Nice post. Have some Guanxi.
Second abekonge. Gotta have the tang bao, not just the regular xiao long bao. Whenever I’m in Taiwan my dad makes me get up early (hey, 11 am is early for vacation time) to get that. It’s usually less crowded, too, that early.
Early bird gets the 湯包!
Third the tang bao, man. And second the chicken soup.
But can I add that I had surprisingly good (and not so terribly expensive) dumplings at the (ready for this?) Grand Hotel. I’m not talking buffet, here, I’m talking about the place hidden away in the 1.5 floor area. Does anybody have a clue what I’m talking about? Wish I remembered the name of the restaurant. I actually went there quite a number of times and was NEVER disappointed.
[quote=“scooter”]Third the tang bao, man. And second the chicken soup.
But can I add that I had surprisingly good (and not so terribly expensive) dumplings at the (ready for this?) Grand Hotel. I’m not talking buffet, here, I’m talking about the place hidden away in the 1.5 floor area. Does anybody have a clue what I’m talking about? Wish I remembered the name of the restaurant. I actually went there quite a number of times and was NEVER disappointed.[/quote]
Yeah, that place is good. all the way in the back of the lobby up the stairs on the left. northern style “dianxin”, nice change from the HK stuff.
Sorry to disagree, but I have had most of the things on the menu at Din Tai Feng and nope, it has a central kitchen now. The vegetables were cooked in the cheapest of all possible industrial grade oils and the Shanghai tang bao that I had broke apart (20 percent). The waitress was standing waiting to grab the steamer as I was taking the last one out. Much better at Gaoji and Qun Xiang. The restaurant is overrated and has slipped over the past four years. It used to be good and people who like restaurants especially local ones to have cachet invariably go to Din Tai Feng. It’s like tourists going to Tour d’Argent in Paris, Russian Tea Room and Tavern on the Green in NY. It may show that you are in the “know” but most other diners have long since passed on to better, cheaper places. I would characterize Din Tai Feng the same way. Again, people, it has a CENTRAL KITCHEN NOW.
As to the Grand Hotel. I dislike the service intensely. That said the mezzanine restaurant is the best in the place, is relatively cheap and is pretty much spot on for food quality. I give it high marks. I used to like the Cypress Pavilion to the right as you come in but it to has degenerated into the same kind of slop that is served in the buffet to the left and on the 12F for functions. The restaurant way in the back is tolerable but also slipping. While the Chinese may prefer their pork gamey this is going a bit too far. Again, the stir fried vegetables are drowning in oil albeit of a much better quality than that used at Din Tai Feng.
As to Zhu Ji it is Beijing style not dim sum nor Shanghai style but…pretty damned tasty. Last of a dying breed. Whatever you do avoid Xi Lai Xun which is a knock off of the original Dong Lai Xun and this has become unbearable (there is so much MSG in the food that my head and neck are buzzing for days and I am not that sensitive to these kinds of things).
As to other dim sum places in town, I have always been fond of the Brother Hotel, but I go to the third NOT second floor (quieter) though it too has declined in recent years. The lopogao (turnip cake) is not always fresh and sometimes is served quite cold. I have had much better at all places… Jin Xing (Tun Hwa and Chung Hsiao 2F over the backery on SW corner) despite its “fast food” status. And just for kicks even though you order not off trolleys, (food is warmer, fresher etc this way) is the Macau style one on Changchun Rd. (I believe #16 or #20 or something) called Ya Yuen Seafood Macau restaurant or something like that. Just down from Chung Shan on the right half way before you get to Linsen on the 2F I believe… or 3F probably 2F so while not what many view as very traditional style of serving dim sum, it still has some pretty good high-quality preparation.
thanks for the dimsum tips, we like the brother too, hadn’t noticed a decline really. my favorite was in the regent hotel but they closed it last year. have to go try the leofoo again one of these days, haven’t been for years.
Its just another Xiao Long Bao joint. The city is riddled with them. Careful there, however, if you see Huang Qiu Sheng. You might get a vanilla coke stuffed in your face … or become part of the meal.
Chou
PS. most people I know love it
Has anyone been to Ding Tai Feng lately?
I noticed at the beginning of this thread people were happy with it but at the end people said that it had gone down hill.
But this was a few years ago.
How is it now?
For the life of me, I don’t understand the fuss over this restaurant. It’s not that much better and all of the ‘franchises’ are worse.
Duhh…and a couple in good ol’ jakarta. More expensive tho 
I mean, din tai feng, that is…
I know that Fred is one of the high-ranking connoisseurs on this forum, but assessing the quality of a tang bao solely on the basis of whether its skin holds together or not shows a great misunderstanding of the nature of the dish.
