Din Tai Fung - A requirement for every visit to Taipei

My third visit to Taipei - which really means, it's at least my third visit to Taipei's Din Tai Fung. This xiao long bao (Shanghainese soup dumpling) establishment in both Taipei and Shanghai is so far my benchmark for extremely great xiao long bao.

What makes it "extremely great"?
1. The thin, and I'm talking about seriously paper thin, wrapper.
2. The flavorful soup which is not overly fatty, yet still rich with pork flavor.
3. The filling which is not combined with fillers. It remains a succulent pork ball.
With all these 3 elements combined, plus the fact that the wrapper does not break, makes these xiao long bao the best in the world that I have tried so far.

When xiao long bao doesn't succeed in all 3 of these elements, it just completely disappoints. You find yourself craving for the quality stuff. Unfortunately, I have not found that in the U.S. or Manila. Hong Kong comes pretty close. Shanghai and Taipei are winning right now.

This also means it's a total requirement to go to a Din Tai Fung in Taipei every time I visit. It would be a travesty for any food traveler not to do the same.

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