Date attended: 13 December 2015 Style: Restaurant Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Yum Cha What to look out for: Tim Ho Wan’s signature Baked Bun with BBQ Pork
“Tim Ho Wan is just another yum cha restaurant despite having the prized award of a Michelin Star for its Hong Kong branch.”
Tim Ho Wan is quite the buzz in the culinary world; gaining its reputation for cheapest eats/yum cha with a Michelin Star in Hong Kong. The dishes at Tim Ho Wan are cooked made-to-order; all freshly prepared each day.
Like many other foodies, I was quite excited at first to hear that Tim Ho Wan was opening up in Australia - but when I break it down, it's just another yum cha joint so I personally didn't get into the hype. Tim Ho Wan opened up its first store in Chatswood in May this year, however the lines were so long, I didn’t bother going on opening week. Due to its popularity, they announced 2 more stores opening in Sydney – Sydney Pitt Street Mall, and Burwood. It was only a matter of time before the itch to go grew stronger.
And so, a party of 7 bravely ventured out to Burwood; looking to try what Tim Ho Wan is all about.
Braised Chicken Feet with Abalone Sauce
Prawn Dumpling (Har Gow)
Pork Dumpling with Shrimp (Siu Mai)
Rice Noodle Roll with BBQ Pork
Broccoli with Abalone Scallop Sauce
Pan-Fried Turnip Cake
Beancurd Skin Roll with Shrimp
Beancurd Skin with Pork & Shrimp
Beef Ball with Beancurd Skin
Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling
Crystal Shrimp Roll with Century Egg (a current special at the Burwood store)
Tim Ho Wan’s famous Baked Bun with BBQ Pork
Cracking open the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork
What Lexxie Says: When you step inside Tim Ho Wan, it has a good atmosphere to it - the place is well presented, the staff are friendly and quick on their feet. People were buzzing with anticipation as the staff came around with their orders.
As always, negatives first. Be prepared to wait in a line or queue. For others, some may have been lucky enough to walk straight in. When I went, we weren’t in a queue, but we had to wait for all our friends to be present before they gave us a table. So that’s probably a nice tip to know about – compared to other yum cha places, they give you a table while your friends – the ones who came early – pig out first.
Speaking of other yum chas, you need to remember that Tim Ho Wan is just another yum cha restaurant despite having the prized award of a Michelin Star for its Hong Kong branch. You will do well to remember it’s just a simple yum cha joint. The fact that people have over hyped Tim Ho Wan coming to Australia might leave you a little disappointed and underwhelmed as you leave.
Light is at the end of the tunnel, so here are the positives. Their signature Baked Bun with BBQ Pork. It had a crunchy top with a soft inside. The pork filling was full of flavour and not heavy compared to other yum cha places. I’m surprised we didn’t order all of it in the store.
Special shout outs to the Pork Dumpling with Shrimp (Siu Mai), Pan-Fried Turnip Cake. When you go to other yum chas, Siu Mai and their Pan-Fried Turnip Cake is quite dense, hard, oily and/or has a bite to it (which others feel isn’t a bad thing). Tim Ho Wan’s Siu Mai and Turnip Cake wasn’t dense and really soft to bite into. It felt like they reinvented the texture of both dishes. I can understand if people prefer it at other yum chas. But if you’re wanting something with a bit less bite that still retains the quality of a classic dish, then I recommend you try these dishes at Tim Ho Wan.
Overall, it was ok. When I visit Hong Kong, I’d love to try the one there.
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