Ding Tai Fung

Ever since I watched Eddie Huang's Fresh Off The Boat (Taiwan), I've been dying to try soup dumplings.
In the web series, Eddie raves about his favorite authentic place in Taiwan called Din Tai Fung.

When I went to Japan back in May 2013, there was a Din Tai Fung located at the top of one of the department stores that we visited. I think it was in Roppongi Hills (the rich area obvs). Unfortunately, we didn't get to try it out because K was being annoying. It was so close, and now so far. My feels :(

Recently Vi, Sarah, K and I went down to FMP (first markham place) and ate at Ding Tai Fung, which is not the same as the original restaurant, but we heard that their soup dumplings were pretty bomb.

I scoured the web for the most top rated dishes and here is what we ordered:

Pork Dumplings & Crab & Pork Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)

First to start, the xiao long bao, which was the main attraction. These were scrumptious! We got 1 order of the crab & pork, and 2 orders of the original pork. I don't really remember liking one more than the other, but I do remember really loving them. Definitely a must-order dish.

Chive & Meat Dumplings (x1)

These chive & meat dumplings were MASSIVE. If you're not a fan of chives, you probably won't like this so much. The chive flavour however, was not too overwhelming and overall it tasted quite nice.

Pan Fried Dumplings (x1)

As a gyoza lover, we obviously had to try these dumplings. I definitely prefer these pan fried dumplings over the chive & meat ones. 

Braised Beef Noodles (x2)

This dish was really tasty, but nothing to die over. I wish the meat was cooked longer so that it wouldn't be so tough.

Green Onion Pancake (x2)

Ahhh these were amazing! Crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. It was perfect.

Hot and Sour Soup (L)

Again, we ordered the dishes that were the most popular according to Yelp. This hot and sour soup was our least favorite. Overall it was okay, but it was mostly sour and not spicy at all. We ordered a large too :/ I do not recommend this dish to my fellow hardcore spice loving asians.

Overall, I had a great time at Ding Tai Fung. It's probably no where close to being as good as the original, but since I've never tried, I'm ok with it. Would I come back? Yes. The next time around, I would just order the soup dumplings and the green onion pancakes. Those were my favorites.

Surprisingly, we (as in K and I) finished all of the food and even went for dessert after. Kevin, Sarah's beloved boothang, joined us at Health Herb and Harmony, where we ended the night with some asian desserts and Monopoly Deal.

Farewell my dumplings, until next time.

xox,

Ly

--

Ding Tai Fung

3235 Hwy 7 E Markham, Markham, ON L3R 3P3