Din Tai Fung in Singapore

Singapore has a delicious list of local specialties.  And, they also have a growing list of imported restaurants quickly filling up the city.  One of the most notable is Din Tai Fung.  The famous Taiwanese restaurant with some of the best xiao long bao around.

Since we were hungry for a late breakfast/early lunch, we headed to the location that was already opened nearest us in Marina Bay Sands.  Compared to the endless lines when it first opened in this mall, we were now promptly seated with many vacant tables in the opening hour.

The menu had the staple dumplings, noodles, vegetables.  It also included local specialties like Chili Crab and Pork Buns.  Overall, it was as clean and tasty as Taipei and Shanghai.  And if you're craving for Taiwanese dishes in Singapore, this is the place to go.

Steamed Pork Dumplings

Local Taiwanese in Taipei

Travel global, eat local. Aside from traveling to see architecture, history, and culture, I travel to eat. Wherever you go, the best food you can taste is the local food. Authenticity at its core.

It wasn't until the past 2 years of Asian traveling that I really discovered the true tastes of these Asian cuisines. There are numerous restaurants and talents around the world that make these cuisines authentic. But, to savor the dishes in its homeland is the true experience.

Taipei quickly became and remains one of my favorite food cities. Local eats, Japanese, bakeries... it's too easy to gain weight in a single day.

Whenever you visit Taipei, you must fulfill 2 requirements: local food and Din Tai Fung.

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If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Local Taiwanese

Din Tai Fung - A Taipei Staple.

Of all the restaurants in Taipei that you have to visit, and probably multiple and repeatedly, is Din Tai Fung. It's become a landmark for tourists and locals alike. It's so much better than anything you'll get in the states. Really, you have to come here.

There are so many great places to eat in Taipei, but Din Tai Fung manages to convince your stomach to go back for more. It's nearly impossible to go to Taipei and eat at Din Tai Fung just once.

The paper thin wrapper, the pork filling, and the flavor-packed soup in the dumpling captivates you. It makes you obsessed with xiao long bao. It makes you obsessed with Din Tai Fung's xiao long bao. When you leave, all you're thinking about is how you want these soup dumplings.

In this most recent trip, we visited the original location (to also have mango ice for dessert) and the newest location in Taipei 101.

There are several locations to choose from. Choose any, and it'll be consistent and memorable. And of course, it'll leave you wanting more.

DTF, The Original
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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: DTF Original

DTF at Taipei 101

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: DTF 101

More Shabu Shabu in Taipei

Another favorite and go-to restaurant in every visit to Taipei is Shabu Shabu in the basement food hall of Q Square Mall. (I love Asian malls with food hall in the basement floors.)

What makes this shabu shabu place so special? Aside from meat plates, there are also seafood selections, like majorly impressive seafood plates. And, the vegetables are massive. It definitely fulfills your vegetable quota for the day.

Plus, you don't have any guilty feelings because you ate healthy ingredients with out oils or fats (apart from the protein which is so good oils and fats if you had the seafood).

At the end of the meal, your stomachs are more than satisfied and full. Now that's a good meal.

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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Shabu Shabu

Back at Shin Yeh 101

In all my family's favorite cities, we have favorite restaurants that we seem to always frequent in each visit. In Taipei, Shin Yeh 101 is one of these restaurants.

Why? First of all, Shin Yeh 101 has spectacular views. The 85th floor location is the perfect place to take in the views of the city. Why spend for the observation deck, when you can spend a little more for a memorable meal WITH a view!

And secondly, the FOOD. The menu has local Taiwanese selections, dim sum, entrees, sides, etc, and a great selection of desserts.

When in Taiwan, eat Taiwanese foods! I'm only there for a few days, so I definitely took advantage of that at Shin Yeh.

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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Shin Yeh 101

Boba, Bubble Tea, Pearl Tea... It's all good.

Aside from shaved ice, another iconic Taiwanese dessert that is known worldwide is Boba, aka Bubble Tea, aka Pearl Tea.

Milk Tea with chewy tapioca. It's something you can have at any time of the day. And it's something you want to have at all times of the day.

