Tim Ho Wan

Sunday happened to be the day when Amir’s dim sum fetish appeared to take hold. He thus suggested that we visit Tim Ho Wan (THW), which had make the Michelin’s guidebook for Hong Kong over the last few years. 

After some discussion, we decided to head to the original THW in Sham Shui Po. While the quality of THW apparently varies across HK, the original one would hopefully hold up to the scrutiny. 
Personally, I have never enjoyed the THW outlets in Singapore. The curse of the central kitchen means that the produce that reaches the table never seems fresh enough. You can steam it, bake it, boil it or fry it upon order, but refrigerated food never quite tastes the same. 

Maybe it was the number of people or the incessant queues, which meant a constant stream of fresh dim sum, but THW in Sham Shui Po was really good. Three items really stood out:

– Char Siew Pao, which comes in a flakey pastry akin to a HK-style pineapple bun (Bo Lo Bao). While I normally don’t like char siew, the texture of the pastry was a definite standout. 

– Lor Mai Gai, where the massive sticky glutinous rice could feed a small family by itself. There were a number of different ingredients, with Chinese sausage, chicken, minced meat and mushrooms. 

– Pork liver rice roll or cheong fun, which was relatively surprising since I normally don’t like the taste of liver. In this instance however, the oil/lard from the liver complemented the rice roll perfectly. 

All in all, this was a visit that changed my perception of THW as more than just another successful franchise. It is definitely a worth a visit to Sham Shui Po, even in the inclement heat of Hong Kong summer.