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Eating more of Singapore Part 2 of 2
Despite the earlier trip, December had me back in Singapore. Ready to do all the food things I missed out on in October (find Bickford’s Sarsaparilla, eat at Din Tai Fung), I found it a bit funny that my first meal was at Mc Donald’s.
Yes, after basking mostly in Singaporean food during my previous trips, I actually found myself in a fastfood chain that’s all over Manila. Of course, after biting into their Spicy Chicken Sandwich, I readily ate my words. It was yummy! Flavorful, crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside—why can’t McD’s here do fastfood sandwiches as good as this?
I also found it interesting that aside from the usual ketchup dispensers, they had a dispenser for chili-garlic sauce as well. A bit redder than the usual tomato ketchup, their spicy sauce packed a wallop. If that’s not enough, they also distributed packets of nori flavoring, a powder you can sprinkle over your fries for added flavor. Both were quite good. It definitely shakes up the usual french fry-tomato dynamic.
A tale of soup in my dumplings and a very long wait
We were greeted by a large number of waiting people outside Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung, all waiting to grab a table for dinner. Determined to eat their Xiao Long Pao, we took a number, placed our order, then caught up with each others’ lives as we waited.
A gajillion stories later, our table was finally ready. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long for our food. A large bowl of Hot and Sour soup was served almost immediately. Chunky, gooey, steamy hot and sour goodness. Good way to start the meal.
After that, they brought out a plate of what my friend Rabbit identified as her newest addiction, Prawn Pancake. Now Rabbit is addicted to anything shrimp, so I thought it was just her shrimp love acting up. It wasn’t much to look at, but biting into the pancake was a pleasant surprise. Crisp on the outside, moist, flavorful, firm and fleshy on the inside. It mimics the feeling of biting into whole shrimp, rather than minced ones as shrimp cakes tend to feel like.
Soon, plate after plate of food was coming to our table. Next up was a plate of Pork Chop Rice. A dish of fried rice piled on top with a whole porkchop, cut into slices. Deliciously tender and quite filling, yes. But honestly, I was waiting for the star of the evening, which was…
Xiao Long Pao! A very interesting dumpling filled with meat and soup, it never fails to fascinate because, well, it’s filled with soup. SOUP! In a dumpling! It’s a very novel experience, biting into resilient, stretchy dough and being rewarded with a tasty soup. And occasionally, a burnt tongue if you’re too eager. Try it with the black vinegar and ginger for added layers of flavor.
As if the Xiao Long Pao wasn’t enough, we had to get Xiao Long Pao with shrimp too. It’s yummy too, but I prefer the plain one because it’s easier to eat. Besides, I’m happily content with the soup inside the dumpling so no need for extras, even if it is shrimp. But I imagine shrimp lovers will not have it any other way.
Was Din Tai Fung worth the way? If only for the Xiao Long Pao, yes. The food is generally good but I can eat trays of the lovely soup dumplings all day long. Soup has never been this fascinating. Nor dangerous.
Read more on the next page:
Food Court Hopping, Magical Turkish Ice Cream, Ginger Beer and Takoyaki!
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spicy chicken sandwich is my fave too
btw, great shots! The shrimp version looks really pretty and yummy!
My officemates and I can’t understand why McD’s can’t sell it here too! It’s so nyummy *whimpers*
reading this blog post again and feeling sad. I want spicy chicken sandwich! hehe
they should bring it here nga 
When do I get to go with you to eat all these food?!? Surely you’ll need help! I want to learn to take nice food photos as well!
i died went i saw those siao long paos droooolllllllllll grrrr
Parang alien talaga yung Shrimp Xiao Long Pao! Pang… anime.
(Is it just me or does the field below my email addy ask for my URI?)
My mouth is watering from this post!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH~~~!!! ION’S TAKOYAKI! *A*) MOST GLORIOUS!!
I demolished a whole steamer of xiao long bao in Din tai fung in Beijing over the new year, no burnt tongue to show for it, but delicious. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find good xlb in China sometimes. A friend also introduced me to their pork chop (no rice with ours, but soooooo tasty).
wow that prawn pancake looks crispy and delicious!!!
@kate
Agree with you so much! But it has to be as good as the one in SG.
@Carlos
If it’s your treat, tara na!
@frannywanny
I want some now. I’ve been craving madly these past few days. May Xiao Long Pao sa Spiral buffet but you have to wait 15 minutes. By the time it was ready, busog na ako.
@Chris
Oo nga. Parang pang… anime nga. (Yes, it asks for a URI. I have no idea what it means.)
@peachkins
You and me both! The pitfalls of food blogging. You remember what you eat…after it’s gone.
@khursten
And to think I almost missed it. Thank goodness Cla reminded me.
@Mila
Wow, authentic! I’d love to do that too, enjoy a steamer for myself. Kahit hindi Beijing—even some from Eatwell would make me happy.
@mrs lavendula
Oooooh it was. I actually ate more than I should (I monitor my shellfish intake). But it was all good.
Din Tai Fung! is love! They always have ridiculous waiting lines but so worth it. Ive eaten na in their Taipei and HK restos. Good to know they have one in SG!
They have branches in HK? Oooooh, thanks for letting me know. Heehee, will include it in my October itinerary <3
the foods looks so tempting
For a good reason, Din Tai Fung’s food is really yummy.
[...] Eating more of Singapore Part 2 of 2 [...]
[...] great Thai food along Bencoolen Street that would not burn a hole in your pocket and oh so yummy xiao long bao from Din Tai Fung. Of course, a trip to Singapore means reconnecting with family and friends. As [...]