was not the cha siu bao pork found typically at yum cha, but a more plain pork mixture.

The atmosphere was warm, the food excellent. I look forward to getting back again to try more dishes, especially the dumplings. Perfect for a winter’s night.

Details

Here are the details about Din Tai Fung at time of posting. Please check their web site for more current details.

Web site	http://www.dintaifungaustralia.com.au/
Address	World Square, 644 George St, Sydney, NSW, 2000
Phone	(02) 9264 6010
Open	Lunch Mon-Fri: 11:30-2:30 Sat-Sun: 11:00-3:00 Dinner Mon-Wed: 5:30-9:00 Thur-Sat: 5:00-9:30 Sun: 5:00-9:00
Menu	Chinese: dumplings and more ($10-20 per serve)

Where do you like to go for dumplings?