Every tea house or tea chain has their own formula for the milk tea and for the texture of the tapioca. I look for a deep black tea, yet smooth and milky taste that's not at all bitter and just slightly sweet. As for the tapioca, I look for bouncy, chewy bites that's not mushy nor too tough or rubbery.

For something like boba, you can totally have a search for the perfect cup. In Taipei, you can happily find many nominees.

Here are a couple that are total contenders from Chun Shui Tang and 50 Lan.
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The slideshow here runs on Flash. If you can't see it here, check out my Flickr album: Boba

Almond Milk Shaved Ice in Taipei

If you can't get enough of shaved ice while you're in Taipei, then you'll definitely have to grab a bowl of Almond Milk Shaved Ice. It's the classic shaved ice elevated to a crazy delicious level.

We had our bowl in the food court of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Xin Yi. There are so many great options here for meals, snacks, desserts, and drinks. Seriously, in Taipei it's like your constantly full because of all the good eating.

The almond milk ice comes out like smooth, powdery, pillowy, micro fine ribbons. I highly recommend adding condensed milk which is lightly drizzled on the ice. That little touch of milky sweetness totally heightens the almond milk taste. Then another great surprise is the almond tofu hidden underneath the pile of ice. Smooth and light!

Just from looking at the freshly shaved ice, I knew this could potentially be a new favorite dessert of mine. After that first bite - love. And then after the whole bowl was wiped out - so in love. This is such an awesome dessert.

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The slideshow here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Almond Ice

Classic Taiwanese Desserts: Mango Ice

Taiwan is filled with signature desserts. One of the most iconic is Mango Ice. It's such a simple dessert that's worth paying for.

Shaved ice, fresh mangoes, and a special condensed milk. There are also varying toppings, including seasonal fruits, ice cream, mochi, beans, and mango jelly (which taste and feels almost exactly like real mangoes.

When it's hot outside, it's the perfect cooling dessert. When it's cold outside, it doesn't warm you up, but it still totally satisfies your sweet craving. It's so fresh and refreshing.

You must have mango ice when you visit Taiwan. You're missing out if you don't.

Here are a couple bowls of Mango Ice that was savored and quickly finished.
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The slideshow here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Mango Ice

Custard Apple & Pastries from Taipei

Tasting local foods is the best part about traveling. When the foods are so good, you have to take some home so you can continue to enjoy it for days after the trip.

Taiwan excels in their fruit production. They are so sweet, full of flavor, and beautiful looking. One of these fruits is their custard apple. In the Philippines and even in Thailand, the custard apples are small with big seeds. Here in Taiwan, they are huge with tiny seeds. And, they are so succulent and sweet!

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Another take home treat were pastries from our family friend. He gifted us with a great variety. Here are a couple of the pastries we have been enjoying since after the trip.

The first is the classic Taiwanese pineapple cake. This is a different brand from last time, Chia Te. It's also delicious and not too sweet. You can taste the butter in the pastry - yum!

The second is the sun cake, another Taiwanese treat from Taipei Leechi. It is filled with a delicate condensed malt sugar and surrounded by a flaky, crumbly pastry. So yum!

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Taiwanese Shaved Ice

After enjoying mango ice, we also tried other flavors of shaved ice. This time we were taken to a local spot near the National University of Taiwan in Taipei. Tai Yi is a great place for shaved ice. The ice isn't as fluffy as the mango ice, but the toppings are so delicious!

I love mochi. If you do, too, this is totally the place for you. It's the freshest mochi I've tasted. So soft with a delicate chew. So yum!

The slideshow here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album.

Boba (aka, Pearl Tea) - A Taiwanese Specialty

The last couple times I visited Taipei, I was just too full after meals to stuff more into more stomach. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't have a chance to taste local boba teas, also known as pearl milk teas or tapioca milk teas. I've been loving this drink since grade school when one of my brothers and his best friend, who was from Taipei, would take me to some of the better spots in the Bay Area. The criteria was not just about the taste of the tea, it was mostly about the texture of the tapioca. It had to be chewy, but properly cooked, but not overly cooked.

