Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐)

For me, every trip to Taipei should start and end at Din Tai Fung.

From the minute in we land in Taoyuan airport at 6am, I start counting down the minutes until they open at 11am so that I can finally be reunited with a steamer of xiaolongbao. When it comes time to return to LA, I'm so sad to be leaving those steaming little buns of porky goodness that I have to visit one more time before my flight and take some to go for the plane ride.

I absolutely refuse to argue with anyone about where to find the best xiaolongbao. There is no argument to be had. Din Tai Fung wins hands down.

If Din Tai Fung doesn't make you proud to be Taiwanese, I don't know what would (Taipei 101? Chien-Ming Wang?) It was named one of the top 10 gourment restaurants in the world by The New York Times in 1993. All I know is, Din Tai Fung is not only synonymous with delectable juicy, perfect specimens of xiaolongbao, but also simply, Taiwan.

There are now a total of four branches of Din Tai Fung within Taipei--my favorite still being the Zhongxiao branch. The original Xinyi branch definitely has a more authentic atmosphere (and even MORE tourists) but lacks the cleaniness and efficiency of the newer branches. The two newest branches, located inside Sogo department stores, are just a good but lack a certain charm so I've only visited each one once. I've lost count of how many times I've been to the Zhongxiao branch. Maybe I keep returning to that one because I'm just sentimental, but all I know is, I've NEVER been disappointed there.

Just keep in mind, if you get there any time after 1130 am on ANY day of the week, expect to see monstrously long lines consisting of Japanese tourists, and locals who know good food and are smart enough to know that the lines are worth braving. We always go right when they open in the mornings. It is the perfect late breakfast/early lunch feast.

Consistency, service, and cleanliness are words that come to mind when Din Tai Fung is mentioned. The service in Din Tai Fung is always without fault. The servers are so expertly trained and so professional it seems superhuman. Cleanliness is always impeccable. For the flow of customers they accommodate every day, the restaurant is still in perfect condition. You will never find a dirty plate or a sticky table here, and if you did, a server will be there in the blink of an eye with a new plate or clean white towel to wipe the table. There is always an attendant in the bathrooms that goes in after every customer to make sure everything is clean for the next customer.

The kitchen is show in itself. Enclosed in large see-through windows, you can watch as men in white uniforms and face masks make deliciously perfect little xiaolongbaos at lightning speed. It's amazing that they can crank out enough of them to satisfy everyone in the restaurant. Once you place your order, everything comes out in perfect timing. Everything in the restaurant runs like clockwork, with the kitchen and the servers always in sync. I guess the service of the restaurant has to do the food justice.

While Din Tai Fung serves up the best xiaolongbaos known to mankind, everything else on their menu is also worthy of recognition. Although their niu rou mien might not be put up on a pedestal any time soon, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Just like a lot of their other dishes, it's delicious--you just don't have room in your stomach for a steamer-full of xiaolongbao AND a bowl of filling noodles. This is the only flaw I can find in Din Tai Fung--too much yummy stuff!

Din Tai Fung

Zhongxiao Branch

No.218 (Alley 216) Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 4, Taipei

tel: 02-2721-7890

This is the beautiful new menu they just introduced the last time I was there. I should mention that all the xiaolongbaos and dumplings can be ordered as half-orders and the soups can be ordered as small, medium, or large. This allows you to try more than one flavor without getting too full. Of course, do yourself a favor and order the full order of traditional xiaolongbao. They will all be gone before you know it--just be careful not to burn yourself on the piping hot soup inside!

XiaoLongBao [NT190] (10 pieces)

I don't even know where to begin. There really are no words worthy enough of describing it. You just have to pop one in your mouth and smile in pleasure as the soup inside fills your mouth when you chew through the thin skin and into the juicy pork--that says it all. Sometimes a dip in ginger and black vinegar is also great. However, I'll take one plain any day. I think they're literally happiness in perfect little bundles.

Angled Loofah and Shrimp XiaoLongBao [NT250] (10 pieces)

These also have that perfect thin skin that traps a lovely sweet liquid inside, but they contain loofah--a thoroughly Asian vegetable that I adore. This was my first time ordering these and they were pretty delicious. I love how the vegetable was cut into perfect little pieces. Every time I eat one of these dumplings I marvel at how they manage to get the skin so thin and perfect on every one. It really is amazing.

