My parents were having their 30th wedding anniversary and they decided to dine in at Din Tai Fung, specifically the one located in Pacific Place since it is the closest to my brother's office. I've only tried out Din Tai Fung's signature Xiao Long Bao(s) in the past and had tried making some too since it was so delicious. This time I am excited as I can try out their other courses, especially knowing that their Hong Kong branch had been rewarded with one Michelin star in the past and it's safe for us to order as they are pork-free branch so that's where the decision goes. Initially we wanted to order their 10-pax full course packages, but my mom decided to create a course by her own with the help of the branch manager and it turned out really nicely for the six of us!
Steamed Shrimp and Chicken Shao Mai (IDR 101.000)
The dimsum came out earliest within our course. The texture of the shumai were very 'crunchy' as in you can distinguish the bouncy texture of the shrimp and the juicy texture of the minced chicken. The shape of the shumai were pretty cute and makes the eating easier. The shumai were everyone's favorite as people were fighting for the last piece on the table. The price goes for 10 pieces of this delicacy served within their bamboo steamer.
Steamed Crab Meat and Chicken Dumpling (IDR 86.000)
10-pieces of Xiao Long Bao or what also commonly known as a 'soup dumpling' consist of thin dumpling skin wrapping around minced chicken and crab meats mixed along scallions and cubes of gelatinized chicken soup (not literally with gelatin, it is actually solified chicken broth as the temperature went down due to the amount of fat within the chicken collagen). I really loved these and have been craving for some of the xiao long baos every now and then. With the sauce and added ginger, it enhances the flavor of the dumpling as the soup had already been sucked out from the dumpling. Also, look at the cute yellow dumpling wrapper cut crab-shaped that indicates this menu to be a mixture of chicken and crab, its a fun detail.
Crispy Prawn Roll in Tofu Skin (IDR 39.000)
The 3-pieces portion of this prawn lumpia is served with sweet chili sauce. The prawn roll were so vibrant and its tofu exterior were fried until crisp. The prawn texture is true to the produce and you can feel it in every bite alongside with flavor of slight scallion, garlic and ginger. This were a nice opening to our dinner that night. Order the 3-pieces portion instead the 2-portion one of this dish as it is only IDR 7.000 difference between the two portion.
Hot and Sour Soup - Large (IDR 65.000)
The soup is immediately served in these individual bowls for all the diners on our table. The smell of the soup were very subtlely fragrant. It is a nice intermediary to the main courses and the sourness gives a kind of acidity to the palate. This sort of soup were not my favorite actually, but Din Tai Fung served it really well that I finished it on a sip.
Black Pepper Tenderloin Beef Cube (IDR 98.000)
The 180gr portion of this meal is cooked with a bunch of peppers and onion, it has a distinct hotness that adds tonnes of flavor to the tenderloin cuts. There were so much green pepper in this that some of it remains on the plate once the beef's all gone. Certainly 180gr of beef for six wasn't enough despite the plenty amount of greens on the plate.
Mayonnaise Prawn (IDR 120.000)
This 7-pieces portion of prawn mayonnaise is such a delight. Its been such a long time since I had some good shrimp and mayo, and this one reminds me of my childhood eating my favorite dish at Makassar Suki which is shrimp mayo similar to this one. The prawn batter were crunchy even after drenched with mayonnaise. The prawn were beautifully cooked. I really appreciate how Din Tai Fung serves their prawn respectfully to the nature of the protein.
Fried Rice with Shrimp (IDR 60.000)
Usually within courses in a Chinese restaurant, fried rice would have been served last before the dessert as it is served as a 'tummy-filler' in case you're still hungry. Yet as we don't order any steamed white rice, the fried rice become a sort of addition as a side dish for our mains as it is important as us Indonesians to eat alongside with rice. The flavor were really nice and as good as the simple fried rice goes, but the good amount of shrimp adds a bit sweetness, fragrance and additional texture to the fried rice.
Braised Tofu with Hioko Mushroom and Spinach (IDR 69.000)
The said home made tofu with homemade sauce were delicious! The silku soft tofu is topped with seaweed, and placed above a bed of spinach and hioko mushroom. The hioko mushroom must've been part of the sauce recipe as it has absorved the sauces flavor. It was such a nice meal but I am almost full that I cannot take any more than a piece.
Crispy Fried Chicken with Chili (IDR 82.000)
Look at the amount of chili peppers on the plate. There were so much within such big portion until none of us dared to finish all the chili on the plate. The coating frying batter itself is very crispy but the chicken's texture were a bit dry that I was a bit confused of what kind of protein they were using. This one dish is my least favorite of the night since I don't think it is seasoned well enough. Another coat of salt and pepper (or preferrably other spices) shall make this dish even better.
Sauteed Prawn with Salted Egg Yolk (IDR 128.000)
The 9-piece salted prawn were soooo good despite the egg yolk sauce is a bit too dry. The dinner were filled with so much prawn within the menu but this one is my penultimate favorite after the prawn mayonnaise. The chili flakes is innecessant garnish to the dish. The thing about it being dry but the texture gotten a bit harder compared to the prawn within the other dishes.
Seasonal Fresh Fruit (IDR 29.000)
As there were parents dining, such dessert option is no surprise. The fruit platter consists of honeydew (melon), watermelon, and Sunkist orange. It is served along with shaved ice and made the fruits hundred times better as it enhances the freshness of the fruit. It gave me ideas on which how I shall take my fruit from now on.
Gui Ling Gao Pudding with Honey (IDR 28.000)
The gui ling gao, or as I know as cincau, is served along with sugar-honey sauce to balance its herbal bitterness. The texture were very smooth and pudding-like. Add another serving of the honey sauce (as we did demand several extras) puts great layer of flavor in this one dessert. If this were served cold, it shall be even better.
Red Bead Ice Cream (IDR 32.000)
Ogura ice cream is served alongside with spoonful of red bean. It was a great dessert, but its flavor is nothing out of the usual. The red bean's texture is kept on pretty well and is not mushy though, that I really appreciate.
Mango Pudding (IDR 35.000)
We initially requested for mango pudding with fresh mangoes but the fruit were out of stock. We ended up ordering the basic mango pudding dessert with the milk cream drizzled on top. It was a nice balance of sweet and sourness of mangoes.
I would definitely recommend Din Tai Fung especially after trying out a great range of their food and were very pleasantly satisfied with the food my mother had selected. There would absolutely be a next time as I am now craving for another xiao long baos as I type this. It was an absolutely nice dinner and price-wise it was very appropriate for the quality of food and service we got from Din Tai Fung. Shall I have more from them in the future!
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