Din Tai Fung (Suntec City)

Din Tai Fung originated in Taiwan and BreadTalk Group brought it to Singapore in 2013. One Michelin Star restaurant and ranked as one of the world’s Top Ten Best Restaurants by The New York Times, this celebrated restaurant is famous for its Xiao Long Baos (Steamed Pork Dumplings), and Steamed Chicken Soup. With roots dating back to Taiwan more than 30 years ago, the internationally renowned restaurant makes waves with branches in Singapore, Thailand, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and USA. 

I am impressed that the ginger is sliced so thinly. Small things like this says a lot about a restaurant. This shows that the chef (or whoever cuts the ginger) has good fundamental skills which boosts my confidence about the food. This also shows that the restaurants cares by ensuring the quality of even the sauces. 

Oriental Salad in Special Vinegar Dressing 小菜 is an Chinese appetizer made of sliced tofu, rice vermicelli and leek. It is a simple dish but very satisfying with a slight tangy taste. 

I would never have guessed that this is Sliced Duck in Crispy Spring Onion Pastry 葱香鸭卷 because it tastes like bacon instead of duck. 

Special Braised Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Brisket 红烧牛肉汤面 is easily one of my favorite foods because I have s special fondness for handmade noodles and braised beef. The soup has a rich flavor, no doubt a result of beef soup cooked over long hours, the beef pieces are melt-in-the-mouth good and the noodles are firm and springy.

This is the world-renowned Steamed Pork Dumplings 小笼包,which is supposed to be made with 18 intricate folds. The skin is thin and slightly translucent after being steamed. The soup enclosed in the dumpling is a rich pork broth and the pork filling is soft and flavorful. The correct way of eating Steamec Pork Dumplings is to drink the soup using a straw before eating the filling and skin, but I don't think that is practiced in Singapore. 

Steamed Crab Meat & Pork Dumplings 蟹粉小笼包 is a variation of their famous Steamed Pork Dumplings with the addition of crab meat in the filling. There is only a hint of crab meat and I do wish they would put in more crab meat into the filling. The yellow-coloured thing is there to help customers and staff differentiate between Steamed Crab Meat & Pork Dumplings and the original Steamed Pork Dumplings. I know, I know, it looks so cute, doesn't it? It is made of flour, so go ahead and eat it. 

I can finally understand why there is a long queue outside every Din Tai Fung outlet at every possible hour. Although I don't like queueing, I don't mind queuing up for Din Tai Fung occasionally. The high standard of food quality and impeccable service is definitely worth waiting for.

Addresses and telephone numbers of all 19 outlets in Singapore and 2 outlets in Thailand can be found here. Reservation is highly recommended for lunch and dinner, especially on weekends, where the queue can get alarmingly long.