Tim Ho Wan, the Dim-Sum Specialists

Its reputation precedes it for good reason! We had some of the best dim sum ever (my british chinese wife more than agrees to that statement). Especially the pork buns, turnip cakes and steamed egg cake are excellent. We were there twice last month and never had to wait more than 10-15 minutes (even for a table for 10 persons), so it's not as bad as some think. Prices are unbelievably cheap (even compared to a standard dim sum place like Maxim's). A must go for any visitor to HK!

Tim Ho Wan's reputation precedes itself. (In)famous for being the "world's cheapest Michelin starred restaurant", Tim Ho Wan served standard dim sum such as turnip cake (蘿蔔糕), lotus wrapped rice dumplings (糯米雞) and shrimp dumplings/ha gao 蝦餃 as well as others. The BBQ pork buns however are the source of a lot of the interest. Inspired by the quintessential Hong Kong snack, the pineapple bun, Tim Ho Wan's cha siu bao are lighter and crisper than the traditional doughy bread version and have the pineapple bun's flaky sugar top. The result is altogether quite different from a regular cha siu bao and they're deceptively addictive. Although the cha siu bao are really the only item thats's remarkable enough to warrant making a special journey to Tim Ho Wan, the rest of the dim sum are also very good, at least as good as 90% of the other places in Hong Kong. A lot of people will complain that they don't deserve a Michelin star or that only the cha siu bao are worth eating, but those people need to judge Tim Ho Wan by its own merits and not compare it to their own preconceived notions. Another aspect of Tim Ho Wan lore is the formidable wait time - we've been to the Tai Kok Tsui branch plenty of times and never had to wait for a table. People seem to forget that there are long waits at a lot of restaurants in Hong Kong at peak hours. All in all, a great place to eat and, frankly, it's cheap. Two can eat here for HKD120 easily.

MUST GO! be prepared to queue for 1-2 hours, worth the wait. BBQ pork bun is a MUST and other dim sum menus are just fantastic! Best dimsum ever tried!