That said, I certainly do agree with Fred that the quality of the food at Ding Tai Feng is not quite what it used to be, but for reasons entirely other than whether the skin of the tang bao holds together or not.
The preparation of many of the bao-zi and dumpling-type items at a central location would explain why I feel that my favorite such items there are indeed not quite as good as they used to be. For instance, the xia ren sho mai4 used to be one of my favorite dishes anywhere. Dip one in vinegar, throw on some sliced ginger and a dollop of chili sauce, and the thing was an explosion of flavor. And, somehow, it managed to treat you to the delicacy of the texture of the skin as well as the filling inside while at the same time literally melting in your mouth!
Unfortunately, though it is still a good dish, it does not do that anymore.
However, dishes that have held up well such as the you(2) dou(4) fu(3) xi(4) fen(3) and the stir-fried dao4 miao2 are ones that are necessarily prepared on-the-spot, and I found the one time I went to the Zhongxiao location, that the stir-fried dao4 miao2 there were not nearly as well picked as at the Xinyi location. But, who knows, maybe they got their act together a little more by now?
No. The exact opposite is the truth. I don’t care about the thickeness but this ‘thinness’ is precisely what makes a Shanghaiese restaurant famous. I don’t care but I am holding it to its own not my own standards.
Exactly. And my beef is with the food taste and quality not the thinness of the bao.
Works for me.
Hence my negative comments. I doubt that it was ever that good. But you know how hype and the Taiwanese sheep go together. If not, please see portuguese egg tarts exhibit A and hello Kitty exhibit B.
With the bus loads of Japanese tourists and the even worse wham, bam, thank you maam service, who the hell wants to find out, especially since Gao Ji and my favorite… Qun Xiang are just around the corner.
[quote=“fred smith”]No. The exact opposite is the truth. I don’t care about the thickeness but this ‘thinness’ is precisely what makes a Shanghaiese restaurant famous. I don’t care but I am holding it to its own not my own standards.
Exactly. And my beef is with the food taste and quality not the thinness of the bao.[/quote]
A bit confusing here, as your comment about the tang bao made no mention regarding its taste but criticized it only for breaking apart. For the Chinese, part of the appreciation of the tang bao is in fact the delicateness and texture of the skin.
You’re right…it wasn’t ever that good. I just realized that every time I ever ate there when I thought it was that good, I was on at least 3 tabs of high-powered blotter acid…
Oddly, I’ve never experienced anything but impeccable service at DTF, but it seems that we also look at different issues when judging the quality of the Chinese food we eat.
For instance, in comparing dishes that I have regularly eaten at both DTF and Gao Ji:
- Stir-fried vegetable dishes. Quality of the vegetables is better at DTF: fresher vegetables, more tender parts of the plants are used and they are more precisely cut.
- Xiao3 long2 tang bao. Texture, and delicacy of the skin as well as the texture, delicacy, and fullness of the flavor of the meat inside are all better at DTF.
- You2 dao4 fu3 xi4 fen3. Fullness of the flavor of the soup, quality of the vegetables (see Item 1 above), texture of the you2 dao4 fu3, and texture of the glass noodles are all better at DTF
- Quality of the chili sauces is better at DTF: spicy without being salty and without extra goopiness.
- Quality of the vegetables used in appetizer dishes (again, see Item 1) are better at DTF.
That’s about all I can remember off the top of my head.
A good Chinese tangbao is supposed to be as thin as possible WITHOUT breaking.
I have been to the one on Xinyi once and only once and I never ever went back… The one on Zhong Xiao is not that much better.
[quote]For instance, in comparing dishes that I have regularly eaten at both DTF and Gao Ji:
- Stir-fried vegetable dishes. Quality of the vegetables is better at DTF: fresher vegetables, more tender parts of the plants are used and they are more precisely cut.
- Xiao3 long2 tang bao. Texture, and delicacy of the skin as well as the texture, delicacy, and fullness of the flavor of the meat inside are all better at DTF.
- You2 dao4 fu3 xi4 fen3. Fullness of the flavor of the soup, quality of the vegetables (see Item 1 above), texture of the you2 dao4 fu3, and texture of the glass noodles are all better at DTF
- Quality of the chili sauces is better at DTF: spicy without being salty and without extra goopiness.
- Quality of the vegetables used in appetizer dishes (again, see Item 1) are better at DTF. [/quote]
Quality of the vegetables MAY be better but the oil that they use to fry them certainly is not. Globby and industrial strength. I think that they were using a really cheap palm! or peanut! oil. Yikes.
