Being an ardent supporter of both Dragon-i and Canton-i chains, I must say I am pretty disappointed with the standard of the latest Dragon-i outlet at Gurney Plaza new wing.
For one, the service was very slow when hubby and myself patronized back in October. Our orders came very late and we suspected it was due to the fact that our ordered was not entered into the system.
Next - the Shanghai Meat Dumplings (RM 9) were nothing but sheer disappointment. The moment we landed our chopsticks on the dumpling skin and placed it on the soup spoon, the skin tore and the broth contained within flowed out immediately - Yeah, way before we put them inside our mouths. This happened not just on one dumpling, but on all 4 of them!
But in order to be fair, there are certain delicacies - old and new alike which I enjoyed...
Beijing Dumpling (RM 9)
This is very much like the Shanghai Meat Dumpling, with the difference of:-
1. it's not served in a steamer
2. there are 6 pieces as opposed to 4
3. the dumpling skin is very much thicker
Similarity? There's broth contained within as well - not bad!
This is something new that I tried with hubby - Stewed La Mien with Braised Meat Ball (RM 18)
The meat ball was just too huge for anyone even to finish half :S but the stew was quite nice. I didn't like the ample cabbage within the stew though.
La Mien with Beef Brisket (RM 16)
When I placed order for this 2 days ago, the water asked if I wanted it to be spicy or non-spicy? I asked if I can have something in between? Surprisingly he said yes :)
The La Mien soup base did not disappoint as usual - flavorful. La Mien was soft but springy. Beef brisket was a bit so-so though, as some pieces were very tough while others simply too chewy until I had to use fork and spoon to cut them up.
But there is one dessert which PChoon and I braved ourselves to try -
Glutinous Rice with Durian! (RM 12)
The moment the waiter cut open the dessert - the ever-familiar smell hit us; and we decided to quickly finish this dish before anyone starts to smell it and complain us :P
The outer coconut layer was nice and dry while the inner glutinous and durian filling was simply Marvelous - we confirmed it to be real Durian flesh alright! The fillings just burst in our mouth and we enjoyed every bite of it :D
Satisfying!
Overall I really hope they'd improve on their service as well as the quality of their signature Shanghai Meat Dumpling as it's one of my all-time favourite. Now, Din Tai Fung's version is my favourite undoubtedly.
For the inaugural post of Nutty Eve #9, let's start off with a much renowned Taiwan-originated Chinese chain restaurant - 鼎泰豐 (Din Tai Fung) [wikipedia it here]
My bf KW and I were contemplating whether to have his birthday dinner at Amarin or Din Tai Fung, but KW decided to bring me to Din Tai Fung to sample their Xiaolongbao - small dumplings and also a dish he claimed was made to perfect - deep fried prawns encrusted with salted egg. KW insisted that the dishes were comparatively less expensive and tastier than of Dragon-I's, which I felt not convincing enough unless I were to sample it myself :)
We were very fortunate to be able to secure a seat without a reservation and amidst the dinner rush hour (bear in mind it was a Friday and not even weekend yet)
The interior..
Cashier area..
The wet napkin..
Condiments : (L-R) vinegar, soy sauce, chilli paste in chilli oil
We ordered a Xiaolongbao, a beef ramen and deep-fried salted egg-encrusted prawns
Here comes the Xiaolongbao...
Even the looks are better than Dragon-i's already!
Check out the steam still gushing out from the steamer!
Finely chopped ginger slices to enjoy this delicacy with...
Yummmmmmmy~~~ the juice oozing out from the bite is just so tantalizing - it tastes just like superior stock!
Next up - the Beef Ramen was served.
Honestly I was pretty skeptical coz it looked very bland and the ramen were all sticking together as if the chef forgot to do his/her job properly :S
So we dug in and scooped out the ramen, some beef and soup into our individual bowls...
And I must say I was pretty relieved to know I was so wrong! The ramen was soft but at the same time springy; the beef was ever so tender; and the soup... the soup was a freakin' good one - very tangy and I drank almost all of 'em if KW hadn't stop me :)
And after much wait, the much-anticipated Deep Fried Salted Egg Encrusted Prawn dish came..
Hmm.. I had my doubts since it looked very normal and not as 'tasty' as KW described.
So I took a bite -
Whoa - the prawns were very fresh and deep fried to perfection - the crusts didn't fall off like the ones at Dragon-i where we had to pick up the bits and pieces of crusts and shove it into our mouths together with the prawn meat.
After we finished all our dishes, we decided to go for a dessert and KW ordered the yam and ginkgo dessert as this dessert apparently took his 'tongue' away as well
This was how the Yam Paste and Ginkgo Dessert looked like when it came...
KW said this dessert had to be stirred well before eating..
So he started the stirring...
But after a while of observing him interchanging between stirring and taking his fingers off the bowl when the dessert is presumably cold, I offered to stir it myself (out of impatience in getting my hands on the dessert) and he shoved my hands off while saying : dear, the dessert is served hot hence the bowl is freakin' hot!
(-_-)"'
So I just let him finish off the stirring... and the end product..
Let's have a taste after all his hard work...
The yam paste just melted in my mouth, and the taste of the ginkgo is not too overpowering and just right when paired with the slightly sweet yam paste... the only reason why they made it so hot is just so that it practically melts in your mouth - Genius!
I forgot how much exactly the meal cost us but it was indeed less expensive than Dragon-I, and it was well worth it coz we really enjoyed all the food!
And I'm not surprised why people don't mind the long queues!
Thanks to all the hard work of the chefs for our good food
Din Tai Fung - I'll definitely be back! =]
