Most of us have had it before. A warm parcel of porky and soupy goodness in a membrane of dough translucent thin. Soupy because stock/soup was actually mixed into the mince mixture. Ding Tai Fong fom Taiwan has now over 50 branches around the world. Notably 7 in Singapore – more than in Taipei, the origin of the restaurant. I still remeber going to the original shop years ago. The taste was so visceral that it was difficult to wait for the dumplings to cool before eating it. I knew it was going to burn my mouth. I like to put my dumpling on a spoon, dipped in the vinegar, soy and ginger sauce and bust the goodness in my mouth.

On my recent trip to Sydney, I was very happy and almost a bit taken back by the sudden wave of Taiwanese dishes and flavours. The drunken chicken, long beans, hot and sour soup and taro desserts were all bringing back memories. Matt Preston delared a month ago in The Epicure that Hu Tong Dumplings was better than Ding Tai Fong. I have to try. I have doubts. I will tell Matt to go to Taipei and put some dumplings in his mouth.

On a side note, Bo Innovations in Hong Kong has a good use of the spherication technique developed by Ferran Adria. Chef Leung, serves up a dumpling without the pastry, enclosed by it’s own juices. Think about it.