One of my favorite places to visit would be Taiwan. I've been to the place probably more than 5 times already and it never gets old. One of the most popular restaurant from Taipei would be Din Tai Fung. What started in the Da'an District, this restaurant has been a global force with a number of franchises all over the world.
Since this is Las Vegas, they try to showcase everything here. More so they brought this restaurant over to the ARIA Hotel. They opened to the public in 2020 and never looked back. Once you enter, you are greeted by the dumpling making kitchen. You could see and take photos of chefs making the soupy dumplings or xiao long bao.
Since this is Las Vegas, the place is hyped up. With decors and high ceiling, they make sure that everything is worth your visit. As with any famous restaurant, a reservation is a must. Because of covid, it would be best to make one a week or so before especially for weekends.
Just like any other DIN TAI FUNG restaurants, they give you a piece of paper where you check and write down your orders. Granted that it seems quite incredible to charge for extra ginger, I just went with the flow.
Since this wasn't my first time eating in a DIN TAI FUNG, I figured I let my friends do the ordering. They went with the go to choices of course. From the original xiao long bao, to the crab roe flavored version, and even some other dishes.
In all honesty, visiting DIN TAI FUNG would be perfect for an early snack before dinner but never for a full meal. The prices seems to be a little on the high side compared to other DIN TAI FUNG places I've been too. The dishes were just okay. To be honest, I still preferred other xiao long bao places because of the quality and quantity.
All in all, it was an okay visit. Nice to remember and experience Taiwanese dishes. Although, I don't think I'll go back anytime soon. Honestly, it was just okay. The service was great but the food was so-so. I don't know but it seems Chinatown would have been a better choice.
DIN TAI FUNG
ARIA Resort & Casino,
3730 S Las Vegas Blvd,
Las Vegas, NV 89158
Disclaimer: paid for the meal. wrote this based on my experience.
One reason that made me visit Taiwan was definitely its food. Actually, I've been to Taiwan more than 3x just because of its food. As a person that likes to eat, Taipei is one of the most must visit places for Filipinos. The culture and history is present. The people are kind and helpful. Infrastructure is taken cared of and of course the food is delicious and not that expensive.
Of course, I can't visit Taiwan all the time. I'm thankful that FAT FOOK KITCHEN opened to the public. This restaurant serves authentic Taiwanese dishes that reminds me of my trips to this wonderful country. FAT FOOK KITCHEN recently opened a branch in ROBINSON GALLERIA. Part of the new wing that houses different innovative restaurants, FAT FOOK definitely draws in the crowd.
When you visit, the first thing that you should go for would be the beef noodles. The taste and flavor takes me back to the first meal I had the first time I was in Taipei. Hungry, I readily devoured that bowl. This reminds me of that.
If you're not up for something with soup, you could go for one of their dry noodle variants.
One dish that is also a welcome treat from Taiwan would be their XLB. Xiao Long Baos are dumplings with soup in them. The ones from FAT FOOK took it a notch higher by offering SALTED EGG flavor.
When you've been to Taipei, one of the must visit places would be their night markets. These are streets that are lined up by different stalls that sells food and even gadgets and offer parlor games as well. The Taiwanese sausages are a staple in these night markets. They give a bit of a sweet touch to the savory aspect.
To make any meal complete, guests are invited to try out their spareribs and even shrimps.
The spareribs were cooked properly and the shrimps were drowned with salted egg flavoring to make it one heck of a dish.
A new dish from FAT FOOK would be their SPICY BEEF BRAISED SOUP.
Interesting how it comes with an instruction sheet on how to properly try it out. This spicy beef is partnered with a clear broth noodle soup and rice. The beef is tender and delicious but beware, it is spicy! If you're into that, this is the dish for you.
One thing new from FAT FOOK KITCHEN ROBINSON GALLERIA is that they have a take out counter. Here, you're able to go for snacks that you could bring while you go around the mall. Plus, they also serve some milk tea to booth.
The first time I visited Taipei, I went with my mom, brother, and my brother's friends and their families. We had no itinerary and had no clue what to do. Thankfully, we stayed at TAIPEI M HOTEL (here's my experience with Taipei M Hotel) . The concierge was knowledgeable about a lot of inside stuff. He was even able to suggest a few restaurants where locals would dine. One of them was DIAN SHUI LOU. According to him, this was better than DIN TAI FUNG. As a foodie, I had to check it out.
