SIN: Din Tai Fung
Has the standard of the pork chop gone down slightly?
Yang Bingyi, the founder of Din Tai Fung, was born in Shanxi Province, China in 1927. He moved to Taiwan in search of better prospects. Persevering through adversity, he eventually succeeded in selling his famous steamed dumplings.
Who doesn't know this particular chain of restaurants that's the pride of Taiwan? I happened to be looking at my older posts yesterday, only to be surprised by the fact that I'd never written about Din Tai Fung before. There's a branch conveniently located within a stone's throw away from home, which is at Chinatown Point.
Yang Bingyi, the founder of Din Tai Fung, was born in Shanxi Province, China in 1927. He moved to Taiwan in search of better prospects. Persevering through adversity, he eventually succeeded in selling his famous steamed dumplings.
Original Shanghainese Drunken Chicken S$8.00
Taste: 8/10
A cold appetiser dish is what I usually go for whenever dining at the restaurant. Yesterday's choice happened to be the petite dish of drunken chicken, which was marinated pretty well and pretty tasty as a result. The skin could be more gelatinous though.
Steamed Angled Gourd and Shrimp Dumplings (6 pcs) S$8.00
Taste: 7.5/10
Instead of the usual xiao long bao (lit. little basket bun), I decided to try something different. The dumplings didn't manage to match the flavours of the former, but certainly decent enough.
Since young, I've always enjoyed eating angled gourd, known for its cooling properties. The shrimp inside each dumpling was small, but quite juicy.
Fried Rice with Pork Chop S$12.80
Taste: 8/10
It was slightly disheartening to discover that the standard of my favourite main course has dropped slightly, but it was still good. The fried rice was cooked well without being greasy, while the pork chop was succulent, but it could be more flavourful like how it used to be in the past.
Despite the word 'special' on its name, the braised beef noodle soup was nothing to rave about. While the brisket was tender, but not to the point of melting in the mouth, I found that the soup wasn't rich in flavours. Thankfully, the handmade noodle was springy enough for my liking.
Special Braised Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Brisket S$13.00
Taste: 7/10
Steamed Chinese Style Layered Cake (2 pcs) S$4.00
Taste: 8/10
Looking for something different than the usual dessert offerings, I decided to have the steamed cake at the end of the meal. Each cake was enjoyably fluffy and mildly sweet like its cousin, mantou. The red and green dried fruits made its appearance nicer for sure.
Melon's Rating
Taste: 7.5/10
Ambience: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10
I walked past the original restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan before, but I didn't give it a try. I wonder why. Pika's advice: As the restaurant chain often puts up interesting promotions, do keep a lookout by checking the website.
Din Tai Fung
133 New Bridge Road
#02-01/02 Chinatown Point
Singapore
(Mon-Fri: 11.00am - 10.00pm; Sat-Sun: 10.00am - 10.00pm)
*Prices quoted are subject to 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
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