news: TWO NEW DIN TAI FUNG COMING TO TAIPEI

If you build it, they will come, seems to be the new motto for xiao long bao king, Din Tai Fung. Several people mentioned to me the past few months that they were building another huge Din Tai Fung *directly* across from their 3 story flagship original shop on Xinyi and Yong Kang Street. I finally spotted it yesterday! The new shop is not right across the street, but further down Xinyi Road.  Posting the above photo in my Instagram stories elicited a dozen excited replies asking where.

If you can’t wait for that one to open, you can wait in line for the newly opened one at A13 in Xinyi Taipei. Not sure the official name of the mall, but it’s the one next to the Apple Store, A11 and Le Meridien. I had a chance to walk around the mall, it just opened this week, there was an average of 60-90 minute wait. And that’s with two other DTFs in walking distance. The A13 DTF was smartly located on the first floor near the entrance visible to passerby’s and as soon as you enter the mall and has two floors. 

Someone asked me recently about why Taiwanese food seems to be making a wave now in the US, or at least being recognized by mainstream media with articles in NY Times, Eater and npr about restaurants like Pine and Crane, Joy on the west coast and 886, Ho Foods, Braised Shop, Zai Lai and Win Son. Not to mention recent number 1 on LA Times 101 Best Restaurants list, Kato, helmed by Taiwanese American chef Jon Yao. And boba shops and Boba Guys. 

But the increasing interest and love for Taiwanese food?  I think the proliferation of Din Tai Fung’s in LA and the US (and Portland and London!) definitely plays a part in people willing to line up for hours and  pay up for consistency and deliciousness. I mean, we can’t even get enough of them in Taipei! 

New Taipei Din Tai Fung 2019/2020

DIN TAI FUNG A13
No. 58, Songren Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, 110

DIN TAI FUNG Xinsheng
No. 271 Xinyi Road, Sec. 2
(Couldn’t find the address yet on google maps, but it’s next to this hotel address)

#musings: one month until "the future"

Who else can't believe there's only one month until 2020? Growing up, the year 2020 honestly seemed like science fiction. It felt like such a far away time, where time travel, flying cars and "the future" existed. And now, we are less than 30 days away from "the future." What does that mean for us in the world that seems more unsure now than it did even 5 years ago.

Sometimes it feels frivolous to be talking just about food. And then sometimes it feels very important. Even 15 years later, there's still so much I discover about Taipei, about Taiwan, about Asia, about the world. There's still so many stories behind the dishes, flavors to figure out, chefs to champion to the world stage, cities to visit and restaurants to write about. Fifteen years later, Taipei is a very different city than the one I was finding my way into, but I am the same person but with a bigger map, a deeper well, a fuller belly.

I've drifted from this blog as more information has become available and more reliable - google maps and a flurry of bloggers, youtubers and instagrammers- but we seem to be rounding back to blogs and email lists as algorithms change and social media gets overwhelming and difficult to search. As we feel pressure to have perfect photos, captions, stories or laid out feeds! I miss the days when I could post what I was eating without worrying too much about it. Now all the eyes are there, and not here, it feels oddly satisfying to be imperfect on this old school platform.

But as I scroll through the last few years, SO many places are missing that should be on here. So many not-so-new cafes, restaurants, meals, trips, pop ups. If this blog is a collection of restaurants that have filled my days and years here, then it's missing a lot of pieces of the puzzle.

So making resolutions out loud early, going to post at least once a week, whether it's from my instagram (follow me there and comment! @hungryintaipei), my mailbox, thoughts about the Taipei food scene, or interesting news related somehow to Taipei, or food, or just something I want to share.

To the few of you guys still reading out there, thanks for following me all these years! We have so much to catch up on. xo

1:12AM 12/3/2019