Just a couple of days back, my group and I visited DTF at the Taipei 101 Tower. I wasn't impressed specially when the wait time was over an hour. For that kind of food, I would eat it again but would not wait that long (story for a different time). At Dian Shui Lou, there was no queue. The place was pretty big. When we entered, we saw that restaurant filled with guests. Good thing, there was a second floor. There, we could watch the kitchen create all the dimsum and dumplings one could imagine.
The second floor hosts a number of private function rooms for big and small groups. Comparing this to DTF in terms of ambiance would be like talking about ice cream and fruits. Totally different things. While DTF seemed like a fast well oiled machine, this place exudes relaxation and lets you take your time. While the original DTF restaurant won a michellin star, Dian Shui Lou was awarded 5 stars (a different awarding body) and was voted more popular in terms of xiao long bao in Taipei.
Even if DTF is more popular with the foreign visitors, Dian Shui Lou draws in the locals more. Luckily, the restaurant had an English menu. Definitely a helpful tidbit for foreigners.
Let's get straight to the point, the XIAO LONG BAO. This is the restaurant's bread and butter.
Honestly, I prefer this version over DTF's. I don't know if I was just being picky but when we visited Dian Shui Lou, everything was great. The wrapper wasn't too thin nor thick. The soup wasn't too heavy and the meat was just right. For our lunch, we actually had a couple. The original and the truffle. Both were flavorful and pretty good.
Since we couldn't decide on what to order, we just went with a set menu. Thinking back, we should have just went ala carte as we could have had more dishes to try out. I apologize in advance as I am not familiar with the Chinese names of the dishes.
To start things off, we had a sesame crusted pancake like dish. Aside from the XLB, we also had dumplings that had a bunch of green leafy vegetables in them. If you know me, I stayed away from it just because.
There were more vegetable dishes as well. One of them was the cold okra and mushroom with sweet and sour dressing. While another was the bamboo shoots. They were a bit too healthy for me so I skipped them as well.
For soup, we had the salty pork with beans and bamboo shoot. It seemed alright. Not bad.
I was glad that not all the dishes were "too healthy". They had a braised chicken cooked with high-grade Shaoxing wine. With the alcohol evaporated, the wine flavor was absorbed by the tender meat of the chicken. This was pretty good.
Plus visiting Taipei should also lead you to try out their crabs. The crabs were fried with crispy garlic making it a joy to eat.
As a Filipino, I was pretty happy that there was rice. Although in Chinese culture rice is served at the end of the meal, they served it along with the main dishes. Thankfully, the fried rice wasn't as oily as other restaurants tend to serve them.
For dessert, we had something quite familiar. Deep fried black glutinous rice cake wasn't as sweet as you would think. It was sticky and had a crunchy exterior yet gooey insides. Quite similar to tikoy.
In all honesty, I enjoyed the food at DIAN SHUI LOU. The XLB was pretty much better compared to DTF. Although some of the dishes that we ordered weren't really what I would have had, I guess it was the better meal for me. Granted that yes it was pricey, the service was pretty good and we didn't have to wait to get our seats.
DIAN SHUI LOU
There are actually 3 branches of this restaurant in Taipei.
Better to go to the one near Ximending.
It's between Taipei Main Station and NTU Hospital Station
It was my third time visiting Taipei. Honestly, I don't know what else to do there. Food wise, I'm all tapped out but I realized that I craved for them to give it another go. Here are some of the things to try out when visiting TAIPEI.
One of the most iconic must visit touristy thing to do when in Taipei, would be to check out the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial. Here, you could watch the changing of the guards and even take those OOTDS. A restaurant nearby to try out would be JIN FENG (金峰魯肉飯). If you use EXIT #2 and walk just a few meters, you would come across this signage. That's the place.
It has been featured a lot of times in different publications and online reviews. Honestly, it was worth a try so I went for it. Go on an off-peak hour and wait less in line. There's actually a backroom that has a/c but remember, you might need to share your table with a stranger.
During that time, I was still full from a previous meal so I ordered the smallest bowl they had. At 30 NTD (roughly 50Pesos), you can't go wrong with it. The egg and the tofu were also highly recommended by different sites so I went with them. Truthfully, it was just okay for me. I liked it for being affordable.
Speaking of ordering, you could ask for an English menu. Although the order sheet might all be in Chinese, you could differentiate each by checking out the price. After choosing your picks, just hand it over to the staff and they'll get right on it. You then go over to the cashier to pay once you're done with your meal.
