This is the dumpling that convinced Orange County to stand in a mall line without complaining, which if you know Orange County is a cultural achievement.
Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese institution, and the branch tucked into Irvine Spectrum is one of four in the county now. The thing you came for is the xiao long bao, the soup dumpling, which the kitchen folds to a strict standard the brand calls the golden ratio: eighteen pleats, twenty-one grams, done by hand, over and over, all day. It sounds fussy. Then you eat one and understand why the company that does it built a global reputation and, at one point, a Michelin star.
Eighteen pleats, twenty-one grams, folded by hand, all day long. It sounds fussy. Then you eat one.
The staff will gently teach you the correct way to eat these: lift the dumpling by its topknot without tearing it, rest it on your spoon, nip the side, let the steam escape so you keep the roof of your mouth, then add a little ginger and the black-vinegar-and-soy. Repeat until slightly embarrassed.
Order the classic pork xiao long bao first. Then the truffle-and-pork version. Then the pork chop over rice, the garlic green beans, and the little chocolate dumplings for dessert.
Yes, it is a chain, yes there is a wait, and no, you do not get to skip it. Put your name in, walk a lap of the Spectrum, and come back to some of the best fifteen dollars you will spend all week.
The details
- Where
- Irvine Spectrum Center, Irvine (also Brea, Costa Mesa, Anaheim)
- Kitchen
- Taiwanese dumplings and noodles
- Website
- dintaifungusa.com
- Go for
- Pork xiao long bao, truffle XLB, garlic green beans
Sources and further reading: Din Tai Fung, Destination Irvine. Photography by Tide & Canyon.
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