had the rare opportunity for a quiet lunch alone and had the craving for xiao long baos. ordered 10...and a bowl of beancurb vermiceli. geesh, the latter was a wrong move. the dish was bland...and the vermiceli stuck together so much that I ended up eating them in big clumps. i gave up after a while. initially, i wondered if i would be able to finish the 10 xiao long baos but i was glad that i ordered according to my craving...finished it in a jiffy...the juicy meat burst into flavour inside my mouth and is definitely worth the second round....hehehe...but i didn't...perhaps the next time, I would just order 20 xiao long baos for myself.

i was charged $1 for 'misc' and i suppose it is for the wet towel?? geesh, if that is the case, it seems a bit pricey...considering i didn't even use it. some places absorb the cost of water and wet tissues...

sitting in a corner, i watched the crowd go by. one thing that really struck me was how all the staff there is Chinese national. It warms my heart to see how the restaurant seeks to maintain its authenticity and help their own fellow countrymen with employment. i wonder if a singapore restaurant would do likewise in another country. it would be nice to know that they would...

Originated from Taiwan, DTF is the first chain restaurant that inttroduces the piping hot xiao long bao or meat dumpling craze to Singapore.

Hb wanted some xiao long bao, so we went to the nearest outlet at TM.

We ordered the following :-

1. Deep fried pork chop SGD 6.80 [rate 4 out of 5 ]

Deeply marinated pork chop and deep fried to perfection. This is one of my favourite side dish from DTF. It is value for money and good to eat. The meat is so juicy and tender and best of all, it is crust-free.

2. Hot and Spicy Soup SGD 6.80 [rate 3.5 out of 5 ]

This fairly huge bowl of soup is filled with beancurd, black fungus, and chicken strips cant possibly finished by one person. We have to fill our serving bowls at least twice for each of us. I personally felt that the soup lack of the spicy and sourishness that I prefer.

3. Stir Fry Spinach SGD 8 [ rate 2.5 out of 5 ]

This is our vege choice. It is your usual stir fry with garlic.

4. Pork and shrimp dumpling SGD 9.80 [ rate 2 out of 5 ]

This disappointing dish was our favourite whenever we dined at DTF. Looks like their skills have deterioted a lot! The skin so so thick that I choose to remove them before I can eat the fillings. Maybe we should have ordered the more popular pork dumpling such that they can ensure the skin is of reasonable thickness.

Service

The usualy prompt but impersonal service.

Been to DTF quite a number of times now, and always enjoyed myself there.

Must tries have to be the Xiao Long Bao, the Xiao Chai, and the Fried rice (me prefer the prawn ones)

Xiao Long Bao> Juciy! Love it how the skin is not too thin nor too thick, and the soup is always warm and salty~!

Service wise, think they are quite good. Been there during peak and non-peak hours. Needless to say service definitely is better during off-peak hours, but the servers are still on tip top condition during peak. They never fail to refill my cup and food is usually served within 15 minutes of ordering. (Altho they are a tack low when I call for the bill)

Ok it has been a while since I went to Din Dai Fung.

Some time in 2007 we went and were told - some kitchen equipment out of order - so quite a few items not available (including XLB).

Today, we went again, sat down, ordered and after 15 mins we were told "sorry, we ran out of gas and it may take 30 mins or so for the gas to be delivered". Only fried rice and fried veg available.

Coincidence or just poor management???

So, we left and went somewhere else .....

I went to 3 Din Tai Fung before. First in Hong Kong, 2nd in Taiwan, then i found out that Singapore also has one lolz... It has been years since I went to the HK and TW one. Let me recall... For food wise, if am not wrong, the TW portion seems bigger.

Anyway, I am supposed to write review on Singapore Tampines Din Tai Fung lolz... I think the food is not as good as I hope it will be. I think Crystal Jade's food is better. However, this is subjective though. Maybe those dishes that I order isn't their best.