Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung — where it’s fame preceeds itself. First of all the waiting system that they use is absolutely genius. i love that you get to pick and choose from the menu before you get seated so it’s quick and streamlined.
Staff were really friendly and helpful. We got a variety of things — hot and sour soup, some xiao long baos, the fried chicken chop, a special pork noodle and the mango pudding for dessert. Everything was a delight. The noodles were so smooth they just slid down your throat, the dumplings burst in your mouth as you chewed on them and the chicken was crisp and tasty. We would’ve ordered more if we weren’t already so full.
Stay away from the matcha smoothie though, it was the only crap ‘dish’ of the day.

This place captures a great deal of the flavors of Din Tai Fung in Taiwan but without as much of the delicacy and care.
The pickled cucumbers were in a tasty sauce though the cucumber was cut really thick, and on the soft side. Not hard and crunchy.
The limited edition jeweled dumplings were good with the thin dumpling skin and flavors of the soup coming out. It was interesting to try the different flavors of each dumpling though really they didn’t taste that different. (I did have a beef and cheese one though.)

Bit $$$$ but have to say the Xiaolongbao is pretty good. Skin is of the right thickness and texture. The juices /​soup within??? Oh man! Absolutely frickn great is all I can say!
Can’t say much about the dan dan mien though. Very average and no spice at all.

I enjoy their dumplings so much. In my opinion this is one of the bes chinese restaurants in Melbourne. Too expensve.

This place is quite casual, you are given a table number and you will need to go in and find that table. It doesn’t have a classy feel to it, but the food has never disappoint! The hot and spicy dumplings are something I cant go without.
If you are game, try the lava bun, its sweet and savoury in one bite.

Hands down the best dumplings I’ve had in Melbourne. After 2 visits haven’t had to wait for a table, or food with such speedy service, so I am a big fan!
The only down side is that the vegetarian options are very, very limited. Especially if you want dumplings. Such a shame as the dumplings are an amazing highlight.
If you’re into delicious food (can’t imagine you’d be reading this if not) and dumplings then you should go and eat here. IMMEDIATELY. Yum.

Tried a few times to get in here but always dissuaded by long lines and wait times, and other times disappointed to find it closing so early on weeknights (most likely beholden to the Emporium trading hours), we finally made it for dinner on a Thursday night, walking right in around 7pm, no lines to be seen at this time and day.
Now let’s cut to the elephant in the room — are they the best Xiao Long Bao I’ve ever had?
No, and probably not worth waiting hours to try when we’re spoiled for choice of great dumplings elsewhere in this city, but they’re still pretty damn good.
So much so we ordered a repeat of them to finish off with to make sure we left with the delicious soupy taste in our mouths.
The other dishes were also good, again nothing to really rave about, but certainly no complaints. The service was busy and bustling, clearly a well oiled machine.
Will likely be back, but will again be sure to come at a time when there’s no lines to be found when we do.

Superb meal! I have been to another location of this chain and it was just as delicious as I remembered. It is advised to come with a group so you can share the dishes. Pork soup filled dumplings are still the best, tasty pork chop fried rice, spicy shrimp/​pork dumplings with noodles and flavourful green beans. The shrimp and pork soup filled dumplings are a bit hard to bite but tasty! With so much on the menu it is easy to go crazy although the cost is tough to stomach.

I really wanted to like this place because we went to the one in Shanghai and we had a great experience and the dumplings were fantastic. But as they say, you never get the same thing twice. First this place is hard to find because the mall was closed and we had to find a small elevator to get you to the 4^th floor. Once inside, it’s chaotic and loud but I can overlook that for nice dumplings. We sit down and they give nice bag holders and chair covers to protect our bags and coats. That was really nice especially in a crazy restaurant like this.
Once the food arrived I was disappointed. The skin of the soup dumplings were nice and thin, but the meat was not as soft as I expected. The flavor was good and I really enjoyed the soup. Ahhh… The dan dan noodles were a total bomb. It’s like someone got hold of the sesame paste and doused the entire dish with it. I make a better one and that doesn’t mean much.
Melbourne has so many good dumpling restaurants that I wouldn’t make it special trip. If you’re shopping in the Emporium and there isn’t a long line then I might go.

