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.

What and Where to Eat in Hong Kong (Part II)

...continued from What and Where to Eat in Hong Kong (Part I)

Roast meat and wonton noodles
You cannot go wrong with roast meat and wonton noodles. Have tried at random places on different trips and not come across unpalatable ones. Maybe we were lucky but the one that I like and always go back to is Yung Kee – recommended by a local during our 1st trip to Hong Kong many years back. Its signatures included charcoal roasted goose and crispy roasted pigeon, which I fell in love with and never failed to order. Thin crisp skin with tender meat that was neither too dry nor oily, its taste was accentuated when dipped in the accompanying salt though some may find this combination too salty. Fret not if so since it is just as good as-is. A travel companion found the dim sum here the best that we had during our trip. Hong Kong's wonton noodles are not served with char siu and the wonton consists of prawns, not meat. At Mak's Noodle, the noodles were springy and wonton succulent but a tad salty and of the same standard as Singapore's.

What and Where to Eat in Hong Kong (Part I)

Do not leave Hong Kong without eating at a cha chan teng or dai pai dong. The former can be found everywhere while there are only a handful of the latter left as the government stopped issuing licenses for them due to congestion and hygiene problems. Both, and cooked food centres similar to our hawker centres, sell anything from po lo bao to cart noodles (or instant noodles with egg, ham/luncheon meat/sausage) and rice. In Singapore, we may have shared table with strangers at a coffeeshop, food court or hawker centre. But here, it is normal to be seated with strangers at restaurants especially at crowded places. Now…what should you eat in this former British Colony that justifies the almost-four-hours flight? Having been here a couple of times over the last few years, these are my recommendations:

Asia Grand Restaurant

Having heard many rave about the good but expensive dim sum at Asia Grand Restaurant, I finally made my way to the Cantonese restaurant at Odeon Towers (opposite Raffles Hotel) recently. Not sure whether it would be packed for lunch on a weekday, we decided to call that morning to make reservations before making our way there. Promptly seated and asked what tea we would like, as the appetiser of assorted pickled capsicum and cucumber with fishcakes was served. Different from the usual braised or roasted peanuts, this was surprisingly addictive even for someone who does not eat capsicum and cucumber. Service was professional, and we did not have to wait long for our orders upon placing them. As mango and prawn go well together, Fried Mango Shrimp Roll is a hard-to-go-wrong dish except that it can sometimes be too oily. But here, it was not too greasy.

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.

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.

Modern Asian Diner

Collaboration between Tung Lok Group, Dick Lee, Bakerzin, Bar Stories and Top Wines led to Modern Asian Diner at The Grandstand (formerly known as Turf City). Abbreviated as MAD, the 5-in-1 concept combines dining, bakery, bar, wine and retail under one roof. On the lower floor with a door that leads outside is the sunlit bakery by Bakerzin, with displays of freshly-baked breads and pastries. Located near the taxi stand at South Grandstand with glass walls, it is simply furnished with concrete floor and lots of space between wooden tables and chairs. A yellow feature wall stood out against the neutral palette, except for a wall with colourful polka dots. Climbed a few steps to the upper floor where the front and right walls were adorned by red cushioned booth seats, tables and walls. To the left is the bar, manned by mixologist from bespoke cocktail maker Bar Stories, with blue-lit boxes against black walls. In the middle were blue, brown and white rattan chairs.