Din Tai Fung is overrated
Yes. You read that right. Din Tai Fung, the trendiest spot for classic xiao long bao and other treats, is overrated.
I’ve lived on the east coast my entire life, being in NYC for over half of it. I ventured out to all xiao long bao restaurants, as it is the finest savory delicacy to warm one’s soul. I’ve been to great places such as Joe’s Shanghai and Joe’s Ginger in Manhattan’s Chinatown, and my favorite, The Bao in the lower east side. These places offer steaming hot salty buns that never disappoint.
Din Tai Fung, on the other hand, did not live up to these standards.
Living across the country from all of their American locations, I never had the opportunity to see if this place lived up to the hype. Nonetheless, I was excited to one day discover. I first heard about this place about five years ago, when I got interested in xiao long bao and other aspects of Chinese cuisine.
It was a personal goal of mine to try Din Tai Fung the second I got the opportunity. That opportunity came last month when I traveled to Los Angeles, Calif. I made four reservations, one for every night I was there, ensuring that I would have a guaranteed table even if plans changed.
Finally, on night No. 2 of my trip, I dragged me and my four native LA friends to the Glendale location. Service was a bit messy, but they respected our reservation and we were seated within a few minutes.
My Experience
I sat down already knowing exactly what I wanted to order. I studied the menu for months: The classic cucumber salad, garlic string beans, chicken wonton soup, Shanghai rice cakes with chicken, kurobuta pork buns, the new chicken xiao long bao, the chocolate mochi dessert and, of course, the classic kurobuta xiao long bao.
Most things we ordered were just okay. The green beans were salty, the rice cakes were chewy, and the chicken xiao long bao was juicy. The star of the show, the thing I’d anticipated trying for years … was cold.
My dreams of trying the perfect bite of the Din Tai Fung steaming hot salty explosion were shattered. There was absolutely no flavor and I had to try three to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. The only exceptional thing I tried all night was the cucumber salad that did in fact live up to the hype, and the surprisingly delicious chicken wonton soup.
All I can say, however, is that I’m disappointed in their star dish and I am not excited to go back again. It’s overrated.
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