Chocolate Mochi Xiao Long Bao
Din Tai Fung - one of my favorite restaurants ever. I can't count how many times I've taken a bite of something here and just had an ear to ear smile. Every time I go it's just as good as the last, I don't think I've come across another restaurant as consistently good as this one. On top of the amazing food, this place is a fun experience that's perfect for celebrating, impressing out-of-towners, or just having a fun night.
Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese invention. Talk to anyone who's lived in Taiwan and I'd imagine they'll light up when you mention Din Tai Fung. The Hong Kong branch earned a Michelin star in 2010, which put this place on the map internationally. As far as I know, it's a family-owned place and some of that family has thankfully brought it over to some parts of the US. Their largest footprint is in Seattle, but they also have a location in Southern California, Las Vegas, and in February 2022 they announced that they are opening one in New York. In our experience the Seattle locations have been the best.
I tell everyone to go here. I don't even ask if they like this kind of food because most people have never had it or if you when they hear "Taiwanese" they just think Chinese or something similar. Once we start talking about the soup dumplings and pork buns it usually puts any reservations to rest, so lets talk about the food here.
After becoming frequent visitors in Seattle, we've tried lot's of different items on the menu here. We've refined our order down to something we love so much and have ordered so many times I've memorized it and know exactly where the items fall on the menu (the menus here are a piece of paper with a box next to each item for you to write in the quantity you'd like to order). And yes, you can get some fried rice or noodles or green beans if you want, but here's what we get for two people: 2 Pork Xiao Long Bao - these are a must, they are delicious soup dumplings and serve as the Din Tai Fung 'mascot' that sits outside many of their stores, so you know they're a big deal. We get two of these because you'll be dying for more if you share a basket (each basket has 10 pieces). 1 order of Spicy Pork & Vegetable Wontons - don't worry about the word spicy because you're talking to the biggest spice wimp in the world and I love them. 1 order of Pork buns - yes, we're still getting pork because it's that good. They have other options but again, we've decided after many times of trying different items / proteins, you just can't go wrong with pork. And finally, 1 order of the chocolate mochi xiao long bao - think the savory Pork Xiao Long Bao we mentioned right off the bat, but instead of savory dough and filling, it's rich, molten chocolate inside a mochi dumpling. This is probably the most expensive item we've listed in terms of price per pound, but it's justified.
(Left to Right) Spicy Wontons, Xiao Long Bao, Pork Buns, Green Beans
All in all, you'll spend about $35 per person and it will be well worth it because you just had a totally unique experience, ate delicious food, watched the workers in the kitchen crank out soup dumplings, and received great service. It'll probably be so inspiring that it'll motivate you to go watch Crazy Rich Asians and pay special attention to the scene where the family is making dumplings so you can try to make your own. Fun fact: in the Crazy Rich Asian sequel, the family actually visits Din Tai Fung - so you can feel confident that if it's good enough for one of the wealthiest (albeit fictitious) families in Singapore, it's good enough for you and me.