by Michael Jones I love Asian food, Korean food especially, but every once and a while I need to change it up. Yesterday after walking through the crowded streets of Myeongdong and being plagued by the smells of delicious street food, we decided to visit Din Tai Fung for a second time. For those of you unfamiliar with Din Tai Fung, here is a short history. The restaurant was started in Taiwan during the 1980s and gained critical acclaim during the 1990s. Now the restaurant has branches all over the world and Seoul has 5 different locations. The most popular item on the menu, and the dish that made them famous, are without a doubt the steamed buns, known as xiaoolongbao. The steamed buns and dumplings are made fresh, by hand I might add, every single day. One of the things I enjoy most is watching the chefs prepare the buns and dumplings in the glass walled kitchen. Every dumpling and bun is worked to perfection. Every crease and fold is done by hand and executed precisely. This is food making done with the precision and attention to detail of a Lamborghini factory line. This obsession over perfect presentation has made Din Tai Fung an incredible restaurant. The great food does not stop at the buns and dumplings, however, all the food is delicious and undergoes the same scrutiny. So to make a long story short, we decided to try as much as we could. We ordered the best set, which comes with sweet and sour pork, shrimp and egg fried rice, 10 soup dumplings, a clear onion soup, a side of cucumbers in a spicy sauce, and two tea drinks. I thought for 42,000 the price was well worth it. I’m a pork fanatic, and the pork was by far some of the best I’ve had. The batter was not overly greasy and it had a nice chewy texture. The sweet and sour sauce came in a large saucer on the side and was served hot. The sauce and pork together was absolutely phenomenal. The fried rice was good, the tea was delicious, and the dumplings and cucumbers were outstanding. We devoured everything and enjoyed the experience so much we ordered more. To finish the meal we ordered two pork and chive buns. The buns were fist sized, soft and warm like freshly baked dough, and filled with freshly chopped chives and tender pork. The buns blew me away. If money was no obstacle, I easily could have eaten more, less out of hunger more out of sheer deliciousness. Din Tai Fung is definitely not a cheap restaurant, but it is worth the price. Korean food is fantastic, but I still need to satisfy my craving for Chinese food. I’ve heard that the owner took recipes from China when he fled to Taiwan, so that’s why I’m calling it Chinese. Either way, the food is outstanding and definitely worth a try. Happy eating.
Directions Go to Myeongdong station and take exit 6 Walk down the hill towards the shopping and throngs of people Walk straight for 5-8 minutes Pass a few intersections until you get to the main Myeongdong shopping street This street is larger and runs perpendicular to the street you walked down Turn right and walk until you find the Top 10 clothing store on your left At the intersection where the Top 10 store is turn left Pass the store on your left Walk about a minute Take the next right and walk about 50 yards On your left will be a lot of chicken and beer places Across the street is Din Tai Fung The restaurant is on the second floor of the hotel (the hotel is under construction) The sign for the restaurant will be in the first floor lobby next to the guard station Walk up the stairs and ENJOY
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About us:
We're just a couple addicted to great food. We love Anthony Bourdain! Archives
October 2017
Categories
All
|