Local restaurant chain Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) said on Tuesday it does not have any plans to open an eatery in Paris, despite film director Luc Besson saying earlier that day that he hopes the dumpling house would set up shop in his hometown.
Chen Li-ching (陳麗卿), a spokesperson for the restaurant, thanked Besson for his praise, but said that her company does not intend to open a branch in the world’s culinary capital at present.
Taiwan-based Din Tai Fung, which specializes in steamed dumplings called xiaolongbao, operates restaurants across Asia and in the US and Australia, but has no outlets in Europe, according to its Web site.
Besson’s invitation came on Tuesday during a press conference in Taipei to promote his new film Lucy, which features several scenes shot in Taipei.
“The dumplings are the best in the world,” Besson said of the Taipei restaurant.
The director joked that if Din Tai Fung opened in Paris, “you know where to eat” on your next visit to France.
It is not the first time the director has praised xiaolongbao, steamed pork dumplings filled with soup broth. Besson dined at a Din Tai Fung eatery in Taipei last year when shooting Lucy. Shots of the iconic dumplings even show up in the film.
He was spotted visiting the restaurant again on Monday after making a public appearance before the Taiwanese premiere of the film.
Din Tai Fung started as a cooking oil retail business in 1958 and found success after beginning to focus on xiaolongbao in 1972.
Two of its restaurants in Hong Kong have been awarded Michelin stars. The chain also took the top spot on the list of “101 Best Restaurants in Asia” by New York-based Web site the Daily Meal and it placed second on the “best franchises for travelers” list compiled by CNN Travel last year.
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