Din Tai Fung Selfridges
Taiwanese restaurant · Marylebone ·
Authentic Taiwanese dumplings, buns, noodles, and fried rice
Authentic Taiwanese dumplings, buns, noodles, and fried rice
"Din Tai Fung is a casual Taiwanese restaurant on Henrietta Street that specialises in dumplings. Yes, there are soup and rice dishes on the menu, but if you don’t get the chilli crab xiao long bao and pork wontons in black chilli, then you’re doing it wrong. Despite being a pretty huge restaurant, this place fills up quickly, so book ahead or get there early. Or bring some of your favourite people so they can entertain you in the queue." - sinead cranna, jake missing, rianne shlebak, daisy meager
"If Din Tai Fung could have trademarked the xiaolongbao, they more than likely would have. Stop by the sprawling Covent Garden spot solo for five pieces of the earthy truffle ones to congratulate yourself for surviving another hump day, or schedule a quick catch-up to swap and slurp land and sea style, with a medley of crab and pork options. They’re the ultimate feat of steamer engineering. You should also order the crispy pork wontons, golden prawn pancake, and bouncy crab and pork buns." - jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak
"When Din Tai Fung first opened in Covent Garden it was walk-in-only, complete with a long line of xiao long bao enthusiasts snaking up Henrietta Street, toe-tapping and questioning how fluffy a pork bun has to be to justify a two-hour wait. But now, you can book—this huge, 250-seater restaurant usually has space—which makes Din Tai Fung useful for a quick, day or night dim sum moment." - rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley, sinead cranna
"We know, we know, Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant best-known for being Disneyland for xiaolongbao-lovers. But two bites into this Covent Garden spot’s prawn pancake and you’ll start Googling whether it’s OK to put prawns in a blender. The teeny tiny bits of prawn are layered throughout the softest part of the pancake, creating little pockets of fishy goodness, while the outer layer is gloriously fried." - heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna
"A week before opening, chefs worked in a glass kitchen one story below street level, pinching and pleating xiaolongbao with exacting standards: each dumpling must weigh between 20.8 and 21.2 grams and have 18 folds, employing a technique that can take thousands of tries to master. Starting in July, the chefs would make the dumplings over 10,000 times a day — more than at any other location of the chain worldwide." - Melissa McCart