Review: Din Tai Fung

It's finally here.

Since first opening in Taipei in 1972, Din Tai Fung has slowly expanded across the globe, spreading its gospel of xiao long bao (soup dumplings) along the way. After 46 years, they've opened at UTC Mall to give San Diegans a chance to see what the fuss is about. Finally.

Confession time: I'm a total neophyte in the ways of dim sum. I've been to Jasmine once, years ago, and was thoroughly underwhelmed. That experience was all I had to go on—that and the massive buzz. I was only able to snag a table for Sunday lunch about a month in advance, and that's when it dawned on me just what a phenomenon Din Tai Fung really is. By the time the day came, I was brimming with anticipation.

Drink squad, assemble.

The dining space is elegant and modern with neutral tones and huge windows that let in plenty of light. After a brief wait on the patio, we were shown to our booth, past the kitchen where about a dozen people behind the glass were tirelessly assembling dumplings.

I got the Shanghai Flame, a vodka cocktail that started off sweet from the lychee juice and finished with tart passion fruit puree. The cayenne on the rim was mixed with sugar to ensure it was balanced and not too spicy. The other drinks at the table were a peach green tea (fruity but not too much so as to overpower the tea's natural bitterness), and lychee green tea with boba (sweet with big chewy globules of tapioca).

But you're not here for that, are you? You came for soup dumplings, and soup dumplings you shall have.

Juuust a li'l peek of that good filling.

Xiao long bao are essentially self-contained pockets of pork and broth, which you can dip in a soy-and-vinegar sauce, then puncture with your chopsticks or a quick nibble to help the inside cool. Once you do, the soup immediately pours (or if you're not careful, spurts!) out into your spoon. You can then eat your morsel in a couple of bites (which I have dubbed "the coward's method") or down the whole thing in one go like a shooter.

The ritual of careful opening makes each dumpling feel like something truly precious—which they are, because they are absolutely delicious.

We got three kinds, and each one was succulent and amazing in its own way. Each dumpling's broth is so infused with the essence of its filling that it feels like you're getting a double dose of flavor in every bite. The standard pork dumpling functions as the classic, timeless original. It's mouthwateringly savory with touches of garlic and ginger. The dipping sauce adds another layer of salty, tangy complexity. It's warm, soothing comfort food, so wonderful that it makes me wish I'd grown up with it.

Behold the pinnacle of human achievement.
...What? Why are you looking at me like that?

The truffle pork dumpling was something else: decadent, the inside speckled with countless bits of black, earthy mushroom. It was deeply, luxuriously truffly and delicious. One caveat: An order of regular pork dumplings is ten for about $12, but this order is five for $24—four times the PPD (price per dumpling). As good as they are, you may want to go for many the other tasty items unless you're a true truffle fiend.

Finally, the crab and pork dumpling: soft and intense with sweet seafood flavor (again, both in broth and filling) and just a bit of that savory pork base. Definitely worth a try if you enjoy the taste of crab. (My mom found them a bit fishy; I disagree. Thankfully we're still on speaking terms.)

We got two veggie sides. The garlic broccoli was reminiscent of a classic Chinese takeout order, but perfected. made with infinitely more care; not limp or soggy as it too often is. It was firm and slightly smoky with light garlic and ginger notes. The garlic spinach was similar, again slightly garlicky, but a bit too wilty for my taste—not to the point of being mushy but definitely on the soft side.

What's hiding under that crust?
Something tasty, that's what.

But there are still many more dishes to see. The Shanghai rice cakes, rather than being crispy as I'd expected, actually had a chewy and satisfyingly glutinous texture. They actually put up a fight when you chewed them, which was actually a welcome difference from the softness of some of the other dishes. They came in a lovely brown sauce with a salty caramel taste. Unusual and good, though not among the high points. The shrimp and pork potstickers were an eye-catcher: They're connected by a thin, brittle sheet of crust and served crust-side-up so that all you see initially is a rectangle of golden crispness. Break through that crust with a chopstick to reveal the tender dumplings beneath. It's a great texture contrast. The flavors of shrimp and pork both come through distinctly and meld beautifully with the salty, slightly acidic dipping sauce.

Pictured: Sauce of the gods. (Oh, also wontons.)

I haven't yet mentioned the best dish of the meal—yes, better than the soup dumplings. The vegetable and pork wontons were soft, luscious parcels, but the filling was almost irrelevant: The chili sauce they came in was clearly the star here. It was ten flavors at once: sweet and vinegared, with a perfect, even heat and a melange of caramelized garlic, ginger and scallion. It's the kind of sauce that you hoard, that you put on stuff it wasn't even meant for, that you eat spoonfuls of all on its own, because it's just that good.

Finally, dessert: More xiao long bao.

...Yes, really! This time, though, they were filled with melted milk chocolate. It felt like guilty pleasure, biting in to let the pure candy goodness come oozing out. Clearly a western bastardization of the dumpling arts, but who cares when it's this delightful?

It's... kinda cute?

