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

Great Century Restaurant - Bankstown - Sydney, Australia

Great Century Restaurant 

Firstly, before I get into any detail about my experience, I DO NOT RECOMMEND this place for yum cha.

Service was pretty bad. We asked for extra chilli sauce three times before the waiter actually remembered. But then again service at yum cha is rarely good.

The food was alright tasting and steaming hot which is a tick from me until.............

It came to ordering the spring rolls. I rarely order spring rolls and on that certain day I had the sudden urge to eat spring rolls. It just look so crunchy and tasty from the outside.

Then as I took my first bite, the SHOCKING thing happened. At first I thought it was a bamboo shoot but then it was too hard to be that.

It was a TOOTHPICK! How did a toothpick get into the spring roll stuffing is what bothers me. Was someone picking at their teeth whilst mixing the ingredients. Quite disturbing in fact. DISGUSTING! I'm quite turned off spring rolls for now.

I was so disgusted that I didn't even had the chance to take a picture and called over the waiter immediately. He apologised and the item wasn't charged on the bill. He immediately took it to the kitchen in fear of it being seen.

In total we had 4 dishes excluding the spring roll and it amounted to $29.00. I expected it to be free after what happened.

Didn't not order anything else after that and left quite hungry.

So yes that was my very unpleasant experience and I won't ever be returning again.

Where?
23 Greenfield Pde
Bankstown NSW 2200
Australia

Phone no: 02 9796 3366

East Ocean Teochew Restaurant - Ngee Ann City - Singapore

East Ocean Teochew Restaurant

*WARNING - PHOTO OVERLOAD

There has been a lot of good recent reviews about this restaurant online and since we were in Singapore, we wanted to try out their yum cha and see how it fares compared to back home. Having been to another popular yum cha restaurant located on Orchard Rd on my previous trip, my hopes weren't really set that high.

We arrived on a weekday for brunch and there were a lot of people waiting in line. Most had bookings prior and if you plan to go, then best to book in advance as the waiting time can be long, actually very long. We waited for nearly an hour as the reservation lady was busy attending to people with bookings and she ignored us most of the time until she noticed my friend standing in front of her desk for a while. This was the horrible part I wanted to leave. My friends insisted we stay and I'm glad we did cause it was well worth it! Thanks guys!

Eventually we got a seat at the front of the restaurant. It's not ginormous inside but large enough to accommodate many diners on its single level.

Ordering was done by choosing what you wanted from the menu and then numbering it down on a paper. Very similar to how it is done at Din Tai Fung. We ordered A LOT for four people. But this was because we waited so long and was so hungry.

We started off with a 4 mini teas which was basically 'Bo Lei'. I'm not a really a fan of this tea and much prefer the 'Jasmine' tea variety. However, I drank it cause apparently it is suppose to be good for you and cleanses the body. It was bitter and strong.

Our main tea was 'Chrysanthemum' tea which seemed rather popular here with it being stocked as iced tea, poppas and what not. I found the 'real' taste to be smokey in taste and odd. Not like the sweet tea I'm usually accustomed to.

 Condiments were served and these weren't optional either as it was charged in the final bill. Some chill sauce and picked mustards. Quite nice.

The food started rolling out and I'll let the pictures do the talking cause I can't remember what they were called or how much they cost.

 Oozzing with custard. Delicious to the max. Custard bun.

Pork ribs on top of tofu. Spare ribs.

Steamed shrimp rice rolls with chinese vegetables which gave it a good balance.

Steamed Teo-chew dumpling.

Bit off with a pea on top?

These Prawn Dumplings were so good and full of flavour.

Chicken feet cut up into little pieces. Steamed chicken feet.

I never order this back home cause it just looks like a plain, old, boring sponge. Boy, was I wrong. It was not too sweet and just hit the spot. It was just so good, I'm drooling at the thought of it. Steamed sponge cake.

Mini egg tarts.Crispy and addictive.

Baked just right out of the even. Baked BBQ pork pie.

Deep fried bean curn skin wrapped with seafood.

Pan fried carrot cake.

We were too bloated and full to the point we couldn't breathe and to our horror, they bring out more mini 'Bo Lei' teas.

Everything was delicious. I don't normally say this very often, but it was one of the best dim sum I've ever tasted. My friends also thought the same. Service was really good except for the waiting part which was partly unavoidable.

Definitely recommend this to anyone travelling to Singapore and BOOK ahead of time to avoid the nasty waiting experience we encountered.

Where?
391 Orchard Road
#05-08/09 Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238872

Opening Hours
TBA

Website
www.eastocean.com.sg