lonely girls in Taipei

KC. One of the first restaurants we visited in Taipei is of course, the original Ding Tai Fung 鼎泰豐.

This is Jen trying to get a table for the 3 of us, while we wait with the growing crowd on a super windy and incoming-typhoon weekend in September.

Okay, confession - this photo was actually taken at another Ding Tai Fung (the one at Sogo of Zhongxiaofuxin). But all the Ding Tai Fung's have this clear-glass kitchen wall at where you can stare creepily as they make your food.

Since we were at the original Ding Tai Fung store so of course we had to order the xiao long bao! That's right, Ding Tai Fung originates from Taiwan, not Shanghai.

Thin dumpling skin + minced pork meat + a lot of juice = awesomeness.
To be honest, it tasted awesome .... but just a tiny bit more awesome than the one at Ding Tai Fung at First Markham Place back in Toronto >_>. It wasn't thaattt big of a difference. However, JC and I both agreed that this original location was LOADS better than the Ding Tai Fung at Zhongxiaodunhua which we both had the chance to visit on separate occasions.

Stir-fried vegetables. Because I grew up with a mom that insists on veggies everyday to clear your colon away. :)

We also ordered a simple fried rice with just egg and onions for Jen who is vegetarian. And it smelled too good for JC and I not to have a bite. MMM simple is always good.

And because JC loves 酸辣湯 (hot and sour soup?), we ordered that too. She loved it.

Some vegetarian dumplings to share. They were okay.

And this, this here was the most spectacular dish of the evening (yes, it even beats the xiao long bao).

Taro dumplings for dessert. If you love taro, you will adore these. Wrapped in a very, very thin dumpling skin, enjoy a mouthful of taro filling in every bite. Delicious!

The bill came up to ~$1000 for 3 people, including tips. A bit more expensive than our usual dinners, especially for the portions they serve. But if you're going to visit a Ding Tai Fung in Taipei, make sure it's this one at Xinyi district (which conveniently turns out to be closest one to TaiDa).


Ding Tai Fung 鼎泰豐
PRICE: $300+ per person
WEBSITE: http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/ (you can find all the locations here)
LOCATION: The one we went to (the original) is the Xinyi Restaurant:
No. 194, Xinyi Road Sec. 2, Da-an District, Taipei City 10651, Taiwan (R.O.C.) (Intersection of Yunkang St.)
PHONE NUMBER: 886-2-2321-8928
BUSINESS HOURS: Mon-Fri 10:00-21:00; Weekends & Public Holidays 09:00-21:00
BY MTR：Daan Station (Muzha line)