Harden's says
Since opening in Taipei in 1972 to make ends meet when the retail oil prices plummeted, this soup, dumpling and noodle shop has gone global, and arrived in the UK in 2018 in Covent Garden (amid a publicity storm about the queues); we have been waiting for this other site in the revamped Centrepoint development on Tottenham Court Road ever since. Watch this space for more details...
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Crazily long queues marked the inaugural week” of the UK’s first 250-seat branch in Covent Garden of this legendary Asian soup, dumpling and noodle chain: established in 1972 in Taipei, and now also set to open a second branch near Centrepoint. “For anyone who’s been to DTF in the Far East, the first London one may come across as a slightly unnecessarily puffed-up version of what is at heart a fantastically efficient and good-value, shopping-mall brand”. “Dumplings, of many and various forms, are uniformly good (quality-control at this cult brand is notoriously anal)” and aficionados of the chain mostly feel “it lives up to the standards of branches in well-established locations in Asia”. But, they also warn that: “as per my experience in Singapore etc, they’re not about to change your concept of what a good xiao long bao, etc, can be”.
Summary
“Crazily long queues marked the inaugural week” of the UK’s first 250-seat branch in Covent Garden of this legendary Asian soup, dumpling and noodle chain: established in 1972 in Taipei, and now also set to open a second branch near Centrepoint. “For anyone who’s been to DTF in the Far East, the first London one may come across as a slightly unnecessarily puffed-up version of what is at heart a fantastically efficient and good-value, shopping-mall brand”. “Dumplings, of many and various forms, are uniformly good (quality-control at this cult brand is notoriously anal)” and aficionados of the chain mostly feel “it lives up to the standards of branches in well-established locations in Asia”. But, they also warn that: “as per my experience in Singapore etc, they’re not about to change your concept of what a good xiao long bao, etc, can be”.
Opening hours
Last orders: 9.30 pm
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