31 Mar Chasing Xiao Long Bao: LA to Taipei
We’ve all heard it before, practice makes perfect. Right? And nowhere is this more evident than with the art of making Xiao Long Bao. Xiao Long Bao is the Chinese word for soup dumplings. These delectable morsels are made of ultra thin flour buns filled traditionally with a pork mixture and served in a freshly steamed basket right at your table. Din Tai Fung has been my go to spot for these little guys for a long time and was thrilled to hear of them opening more locations in Southern California. Until the new location which is at the Americana in Glendale CA, we had to drive all the way to Arcadia, which believe me has been worth it, but having one in my home town just made me giddy with joy. What doesn’t make me giddy is the wait that comes along with eating there. But for the good of everything in the world, I will suffer through the three-hour (yes, three hour) wait it takes to get a table for two on a Saturday night. I’ve learned that if I go there for lunch I can usually be sat immediately and avoid the rush that the dinner crowd has to deal with.
My thought process is usually to order what the restaurant is known for and not stray too much into other menu items. I like to order the pickled cucumbers, fried pork chop, hot and sour soup and pork with crab dumplings. That is my standard order, and I’ve always been happy with it. But, I thought I would bring it to another level and go to the Mecca of Xiao Long Bao, the Mac Daddy of Din Tai Fung, the original location in Taipei. I realize it’s a bit farther than the drive to Arcadia, but what can I say? I’m on a mission, to taste the best dumpling from the city where it was born.
Some sixteen hours later, I get off the plane and head straight to the original DTF located on Xinyi street and what do I find? As we pull up I notice something strange, no line, no crowd, and come to find out that it is closed! I died a little. But then, hope came through in another form, I realized it was Chinese New Year and my cab driver told me that everything was closed for a couple more days and that there was one location that was open. Next stop Taipei 101.
This location is situated inside of a mall and is run like a well-oiled machine. We were number 1057 and the anticipation for the feast that was going to ensue was killing me. The wait was only about an hour and the efficiency with which this place is run is military like with their walkie-talkies and microphones. We were greeted so graciously at the door and escorted to our table and got a chance to sneak a peek at the kitchen where the dumpling masters were hard at work filling and folding the delicate nuggets. This location was very grand and new looking, with plenty of room and English speaking staff. Which is always a plus when you haven’t practiced your Mandarin! We ordered my regular order and also got one item that is actually not on the menu in LA, which were the shrimp wontons in spicy sauce. The spicy sauce had a deep spicy soy flavor that made you want to dip your entire fingers in there. But the real star of the night was the crab and pork soup dumpling. I thought I had died and gone to crab and pork heaven. The flavor of these dumplings was far superior to the ones in LA. The quality of the crabmeat is what made this dumpling special, it had zero fishiness and had a sweet freshness to them. The dumpling skin was equal in quality to the ones I’ve tried before which is probably due to the strict level of standard the dumpling professionals are expected to reach. It takes three years to master the art of the eighteen fold, twenty-one grams of deliciousness that is the Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung. That deserves mad respect, if only all the food we ate was prepared with the same approach, we’d all be eating like kings day to night!
After The Chinese New Year festivities had subsided, it was time to go to the original location on Xinyi street. A few things came as no surprise when we approached, the lines, the crowds, and lots of hungry people. I liked this location already because its in a part of town that has tiny side streets right off the main road that have small local bars, shops and bakery’s. You really get a chance to see the culture of the Taiwanese people here in the hustle bustle of their everyday life. The restaurant was also very old school and family style with narrow stairways four floors of private and communal tables. There’s something about bumping elbows and splashing spicy vinegar chili over your neighbor that makes the food taste better. I enjoyed this location the most because I respected the fact that nothing seemed to have changed since the 80’s.
All in all I must say I prefer the original location to all of the other locations I have tried because of two reasons. The first is that the star dish tasted better here than it did at any of the other locations, and second because it felt like I was eating in a really crowded close knit family dinner setting. At the end of the day, some of the best meals are in a setting where you feel like you’re at home, even If you don’t speak the language, the universal language of food is understood everywhere.
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