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Dining On Tasty Dumplings

Digest On the Menu

July 30, 2011

Story By: Dining Out Team |

Jin Din Rou has been wowing diners with Taiwanese cuisine infused with a bit of Japanese fare since opening its doors last February on South King Street.

  • General manager Bob Suzukawa holds Shaomai with shrimp ($9.50) and Taiwanese Steamed Dumpling ($7.90)
  • Steamed Dumpling with Oolong Tea Flavor ($9.50, six pieces)
  • Tan Tan Noodle ($9.99)
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Manager Bob Suzukawa says he’s grateful for the warm welcome this chic and modern restaurant — known for its Xiao Long Bao, or soup dumplings — has received.

“Business has been doing really well. We sell close to 1,000 Xiao Long Bao a day,” he states.

With 10 varieties of Xiao Long Bao to satisfy all appetites, including Steamed Dumpling with Seafood Broth and Steamed Dumpling with Spicy Chili Flavor, the original Pork Xiao Long Bao and Oolong Xiao Long Bao, Jin Din Rou has quickly become a fave spot for all dumpling lovers.

“The dumpling skin is filled with a savory broth and various fillings, so it really is a burst of flavors in your mouth,” Suzukawa explains. “The Pork Xiao Long Bao and Oolong Xiao Long Bao are both filled with pieces of pork, however, the dumpling skin and soup of the Oolong Xiao Long Bao contain the flavoring of Oolong tea.”

Diners are recommended to dip each Xiao Long Bao in either black vinegar or white vinegar sauce, as well as an accompanying dish of sliced ginger, for additional flavor.

“Xiao Long Bao can be enjoyed at any time of the day or night,” Suzukawa says. “We also serve a wide array of soup noodle like our signature Tan Tan Noodle and other Taiwanese-style dishes, such as Sweet and Sour Pork and Mixed Fried Rice.

“And we use absolutely no MSG.”

How to Rou the World

Jin Din Rou’s most famous dishes never cease to warm the hearts and souls of hungry diners.

Pork Xiao Long Bao (4 pieces, $5.90; 6 pieces, $7.90; 10 pieces, $12.50)

Jin Din Rou’s original soup dumpling filled with pork and a tasty broth is wrapped ever so perfectly in a dumpling skin made from cake and bread flour.

Oolong Xiao Long Bao (4 pieces, $6.50; 6 pieces, $9.50)

While similar to the Pork Xiao Long Bao, this specific dumpling caters to the Oolong tea lover. Skilled chefs, like Hiromasa Yamanaka, place the dumpling skin in freshly grounded Oolong tea leaves to soak up the flavor. Filled with pork and a unique broth with a bit Oolong tea, it’s no wonder this creation has gained such a large fan base among patrons.

Tan Tan Noodle ($9.99)

Jin Din Rou’s most popular soup noodle features a large portion of flour noodles in a thick sesame-based broth. The sesame seeds used in the broth are ground fresh every day.

Jin Din Rou

  • Where
    • 1491 South King Street, Suite 105
    • Honolulu, HI 96814
  • Call
    • (808) 947-1133
  • Hours
    • Open daily
    • 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. (lunch)
    • 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. (dinner)

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