Brian Kennett
Amateur Chef and Foodie Extraordinaire
Din Tai Fung – The Paragon Shopping Centre
Seriously for the price, for taste, for ease, for the casual and family atmosphere, you really cannot beat Din Tai Fung. I think this is now voted as the best Chinese restaurant chain in Singapore (actually it is Taiwanese – but don’t tell anyone!!!). We have been in so many different branches of this place all over the island of Singapore, and it is always exceptional quality and exceptional taste. It is just so so good as a restaurant.
We started off going here when Nina and I first stepped foot in Singapore and were living behind The Paragon Shopping Centre, on Orchard Road. In the basement area, there was where we had our first adventures with Din Tai Fung. A place the kids have loved ever since. In fact, we all have loved this place ever since, including now Baby Jude as well.
We usually have exactly the same choices from the menu. Why spoil something that is simply perfect. Here is what we usually consume whenever we eat here;
Stir-fried Dou Miao with Pork Strips. Simple and simply divine – best veg dish I have ever had…
Fragrant pork belly rolls, wrapped around cucumber with this jammy, sticky, spicy, garlic, sesame, Spring oniony, nutty sauce – BOOM
This is simply the best egg fried rice ever. Sounds so simple doesn’t it, some egg fried rice with pork strips. But man oh man the flavour is exquisite. How do they do this? How do they turn the simple to amazing?
Smoked duck pancakes. Come on now. This is deep-fried to crisp and crunchy perfection, so you know it’s going to be good. The pastry skins also have Spring Onion in them which just lifts the flavours to the roof. Delicious.
In fact, they are sooooo good they warrant a little more explanation as to how the hell they make these little parcels of goodness that are the signature dish of Din Tai Fung.
They religiously follow the same 6 steps before they hit your table. Literally, they have little weigh scales and templates to make sure each one is exactly the same;
- Silk smooth dough is made in very small batches, to keep it all nice and fresh;
- The dough is rolled out and cut into identical pieces. In fact, so precise are they, that they weigh each individual piece to ensure it sits within the parameters of 20.8-21.2 grams. Now that is precision is it not;
- The individual pieces are then hand-rolled with little rolling pins to form the silky smooth ‘skins’ for the dumplings;
- The skins are then stuffed with premium minced pork (plus a few secret ingredients) and gelatin, which melts when steamed to form the soup you get in the skins – ooh yummy!!!;
- The dumplings are then pleated by hand, a minimum of 18 times, and finished with a little twist on top; and
- They are then steamed and served piping hot in the steamer trays – in batches of 6 or 10.
This place is fricking awesome!!! It’s a must on anyone’s food agenda. Singles, couples, families you just have to eat here. Its almost an order from yours truly. As Tina Turner screams; “Your simply the best…” We love you DinTaiFung. Long may you reign. Ken Hom of The New York Times, wrote this about his experience; “Devouring this dumpling is a great experience, with an explosion of rich, steaming, hot soup oozing onto the groove of your tongue.” Yep he got that right, and so can you – ENJOY!!!
