Taipei Travel

First trip to Taipei, and all the guide books have this restaurant picked out as as a must-try, so what to do? Well, taking a cue from the Romans in Rome, we went to see if all the hype was worth it. We arrived just after opening time and found a group of fifty to sixty diners waiting to get in. Thankfully, we only had to wait about forty minutes and were led to the third floor to a small table. Walking to our table, we passed a number of kitchens on different floors. The rooms in the building the restaurant was housed in were long rather than broad and thus had a rather squeezy feel to it but there was adequate space for everyone. But really, no one was there to admire the decor. The food was as advertised - succulent and very tasty steamed pork soup-filled dumplings (xiaolongbao) that made the chain famous. But there were many more options on the menu that were also worth trying, and we managed to try only but a few of the dim sum and dessert items. Was it worth it? For the experience of saying one's been to the original branch, sure. But for the price? Perhaps not so much. And note that this is the only branch that doesn't accept credit cards.

One of many DTF outlets in Taiwan. The waiting team is professional and informative. Food is excellent as always.

We had dinner here after eating lunch at the 101 branch the day before. The quality of food and service was great as well.

The Taipei 101 location was too busy so we took the MRT to this location and the wait was only 10 minutes. The service was polite and fast, the food was delicious. We have great authentic dumplings in Toronto, but these were the best I’ve ever had!!! Great flavour in the broth and filling! The veggie fried rice was also really flavourful and the cucumber was a nice fresh bite! It’s a little more expensive than dimsum prices, but the taste was undeniable!

If you’re in Taipei and you’re looking for some amazing dumplings head over to the 101 building and down to the food court. The restaurant is off to the side and usually has a little bit of a wait. Whatever the way it’s worth it. These are some of the best employees I’ve had anywhere in the world.