Just as good, and arguably more interesting, was the sesame bao bun. The outside has the thick, fluffy and lightly sweet qualities typical of a steamed bun. It's a bready, gratifying chew that's typically accompanied by a filling of savory meat or veggies. Here, though, the filling is a molten, nutty paste of delicious black sesame sweetness. Oddly, it reminded me a bit of a peanut butter sandwich, but more understated and complex. It was a fitting way to end: A simple yet totally unique dish taken from a page in the traditional Chinese cookbook that I've never experienced before. (That, and it's a dumpling.)

The food at Din Tai Fung is outstanding. It feels familiar, not far from the Chinese cuisine I've come to know and enjoy, but heightened, subtly elevated at every turn. Their devotion to the craft shines through in just about every dish. And it's got one more quality that only the best restaurants can boast of: a dish or two that you'll be dreaming about long after you've left full and happy.

Score: 9.5 out of 10 (Incredible)

Quick Bite: Eureka!

The Fresno Fig burger, because mine
just looked like boring meat.

Sunday lunch was at Eureka! at UTC. I'm not a huge burger fan, so I'm certain that purists will disagree with me here, but this is probably my favorite burger place in the city.

The Fresno fig burger is one of the bougiest you'll ever see. It's fruity and sweet from the fig marmalade, but has a good salt level from the bacon and goat cheese. It's topped with arugula and porter mustard just to make sure you know it's fancy. The fries that came with our burgers were pretty standard, light in color and a little on the floppy side, but good for dipping. They came with a tangy ketchup, and we asked for some aioli too, which was garlicky and ranch-like.

I had the Eureka punch to drink, which was strong and tropical with pineapple, white rum and simple syrup. My bone marrow burger was, in a word, buttery. It was literally dripping with fatty goodness—in a good way, as long as you ignore how absurdly unhealthy it undoubtedly is. There weren't any really assertive flavors here; it had just a little acidity from the roasted tomato and the mustard aioli. Beyond that, it was just a tsunami of umami.

When my dad's turkey chipotle burger on lettuce arrived, the plate had so much greenery it looked like a salad. It wasn't half bad, seasoned with some distinctly southwestern spices. The charred tomato salsa, avocado and feta toppings are almost enough to make you forget you're eating... turkey.

The blackened fish tacos were also pretty tasty. The blackened seasoning combined with the mango salsa gave them a vaguely Caribbean vibe. I would have liked a slightly shorter cook time on the fish, though.

Eureka is in the business of Elevated Burgers, and that means cramming them with loads of fancy toppings. If you're in it purely for the ground beef experience, this is not the place for you. But if you, like me, believe the patty is merely a canvas on which to paint an elaborate work of burger art, it's worth a visit.

Score: 7 out of 10 (Very Good)

Quick Bite: Smokeyard BBQ

Typical Sundays for me involve lunch and maybe a movie with my wife and parents. This week we tried out Smokeyard BBQ & Chop Shop, a relatively new addition to UTC Mall. I know barbecue snobs—er, connoisseurs—have some very strong opinions, so hopefully I don't offend anyone by saying that the barbecue game here is pretty strong.

The best things I tried were the St. Louis spare ribs with Smokeyard sauce and, surprisingly, the BBQ chips. The ribs had that classic tender, falling-off-the-bone texture that's made them a Southern staple, coated but not smothered in a balanced sweet but tangy sauce. They'll be my choice on any future return trip.

That plate came with barbecue chicken, which was fairly moist and tender but couldn't really measure up to the ribs. (Then again, they're ribs—few things can!) The side was a sweet potato mash with pecans. It had a nice autumn sweetness, though to me the appeal of those flavors tends to wear thin after a few bites.

My fried chicken sandwich was pretty tasty. It had a lightly sweet brioche bun and juicy chicken with the gratifying crunch you get from a thick batter. They went a little heavy on the peri-peri sauce, though, which tasted much like a buffalo sauce. That flavor often dominated, so it was hard to appreciate the lime aioli, red chili and slaw. The accompanying fries had a nice slightly irregular texture but were pretty forgettable with their complex flavor profile of... salt. (Combined with a thrilling side of... Heinz ketchup.)

Amy's pulled pork sandwich was better than I expected. All too often pulled pork is drowning in cloyingly sweet sauce, but that wasn't the case here at all. Combining the same balanced house BBQ sauce as the ribs with a slight tang from the pickled onion made for a solid plate—especially since that plate included the surprise standout of the meal, the housemade barbecue chips. They had a great salty crunch with touches of sugar and smokiness. The seasoning could be a little more evenly spread, but if they solve that, they should be bagging these and shipping them around the country.

Now that UTC Mall is putting the finishing touches on its massive renovation, has finally come into its own as a food destination: its lineup now includes Larsen's, Great Maple, Eureka, Sweetfin Poke and Din Tai Fung, to name a few. Though it may not stand out among this group of upscale eateries, Smokeyard certainly fits right in.

Score: 7.5 out of 10 (Great)