And so, my last post ended with my views on Kao Chi. What about Ding Tai Fung? Well, we went to the same area for dinner (my toddler woke up late from her afternoon nap and we decided not to venture too far), and surprise, Ding Tai Fung’s queue at 7.30pm was short! We decided to go for it (yes I know, two similar restaurants in a day?!), but how can we not try the original Ding Tai Fung right? Ok enough of my ramblings, here are the food pictures.

First up, xiao long bao. The texture of the filling is slightly different from the one at Kao Chi. The filling of the xiao long bao at Kao Chi is smoother – probably the meat is more finely minced. Taste wise, they are comparable. The xiao long bao here is less salty compared to the one served up at Ding Tai Fung Singapore. However, we did realise that most of the food here is less salty than the ones served in Singapore. Surprising?

This photo shows you the thin skin of the xiao long bao and the juicy soupy meaty goodness within. Yums! Did you know that the vinegar dip for xiao long bao should be 1 part soy sauce and 3 parts vinegar? The lovely waitress at Ding Tai Fung mixed it for us and shared this with us. I never knew!

We ordered the meat and vegetable dumplings. It tastes quite similar to the one back at home, except for the fact that it is slightly less salty. Delicious too!

We ordered some carbs to fill our tummy. Here is their egg fried rice with pork strips. The rice they use in Taiwan is short grain and so is slightly more al dente than the ones back at home. I find the egg fried rice here alot more tasty than the one at home.

Zha Jiang Mian is up next! I like the texture of the noodles. It is springy and not too soft. The taste of the sauce is just right, less salty than the one at home. We slurped up the noodles, and decided that it was time for some Suan La Tang (Hot and Sour soup)

Now, I am not a fan of hot and sour soup typically but this one was the right blend of spicy and sour and I actually liked it! We split the bowl among three adults and it was just nice.

For greens, we ordered stir fried spinach with beancurd skin. I don’t know how they cooked it, but for a simple dish, this was really good. The beancurd skin was soft and very flavourful, not salty like the ones we get back at home. The vegetables are slightly crunchy and the overall taste is just right.

And I missed out this double boiled beef soup that we ordered for my little bub. The one back at Singapore is pretty salty but the one here is not. Perfect for the little one (after removing the thin layer of oil atop).

Service wise, the one we get here in Taipei is tons better than the one in Singapore. The servers are warm, attentive and very friendly.

So Ding Tai Fung or Kao Chi? Honestly, the taste is comparable. If you’d like a less crowded and more private eating experience, go to Kao Chi. Nevertheless, the original Ding Tai Fung is definitely worth a visit.