The phrases “Michelin star” and “dim sum” don’t often sit side by side. But take a jaunt down an unassuming street in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong and you will find just that. And even better – it costs next to nothing.
Any amount of Googling the name Tim Ho Wan will tell you that the founding chef of this place was once the dim sum chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong before deciding to branch out on his own. Your search results will also probably lament you with tales of cheap prices, long waits for tables and descriptions of the establishments infamous BBQ pork buns. The establishment was also recently featured on Anthony Bourdain’s TV show The Layover, peaking many a newbie tourist’s interest.
Well, I’m not going to bore you with the same old, same old (although, the prices are cheap, the waits can be long and the pork buns are amazing)….instead I’m going to tell you how it went down for me the two times we visited this haven of steamed and fried goodness in bite-sized portions.
After walking past the place once due to the scaffolding placed outside the shop front, we finally recognised it by the telltale crowd waiting outside. Despite already being hungry, we were prepared to wait for a table as we had heard that queues can be upward of two hours. There is a podium outside the restaurant behind which customers must stand and wait to have their name added to the list. Once we had done this, and dishearteningly discovered our number was 146 and the wait time was an hour and a half, we were given a slip of paper with the dim sum menu options printed on, which we were expected to fill out before we got our table. This seems to ensure that the turnaround of tables is a smooth and efficient process. We made our decisions based solely on the descriptions on the paper and by trying to decipher the photographs plastered on the windows. And then we prepared to wait.
But not more than twenty minutes later, our number was being called. Several people who had arrived before us had left, obviously deciding to go away and come back again closer to the time they had been told. This was a mistake because then when their numbers were called they weren’t around, so the next in line was sent in. We hustled into the small restaurant and immediately two cups of tea were poured in front of us (you will get charged HK$2 for each cup, but they will constantly refill them during your meal). Then not two minutes later our first dish of BBQ pork buns arrived. And they were just as good as everyone had said. Flaky and sweet pastry encased tender pork in a rich, caramel BBQ sauce. The photos can’t even really do it justice. I will be dreaming about those buns for years to come, I’m sure.
The rest of the dishes arrived very soon after, and despite the portions being small, the food was very filling and delicious.
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| BBQ Pork Buns |
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| Fresh steamed beef dumpling with potato |
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| Spring rolls |
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| Fried turnip cake |
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| Steamed pork dumpling with shrimp |
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| Deep fried dumplings with pork |
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| Glutinous rice cake |
If you follow in our foodsteps:
- Try and avoid the main rush hours to reduce your wait time: locals usually eat dim sum for breakfast or for an early leisurely lunch, whereas tourists will usually hit the restaurant dead on lunchtime or around 6/7pm. We visited at 11.30am the first time and 8pm the second time and had to wait no longer than 25 minutes.
- The Kowloon restaurant closes at 9.30pm, so don’t expect to be able to get a table if you head over there after the Hong Kong Light Show expecting a late dinner.
- Once you have put your name on the wait list, don’t leave and come back. The likelihood is that you will have lost your place in line if your number was called while you were gone and you may have to wait longer than expected.
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