xiao long bao (crab and pork soup dumplings) from Din Tai Fung’s recently opened eatery in Tigard’s Washington Square shopping center.”The Oregonian” or Jamie Hale

Finally, it’s here. The international soup dumpling brand, which was formerly listed by The New York Times as one of the top ten restaurants in the world, finally opened its first location in Oregon last month at the Washington Square mall, over ten years after it initially arrived in the Seattle region.

The Taiwan-based restaurant only accepted reservations for the first four weeks of operation; there was no waiting list, no walk-ins, and no (feasible) means to get a cancelation. Panda Express was your only Chinese cuisine option at the mall if you didn’t make a reservation in advance, try as you may.

On January 14, franchise owner David Yang Wasielewski, a former Intel marketing manager, will stop using the Yelp reservation system and start accepting walk-ins only. To put it another way, you may have to wait in line, but you will most likely get in if you go now.

In light of this, restaurant reporter Michael Russell and arts editor Amy Wang guided a team of employees through a large portion of the menu in order to address a crucial query: Given that you will probably have to wait, is Din Tai Fung truly worth your time and money?

Jamie Hale, a member of The Oregonian

RussellI can’t express how thrilled I would have been to visit this restaurant in 2010. In Bellevue, the affluent suburb east of Seattle, Din Tai Fung initially opened its doors at that time. At about the same time, some of our close friends relocated from New York City to nearby Issaquah. I had visited the relocated original Din Tai Fung in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, just a few years prior to moving to Portland.

In the first year alone, we had the opportunity to dine at the Bellevue Din Tai Fung six times. In addition to the excellent soup dumplings, the broader menu included some of my favorite Taiwanese foods, which were practically nonexistent in Portland: beef noodle soup, crispy fried pork chops, cold tofu noodle appetizers, etc. I asked Din Tai Fung via cold email when they would be moving the franchise south after my initial visit.

Jamie Hale, a member of The Oregonian

Only eight years passed before a response was received. A few things have changed since then. First, there are now at least two good soup dumpling options in Portland: Duck House in downtown and XLB in North Portland. Additionally, there is a full-fledged Taiwanese restaurant in Sellwood called Wei Wei, which recently reopened under new ownership. Second, fans of Seattle dumplings have already shifted to Dough Zone, which is located in Bellevue. As young people like to remark online, Dough Zone is wired, and Din Tai Fung is tired.

Tell me, Amy, what you expected from our most recent dinner before we break it down.

The new Din Tai Fung restaurant at Washington Square Mall serves noodles with minced pork sauce. Jamie Hale, a member of The Oregonian

Wang: I was thrilled to learn that Portland was getting its own Din Tai Fung since I grew up eating my mother’s Taiwanese food and had visited one of the larger locations in Taipei.

Naturally, Din Tai Fung’s specialty is their soup dumplings. However, I was also excited about the prospect of more Taiwanese food in Portland as a whole. Because Taiwanese cuisine is influenced by so many different cultures, including southern Chinese, Japanese, indigenous peoples of Taiwan, Southeast Asian cuisine, and more, it is difficult to sum it up in a single sentence. Savory would be my choice if I were to choose only one adjective to describe Taiwanese cuisine. Taiwanese chefs enjoy contrast, so they would pair a mild vegetable with a salty condiment and serve pickled veggies with plain steaming white rice. The flavors are strong and complex. I was eager to experience those flavors and textures again.

However, I only had one meal in Taipei and one takeout order from the Bellevue restaurant during my time with Din Tai Fung. How does this Din Tai Fung compare to the others you’ve visited, Michael?

Jamie Hale, a member of The Oregonian

Russell

I assumed the floor for Portland’s site would be the best mall restaurant, the best Taiwanese restaurant, and the best soup dumplings in Oregon because of the unwavering consistency I’ve found from the Taipei Din Tai Fung to three of the four locations in the Seattle region. (The ceiling would be a decent enough restaurant to be

I’m fairly certain this Din Tai Fung clears the first bar after today’s supper. Regarding the others, I’m not so sure.

The signature dish comes first. The best soup dumplings in the world include not just steaming hot pig broth but also a suspension of disbelief due to its dough, which is both transparent and sturdy enough to hold together when carefully removed from their steamer basket. From the pleats at the top to the appropriate steam time to the seasoning in the broth, the soup dumplings prepared by the horde of white-clad cooks behind Din Tai Fung’s front window are technically sound. However, they are also little, which lessens the high-wire tension that makes them so entertaining.

“The Oregonian” or Jamie Hale

Washington Square is hardly the only place like that. During my visits, I’ve also had equal success with the most impressive meals from the larger Taiwanese menu. On this visit, that wasn’t the case. Almost every dish, including the (boneless) peppery fried pork chop, the egg fried rice, and the (not-very-hot) spicy beef noodle soup, seemed to be lacking something.

That was a textural problem at times. Sometimes there wasn’t enough seasoning. I missed the hot sauce-soaked slinky version of this meal at Dough Zone, and even the Q*Bert-style pyramid of cucumber salad was too flimsily garnished with just one small slice of red pepper and one small piece of garlic. I don’t think Din Tai Fung has anything to offer a Taiwanese exchange student living in the Portland State University residence halls that you couldn’t get from Duck House and the few Chinese food carts in downtown Portland.

The new Din Tai Fung restaurant at Washington Square Mall has cucumber salad. Jamie Hale, a member of The Oregonian

Aside from a bland house beef noodle soup, nothing was especially awful. Additionally, several dishes were really tasty, such as the wontons in spicy sauce, the sautéed green bean segments, and the seaweed and tofu slices in vinegar. The majority of the dishes appeared to be only 10% away from being excellent. Additionally, a lot of eateries improve over time. However, this early meal—when the team’s whole focus is on Oregon—makes me anxious because of how reliable the Seattle openings have been.

What say you, Amy? Would you go back now that Din Tai Fung accepts walk-ins?

Seaweed and tofu in a vinegar dressing at the new Din Tai Fung restaurant at Washington Square Mall in Tigard. Jamie Hale, a member of The Oregonian

Wang:If I happened to be walking by when there was no wait or only a short wait, I would return. Din Tai Fung has a decent selection of steamed dumplings and buns that I d like to try. But you won t find me standing in a long line to get in. As you point out, nearly every dish fell short in some way. Take the Taiwanese cabbage dish we ordered. It came cooked with garlic, and that was about it. The classic Taiwanese version typically includes tiny salted shrimp, cooked briefly in oil, as a condiment. It doesn t seem like much of an omission, but it makes a world of flavor and textural difference.

Beef noodle soup at the new Din Tai Fung in Washington Square Mall. “The Oregonian” or Jamie Hale

Shrimp and pork wontons in spicy sauce at the new Din Tai Fung restaurant at Washington Square Mall in Tigard. Jamie Hale, a member of The Oregonian

DIN TAI FUNG

11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, Washington Square (southeast entrance), 9724 S.W. Washington Square Road, Tigard; 503-768-9888;dintaifungusa.com

— Michael Russell and Amy Wang

See more dishes and scenes from the new Din Tai Fung below.

“The Oregonian” or Jamie Hale

A look at the new Din Tai Fung restaurant at Washington Square Mall in Tigard.

“The Oregonian” or Jamie Hale

Sauteed string beans at the new Din Tai Fung restaurant at Washington Square Mall in Tigard.

“The Oregonian” or Jamie Hale

Xia long bao at the new Din Tai Fung restaurant at Washington Square Mall in Tigard.

“The Oregonian” or Jamie Hale

Boba milk tea at the new Din Tai Fung restaurant at Washington Square Mall in Tigard.

MORE PORTLAND DINING

Don t miss our earlier guides toPortland s 10 best new restaurants, our2018 Restaurant of the Yearandthe city s 40 best restaurants, period. Plus:

• Portland s 10 best dishes of 2018

• 13 new restaurants you should know about right now

• Portland s best hand-pulled noodles, ranked