Din Tai Fung

2855 Stevens Creek Blvd #1259, Santa Clara, CA 95050

Sesame & Mochi Xiao Long Bao

Thousands of restaurants serve Taiwanese food, but the one at the top is Din Tai Fung. I have much respect for this restaurant because of its consistency, neatness, and phenomenal food.

In the dishes below that aren't dumplings, I order Jidori Chicken. I don't order Kurobuta Pork since there are many pork dumplings, and I am not fond of shrimp. However, I recommend that you try those dishes with pork & shrimp since they are equally good.

I recommend the:

• Cucumber Salad

• Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao

• Shrimp & Kurobuta Pork Pot Stickers

• Kimchi & Kurobuta Pork Dumplings

• Sticky Rice & Kurobuta Pork Shao Mai

• Sautéed Taiwanese Cabbage w/ Garlic

• Sautéed Green Beans w/ Garlic

• House Beef Noodle Soup (Steamed)

• Jidori Chicken Fried Rice

• Shanghai Rice Cakes w/ Jidori Chicken

• Red bean & Mochi Xiao Long Bao

• Sesame & Mochi Xiao Long Bao

• Matcha Smoothie

• Mango Smoothie

• Milk Tea
  

The Cucumber Salad is Persian cucumbers with mild Fresno chili peppers and sliced garlic. It gets topped with sesame oil and their signature chili oil. I like to start with the Cucumber Salad as a refreshing appetizer.

The Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao is a Kurobuta pork soup dumpling with ginger and green onion. There is this feeling when you bite into it, where when you drink the hot broth from the dumpling, it feels like it has warmed your soul, at least for me. The Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao is my favorite Taiwanese dish. I have been eating them since I was young, so it is very nostalgic.

The Shrimp & Kurobuta Pork Pot Stickers are crispy pan-fried Kurobuta pork & shrimp filled dumplings. The dish gets served with their milky sweet house-made pot sticker sauce. These dumplings are crisp on the outside but bursting with flavor on the inside. The proportions of pork to shrimp are perfect.

The Kimchi & Kurobuta Pork Dumplings are Kurobuta pork, Korean kimchi, chive, and glass noodles filled dumplings. The wrappers get their orange color from fresh Kimchi juice rolled into the dough. I love the acidity of the kimchi with the pork. It feels like a homey dish my mom would make.

The Sticky Rice & Kurobuta Pork Shao Mai are dumplings filled with soy sauce and mushroom seasoned sticky rice with Kurobuta pork. The mushroom and soy sauce rice compliments the pork flawlessly. It is one of the dishes recently added to their menu, and I love it.

The Sautéed Taiwanese Cabbage w/ Garlic is crisp & sweet Taiwanese cabbage sautéed with freshly sliced garlic. It is a simple yet impactful dish that is buttery and mouthwatering.

The Sautéed Green Beans w/ Garlic is fresh-cut string beans sautéed in a coating of minced garlic. This dish is simple like the Sautéed Taiwanese Cabbage w/ Garlic, but it too is impactful with its umami flavor.

The House Beef Noodle Soup (Steamed) is a steamed beef broth with house-made egg noodles and beef shank. The soup gets garnished with ginger & green onion. Every aspect of this dish is perfect. The beef is tender, and it is not overly salty. What differentiates this dish from the Braised Beef Noodle Soup is that it is a cleaner broth. The broth makes it less fatty and lighter.

The Jidori Chicken Fried Rice includes Jidori chicken, scrambled egg, green onion, premium sushi-grade Nishiki rice, salt, and seasoning. One of the most famous Din Tai Fung dishes. It has tender chicken and perfectly cooked and seasoned rice.

The Shanghai Rice Cakes w/ Jidori Chicken is sliced rice cake sautéed with Jidori chicken, cabbage, spinach, and a blend of soy sauce and house seasonings. It gets topped with sesame oil. The chewy rice cakes are like savory mochi. I love this dish because the rice cakes remind me of a Korean dish called tteokbokki, a spicy rice cake dish.

The Red bean & Mochi Xiao Long Bao are red bean paste filled mochi skins encased in their signature Xiao Long Bao skins. These dumplings are sweet and chewy. It is like mochi with a thinner dumpling skin.

The Sesame & Mochi Xiao Long Bao are black sesame paste filled mochi skins encased in their signature Xiao Long Bao skins. The nuttiness of the filling and the slight texture blends nicely with the mochi and Xiao Long Bao skins.

The Matcha Smoothie is a blended creamy matcha beverage. The texture is smooth and sweet with a consistency similar to a milkshake. The matcha's bitterness comes through. The matcha blends well with the sweetness and creaminess of the other ingredients.

The Mango Smoothie is a blended creamy mango beverage. It tastes similar to sorbet and has a smooth texture. I recommend topping it with boba or aloe.

The Milk Tea is an in-house drink with Taiwanese Assam black tea. You can also get it with Jasmine green tea, which will make it taste slightly floral. Both have a strong tea flavor that gets complimented with the creaminess of the milk.

Din Tai Fung is a modern Taiwanese restaurant that utilizes older dishes. It has set the bar high for all the ones it serves.