Mini XiaoLongBao with Soup [NT320] (20 pieces)

For whatever reason, these are only available Saturday Sunday 10:00am-11:30am and are a little more expensive. Maybe because they're smaller, they're harder to make? All I know is, these are even better than the xiaolongbao!!! Is that possible?! I think I just like them so much more because their size is the perfect mouthful. Sometimes the xiaolongbao is too big for one mouthful and that leads to an awkward bite which then leads to soup spillage. In this case, everything is contained in one bite. The soup that it comes with also adds another lovely option. Sometimes, I eat them with a spoonful of soup--increasing the liquid-factor of the dumpling.

DinTaiFung House Special [NT90]

This contains glass noodles, seaweed, bean curd, and bean sprouts mixed together with soy sauce, sesame seed oil, chili peppers, green onions, and who knows what else. It's delicious and we order it every time...almost subconsciously.

Shanghai Style Soy Sprouts [NT65]

This was a new addition to their menu and I actually enjoyed it a lot. I loved the texture of the soy sprout--they were like bean sprouts with an edamame attached to them.

Pickled Cabbage [NT65]

This is another dish that we always order. Sometimes I like eating a piece of cabbage with a xiaolongbao. It cuts back the richness of the pork a little bit.

Noodle with Spicy Sesame and Peanut Sauce [NT100]

The noodles at Din Tai Fung are also spectacular. Delicious chewy strands of freshly made noodles in all kinds of different broths! I have to say, the noodles are sometimes under-appreciated just because there 's so much more going on in the menu and noodles are filling. In any other circumstance, people would be absolutely raving about the quality of Din Tai Fung noodles. My favorite is this one because it comes in a spicy, yet nutty sauce that is just amazing. So good.

Hot-and-Sour Soup [NT80] (S)

The hot-and-sour soup at Din Tai Fung is also the best I have tasted anywhere. I love finding the little strands of pig's/duck's blood in there with the bamboo shoots and tofu. It's perfectly sour--not too much and just enough.

Vegetable and Ground Pork Wonton in Special Sauce [NT140]

Also incredibly good but I can usually one eat a few of these. By the time these come along, I'm too full already! The skin on the wonton is perfectly chewy and the sauce is kind of like a sweeter soy sauce. However, these are probably my brother's favorite.

Spicy Shrimp and Pork Wonton [NT160]

Even better than the previous wontons because they come in a delicious spicy sauce. Sweet and spicy and salty--it just makes you want to eat more and more of it even though sweat starts beading up on your nose.

Steamed Taro Dumplings [NT170] (10 pieces)

Even though I'm usually already bursting at the seams by the time dessert comes along, I can never resist it. This is when the half-orders start coming in handy. I love the taro paste inside these dumplings. The skin is just as thin as the ones on the xiaolongbao and the filling is this delicious, creamy, buttery, subtle paste of taro root. I love taro desserts and this one is probably one of my favorites.

Eight Flavored Sticky Rice [NT70] (S)

Ba Bao Fan is usually not very exciting but at Din Tai Fung, it is done wonderfully. I can't identify everything that bejewels the top of this colorful dessert (anywhere else I would find extremely colorful things questionable) but just trust me when I say it's even better to eat than to look at. Inside the sticky rice is a red bean paste that I'm pretty sure is flavored with lard. Yes, lard. And it taste all the more amazing because of it.

Although there are now dozens of Din Tai Fung restaurants all over the world--including in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States--NONE of them come close to the ones in Taiwan. It just isn't the same. If there are any disbelievers out there who think I am over-hyping the amazing food at Din Tai Fung, do yourself a favor--please visit Taiwan and treat yourself to one of the more euphoric meals you'll ever have...then we can talk ;)

LudoBites 4.0

After an hour long bus ride on the Metro Rapid 720 during rush hour armed with only an iced Grande Starbucks Americano and the newest issue of Vanity Fair, I finally arrived at 6th and Main in Downtown L.A. The stiff as granite suspension on the Metro Rapid didn't make the ride particularly pleasant. I think at one point I actually felt my brains rattling inside my skull. However, LudoBites was calling to me and I would've made the trek downtown even if I was severely jet-lagged and running on 3 hours sleep...oh wait, I was.

Luckily, the trip was more than worth it. I felt so fortunate to have been invited to the FoodDigger event and to have been one of the first to taste some of Ludo Lefebvre's newest dishes for LudoBites 4.0. On top of that, Domaine LA was there to make some of the best wine pairings I've ever had.

