Tag Archives: Eight-Treasure Sticky Rice

Din Tai Fung – Chinese Food at its Best

23 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by in Chinese food, Food

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wp_20161215_004While this is not the first time I have eaten at Din Tai Fung,  it is, however, at this Torrance location, that I finally gave more attention to the food. I was able to truly appreciate how well the food is being executed at this famous eatery.

This particular Din Tai Fung has just recently opened at the Del Amo Mall in Torrance, The decor and atmosphere is outstandingly different than the one that I had been to in Arcadia.

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The interior is modern and airy, which is rather different than the traditional Chinese restaurant. Perhaps somehow that enabled me to appreciate the food even more.

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The dish that started my appreciation for this restaurant was the Sauteed String Beans with Garlic.  I had ordered it because they did not have the Bok Choy that I had wanted on that particular day. I am not a big fan of string beans, but the plate of string beans was perfection at its best. Every single strand of bean was cooked evenly and impeccably. Not one of them was charred, as it is with most of the string beans that one gets in other Chinese restaurants. Not one of them had a black spot on them. To me, that is the mark of attention to details that distinguishes itself as a great restaurant.

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Another detail that I noticed at this particular Din Tai Fung is that the food is not salty, as most restaurant food tends to be. To be honest, the food hinges being a tad blander than what one would expect from a restaurant. However, it is precisely because of this, that I find so appealing about this place.

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The chef has enough confidence, control, and belief in the freshness of his food that he does not feel it necessary to add extra seasoning. It allows people like me to feel that I am eating somewhat healthier, instead of the usual heavy tasting restaurant food.

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I tried the Sticky Rice & Pork Shao Mai for the first time. It was well executed and quite filling. The Fish Dumpling, though good, did not have much fish taste. The Noodles with Sesame Sauce was extremely flavorful, but the serving size was rather small. The Wonton with Spicy Sauce was quite good as well.

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I like anything made with sticky rice, so I ordered the Eight Treasure Sticky Rice. Being that my friend does not care too much for sticky rice, I ended up eating the whole dessert. Fortunately, it was not too sweet.

Din Tai Fung:  21540 Hawthrone Blvd.Unit 519, Torrance, CA 90503  Phone: 310-214-1175

 

 

Din Tai Fung – Xiao Long Bao

23 Saturday May 2015

Posted by in Chinese dessert, Chinese food, Food

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I think that anyone who enjoys Xiao Long Bao (soup dumpling) will already have known about Din Tai Fung. It is one of the most famous place in Los Angeles where one can get a good varieties of soup and steamed dumplings.

It must have been quite a few years since I was there last. I have often thought about going many times, but being that the location is a bit far from my home, I have procrastinated.

I got there early on a Thursday morning, before noon. I was seated right away as the place was filling up quickly. What I like about this place is the fact that not only does the inside feels very comfortable and clean, the chopsticks, the plates, the teapot, cups were all chosen with care which enhanced the overall experience. I especially appreciated the fact that each person gets his/her small dish of julienned ginger to put the vinegar and soy sauce.

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I was rather hungry, so I might have ordered a bit too much this time around. On the order sheet, I checked the Pork Xiao Long Bao, Vegetable Dumpling, Sauteed Bok Choy, Vegetable and Pork Wonton Soup, Sticky Rice Wrap w/Pork, Sauced Noodles w/Pickles Mustard Greens and Shredded Pork, and the Eight-Treasure Sticky Rice.

I thought the pork XLB was excellent, better than what I remembered from before. The last time I was there, the skin on the XLB hardened rather quickly, to the point where it became like a thin cardboard by the time I put it into my mouth. The skin stayed soft and delicate this time, with the hot soup squirting out as I bit into it. I must say that this XLB was probably the best I had for quite a while.

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The flavor of the noodle was very light and refined. My friend and I both thought it was superb.

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The sauteed bok choy was done perfectly, still a little crunchy but not hard. The wonton was fine, but not special in any way. The steamed veg/pork dumpling was my least favorite of the day, lacking in flavor, and with the filling being a bit hard.

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My friend is not into sticky rice too much, so I was able to blissfully enjoy the whole sticky rice with pork all by myself. Even though it was not too big, but by the time I was finished with it, I was feeling really full. However, as full as I was, I still managed to finished one of my favorite dessert all by myself – the Eight Treasure Sticky Rice. The dessert came out steaming hot, with treasures such as dried plum, raisins, lotus seed, etc. on top of the very soft sticky rice. It was a totally satisfying and sweet treat.

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Though I was beyond stuffed for the whole day, and did not even have dinner that evening, I was still reminiscing about the wonderful XLB, and thinking about when to go back for more.

DIn Tai Fung – 1108 S. Baldwin Ave. Arcadia, CA 91007  Tel: 626-574-7068