Din Tai Fung, Chatswood

Din Tai Fung is now open in Chatswood and I couldn't wait to check it out.

I am a massive fan of Din Tai Fung and I was hoping they would open more restaurants rather than the little kiosks that seem to be popping up in food courts. Din Tai Fung is now open in Chatswood Westfield in an impressive large space! There are large windows so you can see some of the dumpling action which is always enjoyable to watch.

I order some tea ($2.50 per person) and a lychee mint freeze ($8.80, below) to kick off the meal. Jasmine tea adds to the dumpling experience and I've had the refreshing lychee mint freeze before in North Sydney DTF and I quite liked it in the smaller version.

I ordered the Dan Dan noodle which is essentially noodles in a satay sauce and nothing else ($11.80, above). It's not too spicy and there is always a generous amount of sauce. It's a simple dish but I like it. It would be good if they had some vegetables in this dish or something else to add further texture. You can add spinach for a fee of $1.80.

A must order for me is the Spicy Pork and Vegetable dumplings (6 pieces for $9.80) (I always order the pork or the spicy prawn and vegetable dumplings). It's spicy but also sweet and there is just something so homely as I bite into the dumplings. Your tastebuds will party hard.

Din Tai Fung is also known for having the best soup dumplings in Sydney known as Xiao Long Bao (above, $12.80 for 8 pieces). I mix the vinegar sauce, soy sauce which a generous dashing of chili sauce and dunk the Xiao Long Bao before eating this in one bite so the soup bursts out in my mouth. Yum yum. Another must order.

I've ordered the dumpling gems before and preferred to stick to the original Xiao Long Bao but my boyfriend insists ordering these as he wants to try them and won't take my word. He agreed with me afterwards. For those who are curious, the $15.80 dumpling gems are uniquely flavoured (7 pieces, below and top photo). Flavours include green salad, orange is golden corn, pink is seafood, red is bolognaise, yellow is cheese, black is pork bbq, purple is garlic pork. The flavours are different but not enjoyable to eat personally. I much prefer the original plain pork xiao long bao. Give the dish a miss unless you are that curious.

The Mango Pudding ($6.80 below) is quite nice if you are hankering for some dessert. I poured some condensed milk over the cream on the mango pudding. There are some nice chunks of mango in the pudding.

Overall, Din Tai Fung again delivers a great experience and I'm sure to come back. I'm a massive fan.

Prices: $30-$40 per person

Location: Inside Chatswood Westfield, 1 Anderson St, Chatswood. 

Summary: Lisa's Rating: 

Food: 10/10 for casual dining 

Customer Service: 8/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value: 7/10