LudoBites latest reincarnation is housed at Gram and Papa's in Downtown L.A. I wish I had taken a picture of the restaurant from the outside but the area it was in had seemed a little scary to me. Once I was inside the perfectly cozy restaurant, I was hesitant to leave the safe haven of amiable food bloggers and bubbly champagne for the slightly shady-looking street outside. Ludo himself said that while there is plenty of parking on the street, "wear a bullet-proof vest when you come here." I'm sure he was just kidding...

Like LudoBites 3.0 at Royal T, Krissy had set up a light box for us camera-toting bloggers. I had never used one before, and I was very curious to try it. In the end, I'm not sure if I liked it as much as I thought I would. I was initially going to post both the pictures I took in the light box and the ones at the table yet somehow, in the end, the dimly lit table pictures still didn't stack up to the clean, bright, if not slightly sterile, pictures in the light box.

The lovely Tsz, also taking advantage of the light box. We sat across from each other at the table and our food-related conversations and mutual oohs and aahs as each course arrived made dinner even more enjoyable. I am entirely convinced that eating is always better when eating with someone who also enjoys eating. Last night, I was surrounded by people who all enjoy and appreciate food as much as I do. It was amazing.

Before we started eating, Matt of FoodDigger kept warning us to "keep an open mind." Although this was my first time at LudoBites, I knew Ludo was creative and that he wasn't scared of making innovative flavor profiles. I was more than ready. Bring it on.

LudoBites 4.0

@ Gram and Papa's

227 East 9th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
http://www.ludolefebvre.com/ludo-bites

Tartine Plate "Three Fat Textures"

NV Domaine Clavelin, Cremant du Jura, "Brut-Comté," France

By the time we sat down, I was starving and a little warm from the champagne we were welcomed with. A large piece of fleur de sel baguette wrapped in parchment paper was set down in front of me, and I had to try to not pick the whole thing up and tear right into it. I am a lady, thank you. Instead, I broke a little piece of the crusty, yet chewy, baguette and carefully spread some of the lavender-infused lard on it. I was not prepared for how absolutely amazing that lard was. Lavender reminds me of soap, so this should've been like soapy lard. Instead, my tongue encountered the lusciously smooth texture of lard with a pleasant and exciting floral scent. The whipped brown butter and the Chablis(?) clarified butter that rounded out the "Three Fat Textures" were also very good. However, the lard was amazing. I almost wanted to rub it all over my body like lavender-scented body butter...don't tell.

Carrot Salad, Saffron Anglaise Cream, Pearl Onions, Citrus, Mustard Powder

2009 Donkey & Goat, Rosé of Grenache Gris, California

This was perhaps the only dish of the night that was light and clean-tasting. The saffron anglaise cream was actually not very rich. The whole thing was very citrusy, with the carrot shavings cryovac-ed in orange juice and orange blossom water. The torched pieces of carrots were first cooked in carrot juice. The pearl onions were pickles and added a very much needed punch. The citrus pieces, also cryovac-ed could be eaten whole--with the pith and zest--but were a little bitter. Overall, it was very interesting interpretation ordinarily boring carrot salad. The rosé that was paired with this dish was also very nice.

Egg, Potato Mousseline, Lobster, Borage Flower

2009 Bedrock Rine Company, Compagni Portis Vineyard, "Heirloom White," California

Although it may been simple in appearance, this was without a doubt my favorite--and many other people's favorite--of the night. It was sublime. Simply amazing. The potato mousseline was at the perfect temperature to only slightly warm through the raw fresh lobster slices without cooking it. Break open the soft-boiled egg, mix it all together and the dish becomes even richer. Take a little bit of everything on your spoon and take a bite. Close your eyes and mmmm. Foodgasm.

Foie Gras Croque-Monsieur, Lemon Turnip Chutney

2008 Fremont, Cidre Brut Par Nature, "Greniers," France

Just the name foie gras croque-monsieur is enough to induce incontrollable drooling. This was one of the dishes that was simple a reincarnation of an already existing LudoBites creation. I was told that in it's previous life, it had a black cherry sauce to accompany it instead of the chutney. I took my first bite and as the crunchy squid ink bread broke into the creamy foie gras and salty procuitto inside, I could not help but let out an irrepressible sigh of contentment. I guess the sigh was a little louder and the look of contentment a little more noticeable than I had intended it to be because I opened my eyes to the seasoned croque-monsieur veterans of the table looking on knowingly with a smile on their faces. They knew what I had just experienced. The cider worked to enhance the unctuousness of the liver in a very very good way and was one of my favorite pairings of the night.

