Z and I visited Hong Kong late last year and were presented with the opportunity to visit a dim sum eatery touted as ‘the most affordable Michelin-starred restaurant’ – so we thought, why not? I’m sure Tim Ho Wan doesn’t really need any introduction, after getting so much hype and setting up two outlets in Singapore as well.

We headed down to the original outlet in Sham Shui Po (as we prefer the rustic roadside vs shopping mall feel) around 3 or 4pm (to beat the queues), and discovered that we would still have to wait in line, evident by the crowds of people milling about outside the restaurant when we arrived.

Turnover was pretty high, so we didn’t have to wait too long. A queue number system was used, so we didn’t actually have to stand in line. After around half an hour, we got a seat in the packed little eatery.

Among the two of us, we shared 9 dishes including dessert – some usuals like Siew Mai, Har Gao, Prawn Rice Rolls and Fried Carrot Cake, as well as house specialties like Malay Cake, Baked BBQ Pork Buns, and some random Black Bean Fish Cake thing which we ordered because it had a star next to it. The menu was in Chinese, so I had a bit of trouble understanding it…!

Bizarrely enough, that random dish we ordered  turned out to be one of the best ones. The bouncy fishcake-like item was smooth, silky and moist, and seemed to be marinated really well, as every bit of it was tasty. We loved it.

Another recommended dish, the Malay Cake (I am not really sure why it is named as such but I understand it is a steamed egg cake with brown sugar or gula melaka), was also pretty good. It was fluffy and moist, and had a delightfully airy yet bouncy texture. Taste-wise it was a mix of slight sweet and savoury, and quite light. I rather liked it.

Tim Ho Wan’s famous Baked BBQ Pork Buns were as their glowing reputation, of being crispy on the outside and filled with sweet, juicy char siew. I thought this was really good, though it didn’t quite blow my mind like I had expected. The other dishes were nice too, though we didn’t find them particularly special or fantastic.

We were pretty full after all these, so completed our meal with a serving of Osmanthus Jelly and a Boiled Snow Pear with Red Date.

The jelly was a tad sweet, but I liked it. Thought that the bits of osmanthus and wolfberries helped to balance out the sweetness, and give a nice finish to the meal. The boiled snow pear dessert tasted a bit… like soap though, so I didn’t really fancy it and left Z to eat most of it (he ordered it, anyway!).

I rather enjoyed the food at Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong, though I’m not really sure if it’s quite a Michelin-starred dining experience. But what do I know about Michelin! Anyway, it was reasonably priced for the quality (I think we paid around SGD$15 each?), so can’t really complain I guess. Service was alright and not the usual indifferent sort you get in many Chinese/Cantonese restaurants where they are always too busy for you.     ———————————————————————————- Tim Ho Wan, Sham Shui Po Branch G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street Hong Kong (nearest station – Sham Shui Po on Tsuen Wan line) Tel: +852-27881226