Dim sum is one of my favorite styles of eating. Small plates of Chinese food, and A LOT of it! We have amazing Chinese food in Houston, but in our recent travels, I’ve re-connected with one of my food loves – Din Tai Fung! It’s a Michelin-star dim sum restaurant that originated in Taiwan but has 100+ locations all over the world.
We have been lucky enough to go to two of those locations – Las Vegas at the ARIA and London at Centre Point. Both locations were very different vibes but had amazing food. The menus differed slightly in the way that some dishes were cooked, but their iconic xiao long bao was *chef’s kiss*.
If you ever have the chance to go…GO! I would recommend making a reservation and going very hungry because every dish is delicious and will leave you wanting more. Traditionally, dim sum is eaten as brunch but we had it for super late-night dinner both times so you really can’t go wrong. Their menu has meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, and even vegan dishes so lots to choose from!
Here were the dishes we had and if I’d consider them must-haves:
Note: The menus vary by location so I’ve listed the general dish as the titles but listed the name of the specific dish for their Las Vegas menu and London menu, where applicable.
Cucumber Salad
If you want to start with an “appetizer” that’s refreshing yet flavorful, the cucumber salad is the perfect dish for you. It’s even a great dish to nibble at throughout your meal in case you want something cold or want to “cleanse” your palette. I’ve tried making this at home but nothing tops DTF’s version. The London version is “spicy” but it really wasn’t that spicy.
Las Vegas: Cucumber Salad
London: Cucumber in Spicy Sauce
Viv Pick: MUST-HAVE
Pork Baby Back Ribs
This dish in general brings me back to fond childhood memories of summers spent in Shanghai. These are bite-size, fall-off-the-bone, flavor-packed baby back ribs that will have you salivating even before you put them in your mouth. The flavor reminds me slightly of barbeque, but more soy sauce based. Drew said these had such a deliciously unique taste and I couldn’t agree more (we may have fought over the last piece). We only had these in Las Vegas because they were prepared in the classic Shanghainese way (sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar), while the London location prepared them with honey & vinegar.
Las Vegas: Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs
London: Honey & Vinegar Short Ribs
Viv Pick: MUST-HAVE
Pork Xiao Long Bao
ICONIC. CLASSIC. MUST-HAVE. I mean…these handmade steamed bundles of deliciousness helped contribute to Din Tai Fung’s freaking Michelin star (specifically their Hong Kong branch, but still!!). If you were to only get ONE dish, this would be the one. They have multiple flavors of Xiao Long Bao, but in my humble opinion, start with the classic pork and go from there! The way I eat them is to GENTLY pick them up from the pinched top with your chopsticks, put it on your spoon, take a small bite from an edge, drink the soup, then stuff the entire thing in your mouth.
Las Vegas: Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao
London: Pork Xiao Long Bao
Viv Pick: MUST-HAVE
Chicken Dumplings
We have amazing dumplings in Houston (um hello, have you been to ANY restaurant in Chinatown). But these were a miss in our opinion. Really not much to write home about, but they were just nothing special. I think the chicken was kind of bland and the wrapper was a little dry. Clearly, I’m not the only one that thinks that because they didn’t even have this on the menu in London. So I would recommend skipping these and saving room for other goodness.
Las Vegas: Chicken Dumplings
Viv Pick: CAN SKIP
Pork Buns
Again, nothing to write home about. These are also steamed buns but with a lot thicker breading and less soup. They weren’t horrible, but these were the only dish we didn’t bother to finish because they took up too much room in our stomachs. We only had them in Las Vegas and chose not to get these in London.
Las Vegas: Kurobuta Pork Buns
London: Pork Buns
Viv Pick: CAN SKIP
Pork & Rice Shao Mai
My Nene used to handmake these for me, so I have a soft spot for them. These are an “open top” version of the xiao long bao, don’t have soup, and have sticky rice. The wrapper is also much thinner so you get more flavor from the filling with each bite. I could easily scarf down 10 of these in one sitting. We wanted to get them in Las Vegas, but they were SOLD OUT. But based on how they were in London, I know they would have been delicious.
Las Vegas: Sticky Rice & Kurobuta Pork Shao Mai
London: Minced Pork & Glutinous Rice Shao Mai
Viv Pick: MUST HAVE
Chicken Wonton Soup
If you are looking for a dish that will just give you a cozy vibe, this is the one! The boiled chicken wontons in a warm chicken and pork-flavored broth are a nice break from all of the other dishes. Again, we only had this in Las Vegas because they didn’t offer chicken wontons in London. With all of that said, I think you can skip this because the soup does take up a lot of stomach real estate.
Las Vegas: Chicken Wonton Soup
Viv Pick: CAN SKIP
Shrimp & Pork Pot Stickers
We wanted a “non-traditional” filling, so we went with shrimp and pork pot stickers. I really enjoyed the flavor of the filling and the crispy-ness of the skin. These were some of the better pot stickers I’ve had, so I’d consider these a “nice to have” for your meal. The London location didn’t have this specific filling, but they do have a cabbage and chicken version (but we didn’t get them).
Las Vegas: Shrimp & Kurobuta Pork Pot Stickers
Viv Pick: NICE TO HAVE
Noodles with Sauce
I love noodles. I love sesame sauce. Thus I loved these noodles with sesame sauce. I’m talking (almost) licking the bowl to get all of the sauce kind of “love”. This is also another dish that my mom used to make for us growing up so I love getting it whenever I can. Din Tai Fung’s version was delicious, but I’d consider it a nice to have. We only got these in Las Vegas but decided to try the Dan Dan Noodles in London (see below).
Las Vegas: Noodles with Sesame Sauce
London: Dry Noodles Tossed in House Sauce
Viv Pick: NICE TO HAVE
Dan Dan Noodles
Author’s Note: These were SO good I didn’t even get a picture before scarfing it down!
I’ve always wanted to try Dan Dan noodles and I confirmed that I have in fact been MISSING OUT. This dish in London was amazing – perfectly cooked noodles topped with pork in a flavorful peanut-esque sauce. I may or may not have tried to scoop as much sauce into my mouth even after we ate all of the noodles. While this dish was delicious, I would also consider this a nice to have given all of the other classic dim sum dishes Din Tai Fung offers.
Las Vegas: Noodles with minced Kurobuta pork
London: Dan Dan Noodles
Viv Pick: NICE TO HAVE
Here is a list of my final curated menu for your next visit to Din Tai Fung, with a couple of additional dishes we wish we could have tried:
Must Haves:
- Cucumber Salad
- Pork Baby Back Ribs
- Pork Xiao Long Bao
- Pork & Rice Shao Mai
Nice to Haves:
- Shrimp & Pork Pot Stickers
- Noodles with Sauce
- Dan Dan Noodles
Can Skips:
- Chicken Dumplings
- Pork Buns
- Chicken Wonton Soup
Would Try:
- Truffle & Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao (Las Vegas)
- Shanghai Rice Cakes with Shredded Kurobuta Pork (Las Vegas)
- Kurobuta Pork Sticky Rice Wrap (Las Vegas)
- Original Shanghainese Drunken Chicken (London)
- Chilli Crab & Pork Xiao Long Bao (London)
- Mushroom & Edamame Noodles (London)
- Red Bean Xiao Long Bao (Las Vegas & London)
While I have my picks on what are the must0haves, nice-to-haves, and could skips, you really can’t go wrong with any dish at Din Tai Fung. The quality and attention to detail that each dish is made with makes you truly appreciate everything on the menu. I hope you have the opportunity to visit and enjoy the experience of Chinese dim sum!
Happy eating!
Vivian
