Din Tai Fung, The Dumpling Heaven - Hong Kong

Our trip to Hong Kong wouldn't be complete without eating xiao long baos (Shanghainese soup dumplings). We love our dumplings and Din Tai Fung was that restaurant that surpassed our expectations. Even after having tasted the xiao long baos in Shanghai itself, in my opinion so far, Din Tai Fung remains as one of the top places to eat these juicy dumplings.

Originating from Taiwan, Din Tai Fung is an internationally acclaimed restaurant offering traditional Taiwanese and Shanghainese dishes. With many branches worldwide we were fortunate to be able to visit the HK branch in Tsim Sha Tsui. We heard that the waiting list for a table at Din Tai Fung can take up to an hour. But thankfully, a friend arrived earlier just to secure a spot. We were starving as we arrived and were pleased when we didn't have to wait long for the dishes to arrive.

The best way to eat these dumplings is to carefully lift one with your chopstick (careful not to break the delicate skin) and place it on your soup spoon. Spread some ginger and vinegar sauce on the dumpling and place it whole into your mouth. Do not attempt to bite it as you might risk losing the tasty soup within. Now all that remains is to savour the flavours... mmmm

Here were some of the other tasty appetizers and dishes we ordered. All just as delicious!

Steamed mash sesame bun

Steamed mushroom vegetarian dumpling

Pickled garlic and chilli oil cucumber (one of my favourite!) appetizer

Vegetarian seaweed appetizer

Vegetarian cow-fu appetizer

Spicy pork glass noodle

Fried rice with eggs and shrimp

Sauteed seasonal mushrooms

Chilli noodle soup

The service was impeccable and all the dishes were lovely. The Dumpling Heaven certainly lived up to its name!