I’m one of the lucky few who has been to the original Din Tai Fung in Taiwan with some friends and locals. My experience of Melbourne’s newest and most shiny dumpling house is eerily similar. I know that chain stores are meant to keep the quality and experience consistent between venues and Din Tai Fung is absolutely a product of that. My group of 4 friends arrived and were told we would need to wait around 15 minutes for a table to become ready. We were given a electronic buzzer to let us know when to come back and 15 minutes on the dot it started vibrating and beeping — food time!
Entering the restaurant we were treated to the open kitchen (behind large glass windows) showing a army of chefs furiously folding their famous dumplings. It’s a pretty incredible thing to watch. Every single staff member who walks past us treats us to a happy welcoming tune of «ni hao» (hello). The interiors are clean, modern and minimal with nice symmetry with the rest of the Emporium Shopping Centre. It fits the location perfectly. As we rested our coats on the chairs behind us our smiling waitress dashes over to put a protective cover over the top of them — just another mark of attention to detail this team goes to!
We decide to order everything and I mean everything, delicious dumplings arrive followed by scrumptious noodles, rice dishes and just at the point when we think we can not stuff another single piece of food in our mouths a refreshing pot of tea is delivered to help wash it all down. The food while being tasty, fresh and filling is above average in price compared to similar places around town. As a whole I do like Din Tai Fung and would recommend a trip here for those who have not been before. If you are a dumpling aficionado then check out some other places in nearby China Town. For a chain restaurant this is how it should be.

Food and service are both excellent. Unfortunately they don’t have their signature rainbow dumplings. I hope they fix that soon.

Pretty good dumplings, although compared to some other melbourne institutions (HuTong) a little too small and overpriced. But the service is great and a lot of the side dishes were really yummy, especially the Taiwanese Style Fried Chicken. Also the sorbet and ice creams are yum.
The décor and space is clean and modern and it’s great being able to see into the kitchen and watch the dumpling ninjas do there magic!

Came closer to 11.30 than 12 to beat the queues and was seated immediately. I am a huge fan of the World Square outlet in sydney to cure all my ills but this melbourne version left me a little cold.
The xlb were ok. The skins were perfect but the overall flavour was lacking. Plus the steamed pork bun had the same filling as the xlb. Not what I was expecting but not bad either.
I think I will stick to other favourites around town til the type dies down and try them again.

This was my second visit to DTF in a week — first visit was with friends, second with family.
Within the space of a week, the system in allocating tables to the queuing horde had changed; for the worse. There was a lot more confusion for my second visit, as there wasn’t a clear system or queue, for that matter.
After finally getting a table, staff were vigilant in service, and I felt the covers for your jacket hung on the back of your seat was a nice touch. Food was quick to be delivered, and at good intervals.
Whilst the food was good, I felt it wasn’t as good as my first visit. My fellow diners felt they have had better dumplings elsewhere, where there was less queuing involved.
Whilst overall it was a pleasant experience, I’m hesitant to say it justifies the queue. It is also possible that because of the horde of patrons they are trying to get into the restaurant, their consistency in quality isn’t quite up to scratch.
Would probably return in the future to give them another chance when the queues are much, much shorter.

The much hyped DTF finally comes to town after reproducing like a family of horny rabbits throughout Asia. Even the foul mouthed Karate chopping Anthony Bourdain claims that their XLBs are one of the best around (see IFC of menu)… Verdict — under seasoned! The dumpling skins are good, the texture is perfect the soup is fine but the mince pork, yes the most important minces of pork is under seasoned :-(
Maybe a bit harsh and maybe I went there too soon after the opening and they’ve yet to refine their secret techniques. I don’t know… but I had the house and sour soup and some veggies too and they seemed to miss the essential magic seasoning.

This may be a case of first-​week jitters, but DTF Melbourne Emporium needs to lift its XLB game.
While the familiar paper-​thin dumpling skin and silky soup that DTF is famous for was present in their pork xiao long bao (soup-​dumplings) tonight, the size and texture of the meat was disappointing. Don’t get me wrong — it was still delicious, just smaller and less-​refined than I remember. And a little more salt or, dare I say, MSG wouldn’t have hurt either.
Other dishes tried were sesame noodles, chilli wontons and pork bao. All very good, but again, not mind blowing.
Décor-​wise, the restaurant looks trendy and almost hipster-​esque, with a curious c-​shaped layout and oddly sprawled out dining table arrangement.
Also be prepared to wait 30 – 60 mins for a table, as they don’t take reservations.
All in all, it’s still very early days for Melbourne’s first DTF restaurant. My tip, don’t rush out to join the queues just yet. They have much to improve on.