A few years ago, when I went to Las Vegas with my family, we found this restaurant at the Aria, an upscale hotel in the middle of the strip. My wife recognized it as the restaurant she visited in Taiwan and wanted to eat there. Unfortunately, it was closed when we got there after a show. This year, for my Vegas trip with my high school buddies, I went there alone before my friends flew in.

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant famous for Xiao Long Bao, broth-filled dumplings from the Jiangnan region of China. The dumplings are made fresh on the premises, as seen above. Their Hong Kong location even won a Michelin Star.

Luckily, I called them when I checked in and reserved a spot, but I still had to wait a couple of hours till 9pm. I arrived early as I made my way north on my photography exploration, and the check-in counter fit me in since I was alone. I was seated at a long counter. I shot shiny condiment containers as I waited.

I had to order their famous Xiao Long Bao, of course. Mine was the Kurobuta Pork instead of the other crab and pork option. These baos are smaller than usual, which makes them easy to eat in one bite. You have the benefit of not spilling the broth. The downside is that they are not very filling. They seem pricy at $12.50 for 6, but we are in Las Vegas.

The waiter suggested I order at least one more dish, which I did — a noodle dish which I don’t remember its name.

Both dishes were delicious, and since I wasn’t overly hungry, it mostly filled me up. I probably paid about $35-40, including a tip. A memorable experience and I would definitely go there again.

On my way out, I made one more picture of the hardworking artisans crafting the bao. The restaurant’s architecture was beautiful and dramatic, and I’ll feature that tomorrow.

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