Tim Ho Wan - Plaza Singapura - Singapore, Singapore

Tim Ho Wan

Tim. Ho. Wan. Those famous words that I continuously read about time and time again. 

Tim Ho Wan is a famous dim sim restaurant originating from Hong Kong that received a Michelin Star from the Michelin guide in 2009. These stars are especially hard to come by and to be able to eat a Michelin star restaurant can cost quite a bit of money. Yet, this Michelin starred restaurant may be the cheapest of the lot!  Many people have travelled far and wide to the original outlet in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, in quest for the best dim sim available out there. There are some huge fans and loyal followers, who describe it as being the best of the best. 

I've wanted to try out the dim sim from Tim Ho Wan for the longest time, having read numerous reviews on how exceptional the food. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to travel back to Hong Kong to try these mini morsels. 

Last year I got a shock when I found out that Tim Ho Wan was opening in Singapore. Yes! Singapore! The first overseas location outside of Hong Kong.  To my absolute delight, I anticipated this moment as I knew Singapore was definitely on the cards. 

Since reading this news, more branches have opened throughout Singapore, four to be exact, given its immense popularity among locals and tourist alike. It has spread like wildfire. I wouldn't be surprised if they opened more outlets in the near future. 

Newspaper articles sideline the walls and they haven't just been mentioned in a few articles but many articles. 

We got to the outlet at Plaza Singapura, located on Orchard Road, 15 minutes before opening and there were only a few people ahead of us. When it opened at 10am on the dot, everyone was ushered in quickly and eventually the place filled up. I've heard that the waiting time in line can be an hour or more during peak periods so I planned ahead to avoid this. This was a weekday so I'm assuming on weekends people would be up bright and early for yum cha. 

It's not a big eatery, only having 96 seats. There are no ladies pushing carts around so it's pretty civilised. 

The menu is scattered throughout the line so you can peruse and decide on what you want even before you get through the door. 

The place mat on the table is the menu! I like how the menu is so easy to read with pictures and words so you know what you're actually eating. My favourite type of menu. The options on offer is limited but it's decent as you have a selection to choose from.  There are steamed, deep fried, rice and dessert options. 

Service is very fast and efficient. Before you get to your table, you are handed a menu and on that menu is the order form with the pricing of each dish. Once you fill out the order form, the waitress comes and processes your order. I didn't even have much time to add additional items to my order form as the waitress came and took it away within a matter of minutes. 

Don't you hate it when you go to have yum cha and you never know what they're actually charging you till you get the final bill? Don't need to worry about that here because it is all written down and there are no hidden charges.  Reminds me of the highly effective system in place at Din Tai Fung. 

With a positive comes a negative. You get everyone on your table within a space of few minutes which means everything is no longer steaming hot and food doesn't taste good when it gets cold. That only means one thing, scoffing it down very quickly. 

The food is then brought out quickly, one or two at a time, slowly filling up the table. 

The 'Chinese Tea (SGD 1.20)' is brought out first. Hot tea is a must for a yum cha dining experience as yum cha means drinking tea.They refill your cups frequently. 

The 'Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (SGD 4.50 for three)' is one of their signature dishes. It's like a rendition of the Chinese pork bun but this one has a crispy, sugary, buttery exterior with a filling of char siew that is both sweet and salty. The flavours to me are a bit confusing. It's a mix of both savoury and sweet which I don't mind but I don't really like either.  Then again, I've never been a huge fan of the traditional Chinese pork bun. Some come here and brave the queue just for the bun so the bun can be extremely delicious for some and is a must try as you can't get it anywhere else. 

The 'Vermicelli Roll with Shrimp' is another one of my must orders. It's silky smooth and the shrimp is freshly prepared. Nicely coated with a sweet blend of soya sauce. 

The 'Steamed Egg Cake (SGD 3.80)' has become a favourite of mine after the last trip to Singapore. A plain looking sponge cake that just hits the spot. Light, fluffy and fragrant. 

The 'Prawn Dumpling (SGD 5.50)' is impeccably hand made with a paper thin skin and the pleats are clearly visible. The translucent skin encases prawns that are fresh, plump and juicy. Cooked for the right amount of time means that it isn't tough and leaves me craving for more. 

'Dumpling Teo Chew Style (SGD 4.00)' is ordered because I'm curious as to what is inside. It's a mix of garlic, mushroom, peanuts and garlic chives, reminding me very much of the combination dumpling. Nothing special or remarkable about it. 

Some people get freaked out at the sight of the 'Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce (SGD 4.00)' but I'm sorry to say, I'm a fan of the chicken feet. The feet have been cut up and not whole, so it's much easier to eat. Gelatinous and full of flavour.

Finally a dessert to end the meal so early in the morning is the 'Mango Pomelo Sago (SGD 5.00)'. Light and refreshing but a bit overpriced.

