Din Tai Fung Dumpling House

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food." ~George Bernard Shaw

Choosing a good restaurant can be an adventure by itself but when in doubt, out of options and the poor stomach is calling for some true food I invariably end up in Bellevue’s super popular Din Tai Fung Dumpling House. I have been to this place several times and I love the freshness of the hot steamed dumplings that arrive in bamboo steamers.

Reservations are not taken and there’s usually a long queue that waits not less than forty five minutes to get a table. The famous dumpling house with roots in Taiwan and with franchises throughout Asia is highly praised by the media including being selected as one of the top ten restaurants in the world by the "New York Times". Foodies who are constantly in search of the next best thing for their palate just love the Xiao long bao - the ethereal soup dumplings that some say have no equal.

And while you are on your wait, dumpling lovers like me get a firsthand look at the fleet-fingered process in dumpling-making station when those "dumpling chefs" put their intricate and delicate culinary craft on display behind a glass storefront in the restaurant. A couple of people are cutting and weighing the dumpling dough, while many others roll them out, shape, pleat and fill them to perfection. I also watch dumplings being loaded into bamboo baskets amidst hot clouds of steam. It’s a fascinating production process. This time I carry my camera along with me to capture the making of these plump beauties while we wait and whet our appetites.

Dumpling Chef deftly making dumplings with nimble fingers and expert hands.

 Dough shaped by hands, filled in with the filling and pleated...

Dumpling chefs in the dumpling-making station filling the dumpling dough.

Rows and rows of freshly handmade dumplings sit ready for orders.

Tray of dumplings ready for steaming...

Dumplings being loaded into bamboo baskets ready for steaming.

Fresh dumplings laid out in the bamboo basket ready for steaming.

Steamed dumplings neatly spread out on top of a cheese cloth in a little bamboo basket.

The lady at the reception also hands us a menu so we can pre-select our dishes ahead of being seated. After reviewing the options we make our selections on the order form. The time just flies and we are then called to be seated. Our server then retrieves the form and places the order. We prepare our small dishes with the dipping sauce adding one part of soy sauce to three parts of vinegar and fresh ginger slivers in anticipation of the plump beauties soon to arrive. The dishes arrive in random dim sum-style and are checked off the list, so there’s constant activity of new plates being delivered while finished items are cleared away.

Here are some snapshots from the den of dumplingfied deliciousness…

We savor the whole dumpling in one mouthful enjoying the tang of vinegar, the salt of the soy sauce and the bite of shredded fresh ginger. The dumplings hold all the delicious flavor of the moist chicken filling inside and have just the right amount of softness and chew. It just feels perfect in the mouth!

Get your chopsticks on the delicious chicken dumplings steamed to perfection and dipped in a sauce made of soy sauce and vinegar topped with fresh ginger slivers.

Some other dishes on the menu...

 

The bustle never stops in the Dumpling Mecca as tables are cleared, wiped down and reset like clockwork, ready for the next wave of hungry diners who are already waiting in line outside. We come out satisfied and satiated having devoured the best dumplings ever!

~ Manasi