Jin Feng Braised Meat Rice is located on No. 10, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Another place that's on top of everyone's list would be XIMENDING. A place that has a lot of retail stores to check out. Here, you could also have a mini food trip. Aside from going for hotpot, there are other "snackable" places in this area.
When visiting Taipei, one of the things that you must drink would be the milk tea. Known as the place that created it, milk tea is a sweet start to your adventures. If you're not into this, they have those 30NTD ones in convenience stores that are also pretty good.
In Ximending, you could find Hot Star (large deep fried chicken) and other things to try out. One of them would be at KFC. Yes, that KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN. In Taipei, KFC offers egg tart!
A post shared by Food In The Bag (@foodinthebag) on
You have to try it! Another must check out place when in XIMENDING would be the AY-CHUNG FLOUR-RICE NOODLES. Since 1975, this shop has been an institution already. Even if lines would queue up, they get to give out the dishes pretty quick so there's minimal wait time.
In a bowl, you get your steaming hot noodle and soup dish. It's perfect for the cold weather.
Don't forget that there's a condiment section on the left. They have chili, garlic, and vinegar. You gotta add loads of vinegar and garlic. It's that good. They open at 9am and closes around 11pm.
It is located in No. 8-1號, Emei Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108.
When in Taipei and thinking about gifts to bring home, nougats might be ideal. It's chewy, sweet, and has a lot of flavors to choose from. One place that makes it so good would be this stall in the TAIPEI MAIN SUBWAY MALL. It's located just off the escalator going towards the Z exits (z underground mall). You could try out the more traditional flavors like vanilla with peanuts but I would also recommend the matcha.
If you're up for something hearty for breakfast, you could go for a traditional version. The Fu Hang Dou Jiang (阜杭豆漿). This is actually the go to place when visiting Taipei for breakfast. It opens at 5:30am up to 12:30pm. It used to be just until past 10am but they extended it because of the long lines.
When you visit, I would suggest going either really early or late. Early or late because of the queue. Some would spend hours lining up just to buy delicious breakfast from this place. If you're like me, you would definitely be rewarded. I went there at 5:15am, and there were already more than a dozen in front of me. The wait was actually quick but after sitting down and finishing my meal, I saw the lines outside and I was thankful for waking up early. You could visit late but just remember that they close at 12:30pm
Located on the second floor of this building, you could get here by taking a cab or by getting out of the SHANDAO TEMPLE STATION exit 5. It's in the Hua Shan Market Level 2, No. 108, Zhongxiao East Road, Sec. 1 華山市場 2F忠孝東路一段108號紹興南街 (善导寺). It's also closed on Mondays. Remember that the train isn't open at 5am as such taking the cab or uber would be your best bet.
Once you get there, just head on over to the side and enter via this stairwell. It's on the second floor.
Once in, you might have a hard time choosing what to eat. Here's their menu of Fu Hang Dou Jiang (阜杭豆漿) for you to study. I suggest you take note of what you want before going just so as not to annoy other customers waiting in line.
Once at the front, there would be two ladies that you would order from. The first would be for your soy based orders like this cold soy milk (which was extremely good).
and the salty soy milk. This was pretty different. It's like custard that is a bit spicy. When asked, I would suggest you tell the lady not to add the spicy sauce. I was pretty lucky as the staff could talk in english.
A soft and fluffy version, the EGG PANCAKE was pretty good. Mixed with a bit of greens, it was like crepe but in a good way.
If there was one thing to order from Fu Hang Dou Jiang, it would be the SIGNATURE THICK BREAD WITH EGGS AND DONUT STICK. If you know me, I have been a fan of you tiao. That's the chewy and airy bread in the middle. Here, it's sandwiched between scrambled eggs and a thicker bread. This is definitely breakfast of champions and a must try.
Honestly speaking, I wished I had visited this place with friends. I had over ordered just because I wanted to try a lot. The YOUTIAO was fantastic. Chewy and crunchy at the same time, it was perfect for me. The soy milk was seriously good as well. Trying out the Salty Soy Milk was also a highlight for me. Since I'm a carbs person, I'll definitely give it another visit when I go back to Taipei.
Just like Filipinos, the Taiwanese loves to eat. As such, they have a lot of restaurants to visit. Actually, they also have a number of dessert brands from other countries as well like Bake, Godiva, Tsujiri, and many more making it a must to visit.
I am jeng, a sweet guy with a different kind of heart. I love to eat and travel.Enjoy and comment on. Need to contact me? email at foodinthebagblog@gmail.com
.png)
8:03:00 AM
0 comments
8:03:00 AM