Burgundy Escargots, Garlic Flan, Green Jus, Yellow Flowers

2008 Benaza Godello, Spain

This was the only dish of the night that I really did not enjoy very much. Before the dish arrived, I saw Ludo taking a taste of the green jus and contemplating it for the longest time with the oddest expression. I noticed Krissy was also looking at him and we both watched with bated breath--not knowing if he liked it. I still don't know. Perhaps the foie gras croque-monsieur was so good it was impossible to follow it. Perhaps this course came too late in the meal. All I know is, it was a way too rich and creamy for me at that point. While I did receive a piece of escargot that was tender and perfectly chewy, the rest of them seemed a little tough and overcooked. The entire dish was just very "one-note." All I could taste was garlic creaminess. Unfortunately, I think I would take a traditional escargot bourguignon over this.

Columbian River King Salmon Confit, Spring Cabbage, Orange Skin & Juniper Berries

2007 Palaacios Mencia, "Petalos," Spain

The wild salmon was poached in olive oil at 58 degrees before having its skin seared to a perfect crisp. Through this method, the resulting fish meat had an almost creamy, oily texture. It was perfectly cooked. The red cabbage and red wine purée spooned on the side of the dish provided not only a beautiful visual contrast, but also the perfect slightly sour accompaniment to the sweet cabbage and salmon meat. On the other hand, the lemon agar agar did absolutely nothing for me. Its texture was a little odd.

Poached Jidori Chicken, Crispy Skin with Hazelnuts, Garden Vegetables, Bacon Royale

2008 Benaza Godello, Spain

The poached chicken was perfectly cooked, the crispy skin on top absolutely amazing. I loved the shelled peas. I love fresh peas. The bacon royal was, again, way too rich for me at this point in the meal. I was already feeling extremely full from all the food and wine so I don't think I was able to fully appreciate the dish. I think if I had been half as full as I was, I would've enjoyed it a lot more.

Brie Chantilly Napoleon, Honey Comb, Balsamic, Frisée Salad

2006 Jo Pithon "Les 4 Villages," Coteaux du Layon, France

This is THE BEST cheese course I have EVER had. It was absolutely amazing. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this. The crisp creamy tower of crostini, salty brie (whipped by hand for 2 hours) and peppery frisée salad was amazing enough on its own. Add a little bit of the sweet thick balsamic vinegar and floral honey comb...cheese HEAVEN. And I'm not done. My dining companions then indicated that I should drink some of the wine with it. I had been so absorbed in trying to make the dish last as long as possible, I had forgotten about the wine. The sweet dessert wine paired with this cheese course added another unbelievable facet to this already fabulous dish. I didn't think it could get any better. It did.

Dark Chocolate Soufflé, Black Pepper Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Cream

2003 Pietri-Geraud Banyuls, "Cuvée Méditerranée," France

The soufflé was beautiful. I got a picture of it seconds after it came out of the open piping hot so it was still standing tall. Look at that proud soufflé, rising above the crown of the ramekin. Once the peppery ice cream and chocolate cream was mixed into it, it definitely had something to be proud of. The milk chocolate ice cream provided such an intense spice and warm heat to the soufflée. It was mind-blowing. But it was also, again, incredibly rich. I only took a few bites and was already fully content.

Ludo was obviously still getting used to the kitchen and his assistants. Even in a new environment, he was still able to create dishes that blew my mind in terms of flavor and textures. I now understand the fascination and obesession with Ludo and LudoBites. It's not that the dishes he creates are perfected and pleasing to the palate--it is that they're new and inventive and that they challenge the way we think about food. In his own words, "It's my house. I do what I want."

The most amazing thing was that, in his opinion, the dishes he served us were "conservative." When asked what he would cook for himself, he said that he would make dishes that were more "provocative." Man, I wish I could see what "provocative" cooking would entail.

I just want to say thank you to FoodDigger again for putting on such an amazing event. I'm so glad I got to be a part of it. It's always lovely to meet follow foodies!

Also a big thank you to Domaine LA!

And because it was so much fun with fantastic food, free-flowing wine, and amazing company, I forgive you, FoodDigger, for misspelling my name ;) I had to use the magic of Photoshop. And I forgive you, Ludo, for chucking that pansy at my head. I know that it was probably mistake and aimed for someone else...I think...

LudoBites, je t'aime:)