Was the food worth the anticipation? Even though the food was well executed and I liked how everything tasted, I couldn't exactly pinpoint what was so great about it. I would recommend just going for the experience, cause hey, when do you get to try a Michelin related restaurant for so cheap? I still do want to try out the one in Hong Kong and will definitely try it when I go back. It's not the cheapest in Singapore but it isn't overly expensive either, within affordability range. 

Given its popularity and no reservation policy, I recommend going early before the white collared workers go out for their lunch. If you want to have dim sim for dinner you can as well as they're open to 10pm. A new queue system is in place where you get a number and instead of having to wait in line, you just have to wait for a SMS to come through when the table is ready. Perfect!

Don't forget the 7% GST and 10% service charge that is added on top of the mentioned prices.

Where?
68 Orchard Rd
#01-29A 
Plaza Singapura 

Singapore 238839

Phone no: 65 6251 2000

Opening Hours
10.00am – 10.00pm (Monday  – Friday)
09.00am – 10.00pm (Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday) 

Website

www.timhowan.com

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine - Haymarket - Sydney, Australia.

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine

I stumbled upon this new eatery in Dixon Street while walking to uni one night and from the outside it looked ultra modern but I didn’t know what they were selling. I did a few searches online and realised they specialised in Hong Kong cuisine. It was not until a few weeks ago that after walking past yet again with a friend, where we saw ducks being roasted in their oven that sparked my interest in going.
 

 

When it initially opened there wasn’t much people but now that people have heard about it or seen it, the crowds are coming in. On a Friday night, the queue was out the door but when I went on Saturday there was only a few people in the queue. They do take bookings so if you intend on visiting, it’s better to book ahead as you can’t predict whether there will be a lot of people or not.

 

Let’s just say my family have high expectations when it comes to Chinese food and they set their bar really high regardless.
 

 

I made a booking for 6:30pm a few days prior and managed to get in without any fuss. The interior is nicely furnished and rustic looking with the wooden tables, a dessert making area, a bar area and kitchen within two levels. We were seated on a four seat table on the second level and  the table was so small, that there wasn’t enough room for more than two large plates of food.
 

 

We ordered one entrée and four mains. They have a  large variety of dishes to choose from such as an assortment of congee to live seafood. Food price wise it wasn’t expensive but it wasn’t cheap either.

 

 

The first thing they brought out was the ‘Sweet and Sour Pork ($16.80)’. Portion was so small that we got an initial shock as to how small it was. Imagine a rice bowl times two. A few pieces of pork coated in a batter, fried and then stir fried. Nothing overly special about dish. Balance of flavours wasn’t right as they must have been a bit heavy handed on the vinegar as it tasted sour at parts.

 

Considering we ordered fried rice, I was expecting to get that before this dish arrived. As a result, it was left aside till the rice made its way to our table which was towards the end of the meal as the ‘Peking Duck with Pancakes’ arrived not too long after. The crunchy pork in the sauce went soft and soggy.
 

 

The star of the night was the ‘Peking Duck (Whole - 2 Courses) ($55.00)'.

 

The first course was beautifully presented and cut into one portion skin and one portion skin with meat, eaten with pancakes. This was to be wrapped together with cucumber, finely sliced shallots and hoi sin sauce. The duck was superb cause it was freshly roasted. It was marinated, cooked and oven roasted to perfection. The skin was crispy and the mean was filled with flavour as the juices were still coming out . There wasn’t too much fat as it must have been rendered away in the oven. I especially liked their hoi sin sauce as it wasn’t just your normal hoi sin sauce. It must have been made in house as it tasted different to what you get in the bottles.

 

Second course was ‘San Choy Bow' made from the duck meat. I really liked the crunchiness from the water chestnuts and the vegetables together with the duck meat. Yummo.
 

 

The ‘Xiao Long Bao ($6.80)’ was an entrée dish but came out last. They must have been confused with the order of menu items . However, it was made nicely and how it should be.  The sweet pork and soup sat within the thin parcel. Oh that porky goodness.

 

We got the ‘Old Town Fried Rice ($12.80)’ second last and I must say it was pretty good. Not too oily and not too dry. The portion wasn’t small but adequate  and this was polished off fast.

I like the glass cups that they use. 'Crown Lager Beer ($6.50)'.

 

No dessert this time around but N2 Extreme Gelato is located across the street for those ice-cream lovers.

 

Overall, a ok dining experience with ok food but nothing out of the ordinary. Service was friendly and efficient and they attended to most of our needs.

 

Better Chinese food can be found at places closer to home (Hurstville and Beverly Hills). Not worth the drive to go just for dinner but if you’re in the City and after a decent Cantonese feed then this is the place to go.

The quality of food may improve as they get a hold of how things work as they have only been open for short period of time.

 

It is more catered towards the younger diners as my parents who prefer the traditional Chinese restaurants found the restaurant to be normal and mediocre. They liked the duck but then again we can also find good Peking Duck in the South.

 

Where?

10 Dixon St

Sydney NSW 2000

Australia

 

Phone no: 02 9426 4888

 

Opening Hours

Dinner 5pm - 2am
 

Website

NA