Din Tai Fung South Coast Plaza
We visited the Din Tin Fung that opened in South Coast Plaza when they first opened and have made a few return trips since then, including our most recent one where we did a post Lunar New Year’s dinner.
For those unfamiliar, Din Tai Fung is a popular dumpling chain originally from Taiwan. They have locations all over Asia and a few in the US. They are most famous for their Xiao Long Bao, which are little delicate dumplings traditionally filled with pork and soup, though the restaurant offers many dishes beyond just dumplings.
Shredded Pork Fried Noodles
While perusing yelp, I kept seeing photos of the fried noodles dish, something we haven’t tried before. We decided to order it to see if we were missing out. I thought that the dish tasted overwhelmingly of soy sauce. We were both pretty disappointed with this, as it’s something I can make at home and I prefer my own version.
Sauteed Garlic Green Beans
This preparation for green beans is fast becoming one of my favorites and we almost always order it when we see it on a menu. The beans are crisp and seasoned with a healthy dose of chopped garlic. We had no problems polishing off the entire plate.
Steamed Pork XLB
One of the things that makes Din Tai Fung’s XLB so famous is their quality control. Each dumpling is precisely weighed and contains exactly 18 folds. The skin is amazingly thin, yet with enough elasticity to not break easily. If you’ve had XLB at other Chinese restaurants, you’ll notice that the skins are almost always thicker and many of them break open from the soup filling. I’ve tried a few dozen different XLB from various restaurants over the years, and while some places may be slightly more flavorful, I’ve never found ones who make their dumplings skins anywhere close to the ones at Din Tai Fung.
While I found that the original two US locations of DTF (both in Arcadia), maintain the same quality and taste of the DTF dumplings I’ve had in Taiwan, the newest two in Southern California have suffered a little in quality. As you can see from the photo above, not every dumpling looks the same. Two were actually stuck together and the skin broke open when we tried to take them apart, which is something I never experienced when eating at the Taiwan and Arcadia locations.
Before your dumplings arrive, they give every person a little plate full of thinly sliced ginger. There is black vinegar on the table which you are supposed to mix with your ginger. When your dumplings arrive, you are supposed to dip the dumplings in the ginger mixture before eating. Not only does it add flavor, but it also helps cool the dumplings down so that you can eat them without burning yourself.
Steamed Pork & Crab XLB
The little piece of carrot denotes that this was the seafood variation one we ordered. If you order multiple XLB, they are very good about pacing them out, so that the next batch isn’t cooked and doesn’t arrive until you finish your previous one. This helps ensure that your dumplings always arrive piping hot, which is when they most enjoyable.
Pork Chop Fried Brown Rice
This is always something we order. We like the lean cut of pork chop. The fried rice, while nothing particularly special, is something we really enjoy. They have a white or brown rice version (for $1 extra) and I usually order the brown rice one.
Overall, we had a good meal here. I do think that the quality at this one isn’t as consistent compared to the Arcadia locations, but this one is closer to San Diego and it’s brand new and shiny inside. I also am annoyed by their wait times. While they have a good system of texting you when your table is close to ready, I’ve found that they always severely underestimate the wait time. The last few times we went, they told us the wait would be about 30 minutes and we waited over an hour. I don’t mind going shopping or doing other things during the wait–I just wish they were more accurate so I could plan accordingly.
You can read my original post which also has pictures of the menu here.
Din Tai Fung (South Coast Plaza)
3333 Bristol St
Space 2071 Upper Level By Sears
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Friends and I wanted to meet at this location for a nice lunch but we were scared of the wait time. That’s sad a few of the XLB’s were punctured. I wish they had a guarantee that ALL their XLB would come out with no leaks.Â
well it wasnt that it was punctured. it was stuck with another one, so when we tried to separate them, one of them broke. it’s actually the only time it’s ever happened to me and I’ve had DTF dumplings a few dozens of times and have been to this location 4 times.
Upsetting the quality isn’t quite up to par, when a chain is almost solely famous for their XLB you’d think they’d make sure they were amazing. Mental note to go to the Arcadia one…. 🙂
it’s still really good, but yeah, not quite as perfect as the other locations. I do like how new this location is, with the addition of the drinks and bar area.
I just love the cute mascot! 🙂  We had something similar to that garlic green beans dish in SF, but DTF’s looks a lot greener and more fresh. I want to make that at home.  One of these days, Bert, TC and I will have to make the trek to the OC for DTF’s famous dumplings.
It’s on my list to make. I realized I’ve never made it at home, but I plan on making it soon. I am in love with the mascot. this location sells a bunch of souvenirs with the mascot too, like pens and keychains.
Interesting, I had the opposite problem with the wait time estimate – they always overestimated the time, so we were busy with something else when the text arrived and we ended up showing up late. I guess that’s much better than what you guys went through, though. I thought the XLB were better during my 1st visit back when this location first opened, but I didn’t have any wrappers break or anything so far.
oh that is interesting. the first time i went, some of ours were lukewarm. Since then, I haven’t had that problem though
Evenly a slightly underwhelming DTF is better than no DTF at all! 🙂 Wish I had one on the same coast as me!
Aww, I hope you get one soon!