We finally got a chance to dine at Din Tai Fung, the latest restaurant franchise to open it’s doors here in Dubai at Mall of the Emirates. Two of Din Tai Fung’s franchise in Hong Kong was awarded a Michelin Star.
The Taiwanese restaurant is known for it’s Xiao Long Bao (XLB), a dumpling with soup inside. Anthony Bourdain refers to them as “pillow of happiness.”
We informed our server that it was our first time and she patiently explained how to eat the famous dumpling. She also prepared a ginger, soy and rice vinegar dip to complete our XLB experience.
To eat the Xiao Long Bao:
- Make the soy ginger sauce. Our server warned us that the dumpling is piping hot, wait a few minutes before eating.
- Take your XLB and dip in your soy ginger sauce.
- Place your XLB in the spoon and poke a small hole to release the broth. Blow some steam off and enjoy.
The original XiaoLongBao is made with pork but the restaurant doesn’t have a license so we settled for the Crab and Chicken XLB.
Eating the XLB was a memorable experience. The dumpling was flavorful and we preferred it without the sauce. I hope they open another branch in a hotel with a pork license, I’m sure the original pork XLB will be even more delicious.
We also ordered other dumplings on the menu.
Schezhuan Chicken and Shrimp dumplings was describe to us as a dumpling serve on a bowl with a spicy schezhuan sauce. Daddy C declared this one the best dumpling we’ve had that afternoon.
Daddy ordered Braised Beef Noodle Soup which sadly did not impress him. The beef needed an hour more of boiling to make it tender and the broth was good but needed something more.
DTF does not have a separate children’s menu which is ok, we ordered fried rice and dumplings for the kids. LittleMiss was offered a high chair and they provided a kiddie plate as well, that made her really happy.
Both kids were happy with Shirmp & Chicken Pot Stickers and Steamed Shrimp & Chicken Shumai. They wanted to order more, we didn’t because we already need to leave for another commitment.
Overall, we enjoyed our meal and dining experience. The staff were friendly and patient with all our inquiries.
Have you eaten at Din Tai Fung? What was your favorite?
It was surprising that we were only handed a two pages lunch menu, refreshing as it gave an impression that the dishes were carefully chosen. They now have a 3 course menu selection with shisha for AED 119 per person from 12pm until 4pm.
This is probably one of the best smoked salmon I’ve ever had, presented on top of a flatbread with marinated onion and dill mascarpone. It is a rich creamy appetizer that could be shared among 3 people as it can be overwhelming for just one person.
We finally settled for Chicken Breast with cauliflower and parsnip puree, spinach and grilled asparagus for LittleMiss, she just asked to please add some French fries to which the server agreed.  The chicken was juicy and seasoned well, most importantly our little girl enjoyed every bite. “Not crunchy but still good with fries.”
Kuya V had Beef Burger with smoked Veal strips and served with fries. I didn’t got a chance to taste but according to V it was a good burger.
Beef Tenderloin done medium well was served with sautéed mushrooms, spinach salad and pomegranate. The meat was seasoned well, soft and juicy; it was delicious accompanied with the sauce.
Spaghetti with Alaskan Crab, lemon butter, zest, chili and basil. The lemon sauce with a right amount of chili heat really went well with the generous amount of crab meat.
LittleMiss starts FS1 in her new school. I wanted to prepare something that will make her smile while she’s in school. She was crying when I left her but was very happy when I picked her up after class. Thankful that her schoolmates made her feel happy.
Kuya V was excited to see his friends. It’s going to be a busy month for us since we are preparing for his term 1 exams. How I wish they stuck with the exam schedules we had last school year, it was less stressful for all of us.
The night before we bought bread from Ceasars Bakeshop for baon. Chicken Tikka Roll for Kuya V and Cheese Bun for LittleMiss.
Bread was toasted on a hot frying pan with butter because I don’t own a toaster.
LittleMiss on the other hand had an open sandwich because that’s the way she like it.
LittleMiss don’t like to eat eggs but she came home with just 1 Quail egg left (a win for me!) and of course she complained “Mama, remember I don’t like eggs.”
They have a good selection of favorite desserts like brownies, petit fours, profiteroles and fruits. Our favorite dessert is the Mango Panna Cotta and chocolate fondant.
Cuddles and Crumbs 