Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese steamed dumpling restaurant chain. It has over 100 branches in East Asia, UK and USA. Their Mall of the Emirates branch in Dubai is their first venture in the Middle East. As it is a popular and known chain, it created a big buzz when it opened in Dubai.
Din Tai Fung is in the new extension of Mall of the Emirates next to Omnia Baharat. The new extension is filled with new restaurants. I am on a mission to try out all of them. After visiting Dean & Deluca and 800 Degrees Pizza, it was now the turn of Din Tai Fung.
So on a Sunday early noon, My friends and I decided to visit Din Tai Fung for lunch. I decided not to go on a weekend, as I didn’t want to wait to get a table. I remember some of my friends telling me that they waited for couple of hours on a Friday to get a table. Luckily, we got the table immediately. What a surprise, even on a weekday early noon, the restaurant was full!
The restaurant is a casual dining spot. The decor of the place is plain and simple; nothing to write home about. It is the food and the service that does the talking.
The staff is super efficient, quick and helpful. Most of the staff are Taiwanese, you can expect an authentic Taiwanese experience at Din Tai Fung. The pricing is reasonable, but the portion size of the dishes are small.
Vegetarians have a limited choice. I remember lot of people discouraging me to visit Din Tai Fung as I am a vegetarian. But my suggestion to vegetarians is that it is worth visiting though the choice is limited.
Here is the list of what we ordered for our lunch: Spicy Cucumber, Sautéed Spinach, Steamed Mushroom & Vegetable Dumpling, Dan Dan Noodles, Vegetable Chow Mein and Toro Bun.
The Spicy Cucumber and the Sautéed Spinach are basic dishes, but they were done extremely well. The crunchy Spicy Cucumber is a definite must-try.
Steamed Mushroom and Vegetable Dumpling was perfectly steamed with a filling of minced vegetables and mushrooms. I could easily finish the box of 6 dumplings on my own.
We had the Dan Dan Noodles in Spicy Peanut Sauce. It was flavourful, tasty and spicy. We liked it.
We had the simple and easy to make Vegetable Chow Mein. It is a simple dish and you cannot go wrong with it.
We had the Mini Toro Bun with mashed sweet potatoes inside. As it was sweet, we decided to have it as a dessert. It was good, but not extraordinary.
They also offer Oolong tea(with free refills), coffee, fresh juices and soft drinks in their beverage menu.
Din Tai Fung Prepares food from scratch, you can expect fresh, authentic and delicious food. Though it is a good place, I feel it is overhyped.
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