Din Tai Fung A Taste of Taiwan
Din Tai Fung (DTF), it can be argued that they made the Xiao Long Bao (XLB) famous around the world. This chain that started in a cooking oil shop in Taiwan is now better known as a Taiwanese restaurant. With their continuing expansion, they are bringing Taiwanese cuisine to the world, one dumpling at a time.
What is Taiwanese food?
Taiwanese food is mainly influenced by Min Nan cuisine from South China. I was recently introduced to the food map of Taiwan where every village, town, city and region has its own special dish. There are so many recognisable Chinese dishes and so many that are unique to Taiwan.
At their cavernous Centre Point location, the dining room is quite full for a Monday evening. Previously home to Vivi, a chic French restaurant which was probably another C19 victim. DTF did a great job in repurposing the space, replacing the pink velvet with black leather chairs.
What to order at DTF
Xiao Long Bao, that soupy Shanghainese dumpling that has now become a favourite for diners all over the world. At DTF, you get a choice of 5 or 10 dumplings, served in a steamer basket. They are made fresh in the open kitchen where the chefs deftly make them with their 18 folds. These were a lot less soupy but you still need to be wary when eating them. Pick them up with the spoon in case the skin tears and you lose that lovely soup.
Pork is the original flavour but there are non-pork options, chicken, beef and vegan mushroom and truffle. All the XLBs are served with the typical XLB dipping sauce of black vinegar and julienned ginger.
Since London diners in every Chinese restaurant now expect dim sum on all the menus all day, they have added more dumpling options on the menu. Even though this is not a Cantonese dim sum restaurant.
Previous review of Din Tai Fung
Instead of gyoza or other steamed dumplings, we opted for the pork and prawn wonton in spicy sauce. Plump dumplings with a crunchy prawn filling, sitting in their homemade chilli oil. This is one of my favourites.
The DTF dipping sauce is made with their own brand of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and chilli oil, all of which you can buy to take home.
Our lovely server, Queenie, recommended the honey & vinegar short ribs and the newish crispy chicken wings marinated in shrimp paste but we didn’t have room for these dishes.
I really enjoyed the drunken chicken on a previous visit, a cold chicken marinated in rice wine. This time, we opted for the oriental salad of seaweed, glass noodles, bean sprouts and tofu strips, dressed in an aromatic sesame oil dressing.
I was glad to see that the steamed chicken soup was still on the menu. A nourishing Chinese family favourite, double-boiled chicken soup which my grandma would approve of.
Beef noodle soup is a Taiwanese street food favourite. Previously, quite a rarity in London but recently, these noodles can be found in a few other Taiwan eateries that have opened up around London.
You are served a bowl of wheat noodles, with a beef broth and pieces of slow-cooked beef. I’d stop in here just for this bowl of comforting noodles. Best eaten with a healthy spoonful of their homemade chilli oil.
String bean with garlic sounds so simple and yet, in its execution, you get deliciously crunchy beans coated in a fried garlic sauce.
Desserts are not the highlights on Chinese menus and it is no different here. If you want something light, I’d recommend the mango pomelo sago. A light mango and coconut milk “soup” with chunks of mango and little balls of sago for texture.
On their expanded dim sum menu, there are 2 sweet XLB with red bean or sweet taro fillings or the viral salted egg yolk custard buns that seem to now be ubiquitous on dim sum menus across London.
DTF always delivers a consistently good Chinese meal and the Centrepoint location is very conveniently located opposite Outernet and the service is superb (Thanks Queenie).
Din Tai Fung
St Giles Square,
New Oxford Street
11 St Giles Square,
London WC2H 8AP
Tel: +44 20 3034 0368
EatCookExplore was a guest of Din Tai Fung