Consider yourself fortunate. Hell, I still know tons of people that go to the place and rave about it. I realize that food is subjective but I cannot help but feel that it has become a Disney attraction with most of those going understanding just about as much as the obvious tourist in the Louvre staring at Mona Lisa. They know that it is famous but… but… but… what’s more important the actual value or the check list in their tote bag. Okay. Went here. Went there. Add up the points and whoever has more wins.
I on the other hand (haha) get my value from not going to such obvious places, which is probably just as bad.
Exactly. I’ve always been of the opinion that the only reason people go to Din Tai Fen – apart from the heavy advertising, of course – is because they’re unaware of the existence of those two, both of which are streets ahead, IMO, in every respect.
And yes, too, tang bao should be thin WITHOUT breaking apart. If they break, they’re failed, no matter how good the inside is.
Is that place around the corner from Din Tai Fung on Hsin Yi still around? (Jin Jee Yuan) (Gold Chicken Park LOL)?
They had excellent Tang Bao and Shrimp Xiao Mai when I used to go there (3 years ago)
There Hot and sour soup was delicious as well. It was all half the price and just as good or better than Din Tai Fung IMHO.
[quote=“Lo Bo To”]Is that place around the corner from Ding Tai Feng on Xinyi still around? (Jin Jee Yuan) (Gold Chicken Park LOL)?
They had excellent Tang Bao and Shrimp Xiao Mai when I used to go there (3 years ago)
There Hot and sour soup was delicious as well. It was all half the price and just as good or better than Ding Tai Feng IMHO.[/quote]
It’s still there.
[quote=“fee”][quote=“Lo Bo To”]Is that place around the corner from Ding Tai Feng on Xinyi still around? (Jin Jee Yuan) (Gold Chicken Park LOL)?
They had excellent Tang Bao and Shrimp Xiao Mai when I used to go there (3 years ago)
There Hot and sour soup was delicious as well. It was all half the price and just as good or better than Ding Tai Feng IMHO.[/quote]
It’s still there.[/quote]
In true Taiwan tradition, I beleive that those places are all started by former Ding Tai Feng cooks.
Exactly. I’ve always been of the opinion that the only reason people go to Din Tai Fen – apart from the heavy advertising, of course – is because they’re unaware of the existence of those two, both of which are streets ahead, IMO, in every respect.
And yes, too, tang bao should be thin WITHOUT breaking apart. If they break, they’re failed, no matter how good the inside is.[/quote]
I think DTF has that extra edge over the other two places that’s around the corner…location wise YES…advertising wise YES and most importantly…Food and Service wise totally out-scored the other two. There is pretty much NO service at all in Gao Ji…u take ur own orders…u pour ur own tea… = = come on!! for extra NT$20 per serve of “shoa long bao” at DTF u get clean toilet, waitress who speaks English, Japanese, Taiwanese and Mandarine (Hakka too), and they bring u everything u’ll need during ur time there, so u’ll never hav to leave ur seat unless nature calls. Now THAT’s the experience worth paying the extra pocket change for at DTF.
I go there once or twice a month (always after 3pm and b4 6pm to avoid their rush hours) becos it is a wonderful experience to eat there. My recommendation for DTF:
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One full serve of “shoa long bao” (steam pork bun wif the thinest wrapping u’ll ever get and always same number of folds that closes each bun.
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Half serve (yes u can order half serve on all steamed buns) of “shei huang bao” thats the pork and crab eggs steam bun.
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One clear chicken soup…tender chicken thats pressure cooked so the meat melts in ur mouth but doesnt fall off the bone when u pick it up.
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Fried Rice…yes fried rice at DTF!!! u wont go wrong wif it. Very simple fried rice…just rice, eggs, garlic and shallots…but u wont believe how good it is…i think the key is the Rice that they use…top of the line rice.
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To finish it off…one or half serve of “houn dole bao” that the Red Bean paste steam bun…not too sweet…and u wont believe the smoothness of the red bean filling inside…amazing…
Both the outstanding Food and Service provided by DTF i believe is the reason behind their success… ^ ^
I started eating DTF about 10 years ago, and from then on it was a “must have” eatery everytime I came back to Taipei…I went there about a week ago with a bunch of family friends that have come back from the states, and I must say…I was kinda dissapointed! we ordered all the usual stuff but it just wasn’t as exciting as it used to be. Maybe they had on off day? I hope not, but it seems common in Taipei l8tly as for alot of old historic must have eateries have lost there “touch”