Famous Taiwan dumpling restaurant makes its debut in Europe with London opening
- Din Tai Fung’s renowned xiaolongbao – steamed pork soup dumplings – can now be had in trendy Covent Garden
- Its London outpost has a new twist – a cocktail bar
Framed by the window of a historic house on Henrietta Street, in London’s trendy Covent Garden entertainment area, is a glossy advertisement featuring a woven bamboo basket filled with cream-coloured, pleated, steamed dumplings.
The heritage building, in the centre of London’s theatreland, is the site of dim sum specialist Din Tai Fung’s first restaurant in Europe. It opened last week to rave reviews, and within hours photos of its world-famous xiaolongbao – steamed pork dumplings – had become an Instagram sensation.
A second Din Tai Fung branch is due to open in nearby Tottenham Court Road in spring 2019.
Din Tai Fung began life in Taiwan as a wholesale cooking oil shop, founded by Bingyi Yang in 1958. Yang and his wife, Lai Penmei, began to offer customers their home-made, soup-filled xiaolongbao as a way of diversifying their business.
Such was the dumplings’ popularity that, in 1972, Yang converted the whole shop into a restaurant. Now, his xiaolongbao are served in more than 140 restaurants around the world, including the United States, Australia and Hong Kong – where there are four branches.
“Tinned oil went on sale in the early ’70s in Taiwan, and this prompted a decline in sales at Mr Yang’s shop,” says Henry Chu Heng Hwee, chief executive of BreadTalk Group, the Singaporean company leading Din Tai Fung’s expansion into Europe.