Michelin stars

Alexis Yap
Lex in the City

ADMITTEDLY, I never really knew of Tim Ho Wan until they opened in Manila. Pictures of their famous Baked Buns with BBQ Pork flooded my newsfeed and fueled my curiosity. I just had to try their food. And since I had a planned trip to Hong Kong in June, I decided to include this Michelin-starred restaurant in my itinerary.

Tim Ho Wan has about five branches all over Hong Kong and the one that seemed accessible to us was the one by IFC, at Central since we were staying at Causeway Bay. Robin, my travel companion and I were excited as we were looking forward to it since we had arrived three days ago.

After what seemed like a 20-minute walk from Central Station, we arrived at our destination to find about 20 people standing outside the small restaurant, and unlike Din Tai Fung, another Michelin-starred Dim Sum place on Yee Woo St. in Causeway Bay, the staff was not as attentive and hospitable. Surprisingly, though, the wait was not as long as we had originally expected based on reading many online reviews. We only had to wait 10 minutes to get squeezed in between two other couples in a cramped table.

The restaurant was warm and quite uncomfortable, but the food (that we had already selected while waiting outside) came almost immediately after we had sat down (a huge plus since we were both very eager and starving).

The Steamed Rice with Chicken Feet and Spareribs and the Steamed Rice with Beef and Pan Fried Egg were the first to arrive. Don’t get the chicken feet unless you are a die-hard fan of it. The beef on the rice was good, though.

Then came the Steamed Rice Rolls with Shrimps and Chives. Upon the recommendation of the non-English speaking server pointing back and forth at the sweet soy sauce and the Rice Rolls, we decided it was the perfect combination. Without the sweet soy sauce, the dish would have been a tad bit short of being just ordinary.

The Steamed Pork Dumplings with Shrimp was followed by the Steamed Beef Balls with Bean Curd Skin. Both were excellent but the Bean Curd Skin was a remarkable touch to the Beef Balls, not to mention its unbeatable price at only HK $15.

Then came the star of the show – the Baked Buns with BBQ Pork for only HK $19 (for those who want to compare prices in Manila). By this time we were both already so full from all we had eaten. But as soon as I took the first bite, I knew I was going to eat all three of them if Robin wouldn’t put up a fight. Its outer shell was a golden and delicate, crispy crust that revealed a lava-like ooze of savory barbecue pork.

The meal was concluded with clean plates, all wiped out within 20 minutes. The best part… six dishes for only HK $144! A far cry from our HK $255 check at Din Tai Fung for three dishes three days prior.

When asked the question which restaurant is better, I’d say both have their redeeming qualities. Din Tai Fung will always be a favorite in terms of choice ingredients, excellent service, and overall dining experience.

But for good eats for less (and a Michelin-starred restaurant at that) one can definitely count on Tim Ho Wan. That’s why it’s no wonder their Manila branch is an incredible success. I want to give it a try sometime.