In our last visit to Taipei we saw these boba teas being served in huge beer mugs - so cool!! This time around, I saved some stomach space to finally try it out. At Chun Shui Tang you get this cool atmosphere of a teahouse while enjoying your huge mug of boba. The chew of the tapioca was just right and the tea wasn't overly sweet at all. A great afternoon snack.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album

Local Taiwanese Eats at Shin Yeh 101

Aside from the Din Tai Fung requirement while in Taipei, I also had to eat more local Taiwanese cuisine. To enjoy with a view and in a nice setting, we revisited Shin Yeh 101. I love the atmosphere here, and it's even better when it's a clear day out to enjoy the view from the 85th floor.

This time around, we had a light lunch and focused on local eats. Everything was satisfying, quality, and fresh tasting. I really love Taiwanese cuisine.

Here's a look at a few local items. Remember if you go here, make reservations!

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If you can't see the slide show here, check out the album on my Flickr page.

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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Baos at Baohaus

Bao is a fluffy, steamed Chinese bun. It's a very popular dim sum and street food snack found around all over Asia. Each country has their own bao with their local fillings, usually a type of meat.

At Baohaus, traditional Taiwanese street food is brought to New York City. Because it's in New York City, it comes with that Manhattan price. But, it stands by it's quality of products and the generous heap of meat between the bun.

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Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slideshow here.

I Can Live at Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung has quickly become one of my all time favorite restaurants. The food comes out of the kitchen so fresh. The ingredients, preparation, and presentation are so quality. You can eat the foods over and over again. And, it's a cheap eats place!

I could seriously live here and just eat their entire menu. They really have the best xiao long bao (steamed pork dumplings) I've ever had. Taipei's branches also taste far superior to the other locations around the world, too. The dumplings are amazingly thin and full of quality flavor. How can I have xiao long bao anywhere else now??

Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slideshow here.

Shin Yeh 101

Whenever I travel to a different city, I always look to try the local cuisine. I feel you can get a better understanding about a culture and its people in doing so. On this trip, we were graciously hosted by Hungry in Taipei and family at Shin Yeh 101, located on the 85th floor of Taipei 101.

What a gorgeous day to dine up there! The view was perfect. The atmosphere of the restaurant, the taste, the presentation, and the quality of the food are all elements for success.

The quality and freshness of ingredients really makes a dish stand out. All of the dishes we ate were superb because we could taste the freshness and purity of all the ingredients.

If not at Taipei 101, I will definitely go back to Shin Yehs other locations to enjoy more of their menu selections.

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Check out my Flickr album to see the pictures if you can't see the slideshow here.

Last Night's Meal in Taipei

Because we had an early morning flight the next morning, we decided to stay at our hotel and enjoy another meal at Le Palais, their Cantonese restaurant. The meal was satisfying, but our dinner their two nights before was far better. One of the advantages of staying at a nicer hotel is that the hotel cuisine is usually delicious and authentic.

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Museum Break at its Tea House

Halfway through our exploration of the National Palace Museum, our stomachs were calling our attention away from the artifacts. So we took a break at the tea house located on the top level of the museum. I was expecting a museum coffee shop. Wow, what a surprise!

San-Hsi-T'Ang Tea House is a sight on its own. It's a modern tea house with some fun small plates, both savory and sweet. It's such a great place to take a break.

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Seafood Shabu Shabu

For our second trip to Taipei, we knew we'd have to revisit the Shabu Shabu place we ate at the first time. This was the first place I encountered seafood shabu shabu, and it's presented and executed so well! The selection of seafood and the quality are so delicious and memorable. After eating beef or pork shabu shabu, I feel full yet unoily. After enjoying this seafood version, I felt full, satisfied, and healthier.

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Back in Taipei

My parents and I flew to Taipei for another short stay. We stayed at the same hotel, Palais de Chine, because of its great service and cleanliness. Thanks to the director of rooms, we were welcomed back with open arms.

Since we had to get up early each morning, we decided to have dinner closer to our hotel, if not, in our hotel. So on the first night, we enjoyed their Cantonese restaurant, Le Palais.

We dined on one of the set menus which had eight courses (and unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the fish course - it was excellent, though). This meal was a great opener to the beginning of our trip.

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