Dim sum, I feel, is very under appreciated here in Korea. Maybe it's because Korean food is just so culturally distinct, despite our proximity to China. Or maybe because the majority of the Chinese population here is more from northern China rather than the Guangdong area? I have no idea. Either way, I don't come across any dim sum places here in Seoul unless it's in a super crowded and popular tourist area, like Gangnam or Myeongdong. And incidentally, both the neighborhoods I just mentioned both have a branch of Din Tai Fung, one of the best known dim sum chains in the world! I'd actually been there years back before I even knew about dim sum, so going there a second time last week felt like a completely new experience.
To be honest, I haven't had enough dim sum yet. I've been to Joe's Shanghai in New York for the soup dumplings once, and I went for regular Chinese food a few times here in Seoul (run and frequented by mainland Chinese), but there weren't any times where I decided to go specifically for dim sum. I haven't even tried the type with the strollers, and I am simply dying to! I definitely will though, if I'm lucky enough to go to Taiwan and Hong Kong this autumn.
Anyway, a colleague of mine had gone to Taiwan a couple of years ago and was mind blown after eating at the original Din Tai Fung, and now she wanted to compare it with the Korean version. So after work, we headed over to the closest branch, at Gangnam station.
Din Tai Fung Korea is located very close to Gangnam station: walk straight from exit 9, turn right at the second alley and go straight for about 30 meters and you're there. It's in a huge building already, but the interior was a lot more spacious than I had expected. Plus, the place is on the pricier side, I'd heard, and the whole place just had a big of a luxurious vibe. I saw a lot of people on business meetings, whipping out their laptops and making presentations over dumplings. Seriously. -_-
The first thing we ordered, obviously, was the xiaolongbao, what the place is famous for. Since we wanted to try a bunch of different menus, we only went for the basic 6 piece xiaolongbao, then ordered some guobarou, shrimp fried noodles, and baozi (buns, my absolute favorite type of dumpling). The portions were so small we asked for the menu again and ordered the xiaolongbao sampler, which had the original, mushroom, shrimp, crab, and chicken.
Final verdict? It was good because in my opinion it's hard to go wrong with Chinese food, but a bit disappointing for its reputation and price.
Hands down, the soup dumplings were definitely the yummiest on the menu. Each variety was bursting with rich flavor, so that with one bite you could instantly tell what was inside. I think they went a bit too far with the crab, though, because I got some pieces of crab shell as well, which were actually quite sharp and noticeable enough for me to have to spit it out. Not complaining though, because they were absolutely delicious.
Sadly, I can't say the same for the other dishes. The noodles and sweet & sour pork were ordinary, while the buns were lacking in soooo much. I had high expectations for these especially because buns are my favorite, but they were a bit dry and the filling fell off onto my plate after a bite as if it was rebelling against the bread, when if made properly they should be hand-in-hand and clinging to each other in harmony and yumminess. It was still good because of the mere fact that it was a dumpling (I've NEVER had a really bad dumpling before), they should not be charging 3,000 won per dumpling when I can find something equally tasty, or even a lot better, at less than half the price.
Will I go again? Probably not. I think I'll just wait until I can try the original in Taiwan, and see what the real deal is like. In the meantime, I might have to hunt for some other good dim sum places in Seoul!
To be honest, I haven't had enough dim sum yet. I've been to Joe's Shanghai in New York for the soup dumplings once, and I went for regular Chinese food a few times here in Seoul (run and frequented by mainland Chinese), but there weren't any times where I decided to go specifically for dim sum. I haven't even tried the type with the strollers, and I am simply dying to! I definitely will though, if I'm lucky enough to go to Taiwan and Hong Kong this autumn.
Anyway, a colleague of mine had gone to Taiwan a couple of years ago and was mind blown after eating at the original Din Tai Fung, and now she wanted to compare it with the Korean version. So after work, we headed over to the closest branch, at Gangnam station.
Din Tai Fung Korea is located very close to Gangnam station: walk straight from exit 9, turn right at the second alley and go straight for about 30 meters and you're there. It's in a huge building already, but the interior was a lot more spacious than I had expected. Plus, the place is on the pricier side, I'd heard, and the whole place just had a big of a luxurious vibe. I saw a lot of people on business meetings, whipping out their laptops and making presentations over dumplings. Seriously. -_-
The first thing we ordered, obviously, was the xiaolongbao, what the place is famous for. Since we wanted to try a bunch of different menus, we only went for the basic 6 piece xiaolongbao, then ordered some guobarou, shrimp fried noodles, and baozi (buns, my absolute favorite type of dumpling). The portions were so small we asked for the menu again and ordered the xiaolongbao sampler, which had the original, mushroom, shrimp, crab, and chicken.
Final verdict? It was good because in my opinion it's hard to go wrong with Chinese food, but a bit disappointing for its reputation and price.
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| So I tried these with the ginger like you're supposed to, but I forgot how much I just don't like ginger. At all. :-/ |
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| Quite good, but I've had much better in other lesser known Chinese restaurants and this couldn't quite compare. |
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| A bit pathetic, actually. They could have filled it twice as much and it would've been just right. |
Hands down, the soup dumplings were definitely the yummiest on the menu. Each variety was bursting with rich flavor, so that with one bite you could instantly tell what was inside. I think they went a bit too far with the crab, though, because I got some pieces of crab shell as well, which were actually quite sharp and noticeable enough for me to have to spit it out. Not complaining though, because they were absolutely delicious.
Sadly, I can't say the same for the other dishes. The noodles and sweet & sour pork were ordinary, while the buns were lacking in soooo much. I had high expectations for these especially because buns are my favorite, but they were a bit dry and the filling fell off onto my plate after a bite as if it was rebelling against the bread, when if made properly they should be hand-in-hand and clinging to each other in harmony and yumminess. It was still good because of the mere fact that it was a dumpling (I've NEVER had a really bad dumpling before), they should not be charging 3,000 won per dumpling when I can find something equally tasty, or even a lot better, at less than half the price.
Will I go again? Probably not. I think I'll just wait until I can try the original in Taiwan, and see what the real deal is like. In the meantime, I might have to hunt for some other good dim sum places in Seoul!
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