Tim Ho Wan 添好運 Singapore ~ The BBQ Pork Buns Are A Must-Try At This Popular Michelin Star Dim Sum Restaurant From Hong Kong!

I know I'm very slow but I've finally tried Tim Ho Wan (添好運)! Much has been said, read, raved about its legendary must-try, the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (酥皮叉烧包)!! What deters me from checking out this cheapest One-Michelin Star Dim Sum restaurant which hails from Hong Kong earlier is the queue, which is as famous as the bun itself, with waiting time stretching to 2-3 hours when it first opened in April in Singapore.

It seems that the hype has died down quite a bit as we queued for only 30mins during peak lunch hours at the Plaza Singapura outlet on a weekday. With the Toa Payoh outlet officially opening today (8 Sep), another at Bedok Mall set to be ready by end of the year and a West-area outlet in plans, fans will soon be able to enjoy Tim Ho Wan's delectable dim sum in more locations, and hopefully, may there be no more long queues.

Looking at Tim Ho Wan's simple order chit which listed clearly all the dim sum items available, we did not have to think twice about ordering its highly-acclaimed FOUR HEAVENLY KINGS (四大天王) ~ Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (酥皮叉烧包), Steamed Egg Cake (香滑马来糕) , Pan Fried Carrot Cake (香煎萝卜糕) and Vermicelli Roll with Pig's Liver (黄沙猪润肠).

The moment I picked up the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50/3pcs) with my hands, I knew everything that was said about its soft crumbly skin texture is true. A gentle tear into the dome-shaped bun revealed dices of barbequed pork which looked so inviting! Oh my goodness, after a few photos later, the experience reached to a climax as I finally bite into the divine combination of unbelievably light crust reminiscent of polo bun (菠蘿包) and moist, tender pork filling, blissfully relishing in the heaven of sweet and savory! Wow! This is a stunning must-order in every sense!

The other Heavenly King which took my breathe away was the Steamed Egg Cake ($3.80/1pc). Looking nondescript in its shade of brown, its appeal lies in the ethereally airy texture! The steamed cake was so pillowy soft and cotton candy-like, completed with a slightly sweet taste and delicate caramel fragrance which sealed its position as my personal must-eat-again item! It's spectacular!

Pan Fried Carrot Cake ($4.50/3pcs) pleased with its flavorsome taste. Its soft texture is liven up with bits of radish but its outer layer is unfortunately not crisp at all. I had better ones elsewhere so this pales in comparison.

We overdosed ourselves with rice vermicelli rolls that day lol! Besides the heavenly king Vermicelli Roll with Pig's Liver ($5.50), we also tried the other versions - Vermicelli Roll with BBQ Pork ($5.50) and Vermicelli Roll with Shrimps ($5.50), all bathed in a sweetish light soya sauce. If I had to chose only one, my choice definitely goes to the pig's liver!

Considered to be a more unique offering which differs from other dim sum places, the pig's liver is cottony soft but can be a tad more undercooked. It paired very well with the velvety smooth rice rolls which was thin, but can be thinner. I would recommend you to try this even if you don't like pig's liver, who knows, you might get converted :)

All time dim sum favorites Prawn Dumpling ($5.50/4pcs) and Pork Dumpling with Shrimp ($5/4pcs) aka Har Gow and Siew Mai made their perennial appearance on our table too. Best enjoyed when it's served piping hot, these dainty morsels were fresh and delish, but not to the level of overwhelmingly good.

The other steamed items which we ordered were Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce ($4) and Beancurd Skin Roll with Pork & Shrimp ($4). While both were competently executed, it doesn't have the wow factor to wow me to order them again.

Beef are at their best when they're not well-done but I thought the Beef Ball with Beancurd Skin ($4.20/3pcs) were way too under-cooked during my visit. Sorry but I do not know how to appreciate this beef tartare lookalike balls, leaving it aside after a bite. My friend even described it as "disgusting". Ouch.

I was comforted much by the bowl of Congee with Lean Pork, Century Egg & Salted Egg ($4.20). The consistency is just right and it glided down my throat beautifully. The Glutinous Rice Dumpling ($5) was a surprise. We had left it aside, giving our attention to the other items first because we wanted to have them while it's still hot. But when the leaf is unwrapped, smoke came whiffing up and we were hit with a most intoxicating aroma! We quickly dug into the warm treasure of luscious well-marinated chicken and mushrooms, the sticky glutinous rice was evenly cooked and soft. We were stuffed by this time, yet we were still stuffing ourselves with this, simply because it's so irresistibly good!

Our choice of dessert was Tonic Medlar & Osmanthus Cake ($3.50/3pcs). Served chilled, it was a sweet, very refreshing end to our lunch. Its wobbly jelly-like texture coupled with wolfberries and strands of osmanthus was such a delight. This is a definite must-order too!

Tim Ho Wan has its hits and misses but their hits are more than enough to draw me back. Their new outlet at Toa Payoh will offer items which is only available at that branch, making it another reason for a visit. I think items like Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling ($5), Vermicelli Roll with Sweet & Sesame Sauce ($4.20) and Mango Pomelo Sago ($5) will appeal to my family. Bro, if you're reading this, let's bring mum to a dim sum feast at Tim Ho Wan soon!:D

yoh's branch are: Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling ($5), Vermicelli Roll with Sweet and Sesame Sauce ($4.20) and Mango Pomelo Sago ($5). - See more at: http://soshiok.com.sg/content/new-dishes-and-better-taste-tim-ho-wans-toa-payoh-branch#sthash.DUWIeOsJ.dpuf

Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling ($5), Vermicelli Roll with Sweet and Sesame Sauce ($4.20) and Mango Pomelo Sago ($5). - See more at: http://soshiok.com.sg/content/new-dishes-and-better-taste-tim-ho-wans-toa-payoh-branch#sthash.DUWIeOsJ.dpuf

Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling ($5), Vermicelli Roll with Sweet and Sesame Sauce ($4.20) and Mango Pomelo Sago ($5). - See more at: http://soshiok.com.sg/content/new-dishes-and-better-taste-tim-ho-wans-toa-payoh-branch#sthash.DUWIeOsJ.dpuf

Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling ($5), Vermicelli Roll with Sweet and Sesame Sauce ($4.20) and Mango Pomelo Sago ($5). - See more at: http://soshiok.com.sg/content/new-dishes-and-better-taste-tim-ho-wans-toa-payoh-branch#sthash.DUWIeOsJ.dpuf

Tim Ho Wan 添好運 Singapore
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timhowan

Plaza Singapura Outlet
Address: Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road #01-29A, Singapore 238839
Contact: +65 63832828
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-10pm / Sat & Sun 9am-10pm

Toa Payoh Outlet
Address: ERA Centre, 450 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 #02-02, Singapore 319394
Contact: +65 64832000
Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm