Tim Ho Wan – Has the Standard Dropped?

3 years have passed since Tim Ho Wan 1st landed on our shores. Now, the Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant has expanded its presence to 8 locations across the island – 112 Katong, Aperia Mall (Lavender), Atrium@Orchard (Plaza Singapura), CityLink Mall, ERA Centre (Toa Payoh), Pacific Plaza, Tai Seng and Westgate. Last weekend, I visited its newest branch at Pacific Plaza and ordered my favourites. The Steamed Egg Cake was as airy-light, soft and fluffy as the 1st time I tried it though the caramelised taste was more muted than the ones in Hong Kong. Skin of the Steamed Prawn Dumplings was not as springy and translucent-thin as I remembered, and a tad mushy but did not stick to the paper on the bamboo steamer basket. I preferred the succulent and well-marinated prawns in Singapore to Hong Kong's. While Spring Roll with Egg White seemed oilier, the skin was still crackling-crispy thin and went well with the egg white, prawns and chopped carrots. By the way, breakfast sets are also available at CityLink Mall's takeaway counter.

Itacho Sushi

I like Itacho Sushi for its quality and mostly well-executed sushi. Although a tad expensive, and almost always having to wait for seats (no different from Sushi Tei, another Japanese restaurant I frequent for its variety and consistent standard). We visited the one at B3 of Ion Orchard, located between Nara Thai Cuisine and Wrap & Roll, for dinner on a weekend. Other branches can be found at Bedok Mall, Bugis Junction, Changi Airport, JCube, Plaza Singapura and The Star Vista. My dining companion ordered the roasted duck breast sushi and pork sushi not commonly found elsewhere as well as prawn sushi and mango roll. Having tried the whole sea eel sushi before and not particularly impressed with it, I went for a seasonal fish sushi, the scallop with roasted duck breast sushi and a sashimi platter. Also shared sautéed scallops with mushrooms and strips of cabbage, capsicum and carrots in black pepper sauce on hotplate. None of these fresh and succulent dishes disappoint.

Tim Ho Wan

Now, the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant has four branches in Singapore – Atrium@Orchard, ERA Centre, Bedok Mall and Westgate. Almost a year since it started offering authentic made-to-order (not pre-steamed and reheated) Hong Kong style dim sum on our sunny shores, the initial hype has died down so queues were no longer as long. We visited this hole-in-the-wall eatery in the west, and queued about half an hour for lunch despite Sunday being perfect for yum cha. How could we miss the legendary Baked Buns with BBQ Pork? My dining companions, who have eaten at Westgate's Tim Ho Wan before, declared that the standard had dropped though it was still delicious albeit smaller. Steamed Egg Cake was a tad moist, not as airy-light and fluffy as the first time I tried it and no longer addictive. Deep-Fried Spring Roll with Egg White and Steamed Pork Rib with Black Bean Sauce tasted largely the same as my previous visits, except maybe the former was a tad oilier.

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken opened a few years ago in Singapore but I have always been put off by the long queue at Ion Orchard. Set up by four foodie friends who saw and tried several eateries in bustling New York selling Korean-style fried chicken, this is not a franchise from South Korea. Other branches include the one at Plaza Singapura (there was no queue when I passed by after eating at Tim Ho Wan), another three in the Philippines and four in Indonesia. Located at basement 4 opposite the first overseas outlet of Sydney-based burger heavyweight Charlie & Co, the queue was not long enough to deter me from joining after I saw the snaking one at Krispy Kreme. Still, it took me about 10 minutes to reach the counter. Was given a "buzzer" that would light up, sound and vibrate when my order was ready for collection and a good 20 minutes passed before it was my turn.

Tim Ho Wan Revisited

Have you heard the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant has expanded its presence in Singapore? Tim Ho Wan by Chef Mak Kwai Pui opened a 2nd branch on Thursday at ERA Centre, formerly known as Toa Payoh Entertainment Centre. But until its official launch sometime next month instead of July as initially planned, it is available only to staff of Hersing Corporation and ERA agents who can bring along their family and friends. So my dining companions and I visited the one at Atrium@Orchard, next to Plaza Singapura. More than 4 months have passed since the hole-in-the-wall eatery, offering authentic made-to-order (not pre-steamed and reheated) Hong Kong style dim sum, arrived on our shores. I reached 15 minutes before it was opened for business yesterday and estimated from my position in the queue we would be within the 1st batch of seating. While waiting, order chits were distributed as staff asked for the number of people in each group.

New Kid on the Block – Tim Ho Wan

The world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant has landed on our shores. Tim Ho Wan by Chef Mak Kwai Pui, who hopes to offer authentic made-to-order (not pre-steamed and reheated) Hong Kong style dim sum to Singapore, opened at Atrium@Orchard yesterday. Next to Plaza Singapura, this is the hole-in-the-wall eatery's 1st overseas branch with the 2nd one in Toa Payoh opening in July and another four by year end. Recalled seeing a long queue at the original Mong Kok branch, which was awarded one Michelin star within a year of business and continued to earn the accolade every year since. With its recent move to Olympian City, the only branch with the hard-earned one star now is Sham Shui Po's though Tim Ho Wan also has presence in North Point and IFC Mall. No different from Hong Kong, seating here is on a 1st-come 1st-serve basis but customers can get a queue number and go shopping until they received a notification via SMS that their table is ready.

New Kid on the Block – Hoshino Coffee

Was looking forward to the opening of Hoshino Coffee, the more upmarket and artisanal sister café of Doutor Coffee. Both are managed by D&N Singapore, part of parent company Doutor Nichires Holdings in Japan, who also runs Japanese style spaghetti restaurant chain Yomenya Goemon and Chinese restaurant chain The Asian Kitchen. Presence of Japanese brands in the local coffee scene booming with both chains and home-grown independent joints meant caffeine junkies like me are spoilt for choice. Mild versus strong java, flat or full-bodied, from the usual American ones to recent additions such as Australian's Jamaica Blue and English's Costa Coffee with their 2nd and 3rd branches at The Star Vista and Vivocity respectively. At the revamped Atrium@Orchard next to Plaza Singapura, there is Starbucks on the 1st floor as well as Dome and Hoshino on the 3rd. Note that escalator from the 1st floor seemed to lead to the 2nd when it actually leads to the 3rd.