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2020-10-25
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Summary: Still the best value dim sum (not the best if money is no object). Pretty crowded so go early.The Goods: Very affordable for the price. All dishes are great, and freshly made. The Bads: Long wait (I didn't spend too much time - see below). The space is a bit cramp. We were seated right next to another couple.Damage: We (2 persons) spent HK$165 (no SC applicable, but add HK$8 for 2 persons for tea). So that's HK$82.5 per person, not bad at all really.This is my 3rd time coming to this p
The Goods: Very affordable for the price. All dishes are great, and freshly made.
The Bads: Long wait (I didn't spend too much time - see below). The space is a bit cramp. We were seated right next to another couple.
Damage: We (2 persons) spent HK$165 (no SC applicable, but add HK$8 for 2 persons for tea). So that's HK$82.5 per person, not bad at all really.
This is my 3rd time coming to this particular shop. Tim Ho Wan, through their Michelin 1-star branding, has a lot of branches in Hong Kong (and over the world really), but I honestly think that the quality at this Sham Shui Po shop is the best. Other branches are quite unpredictable in the quality; the 1-star is only applicable to this shop too, so that's not so surprising.
I spent only 1 minute waiting because I went pretty early and arrived at 11.30am; that's just 30 minutes after the shop opens. Not to mention that it's still COVID and so, no tourists (I think). We were seated at a table for two, but it's right next to the other table. The good thing with COVID now is that there is a thin plastic board to block the 2 tables, so it feels more claustrophobic but at the same time, we were spared of the awkward stare with the next table. The space is very tight but that is to expect in Hong Kong's local eat.
What we ordered;
The Char siu bo luo bao (BBQ pork "pineapple" bun) came out very quickly. In case you don't know yet, there is no pineapple in the dish like the name suggests; it's only the appearance of the baked skin that (kind of) resembles pineapple. I think this is the best one in town really, very soft dough, crispy skin, and balanced/rich BBQ pork filling. The filling is not too sweet as in most other restaurants. The statement in my summary above does not apply for this one; although it's cheap it's still the best. It's good that it came out first too, as it really kicked off my appetite.
Char siu "pineapple" bun
$22
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Right after the BBQ bun came the Char siu cherng fen (steamed rice roll with BBQ pork). It's great too; the rice roll is soft yet a bit chewy, provided some texture. The BBQ pork is well seasoned, and compliments well with the sauce. It's also not too oily. The only complaint that I have is I personally prefer more BBQ pork .
Char siu rice roll
$25
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The Siu mai (pork & shrimp steam dumpling) and Ha gao (steamed shrimp dumpling) came together. Unfortunately I don't have the photo for Ha gao ...... sorry totally forgot because they're stacked togather. This is where my opinion is a bit undecided. Don't get me wrong, they're still great for what they are, but I think there are also better ones but not at this price. So, they're still the best all things considered; but if money is no object, then there are better ones. I personally prefer Ha gao to have some more pork filling so that it provides fuller flavour, while siu mai needs a bit more shrimp meat. I know! I sound arrogant, wanting more on one thing, and less on the other, but hey! balance is what distinguish good to awesome food. In any case, they're still very good. The bad ones are real bad, ranging from not enough texture (mush), not enough fat (yes, pork fat for flavour), wet skin, etc. These don't have any of those bad quality!
Siu mai
$30
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They then followed by Mai gai (steamed sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf). This one is a bit disappointing really. I remember last time was not like this. The rice this time feels like it need more time to cook - it's still pretty dry and hard. I'm not looking for wet rice - that's a bad thing - but it's really too dry. We got one mushroom bit in the filling, but it's the stem.... a bit weird because usually we discard the stem and use only the cap. That's it for bad things. It's still good as a dish, but I would rather order other things for sake of my belly :')
Steamed sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf
$30
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We got the Fung zao (steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce) last. It tastes great even if we already ate a lot. it's very "fluffy" and soft; eating is is no hassle as the skin comes off the bone very easily. The sauce is well seasoned, and not too salty too - that's usually my problem with black bean sauce.
Chicken feet with black bean
$20
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All-in-all, I think Tim Ho Wan (this particular shop, not necessarily the other ones) really worth a visit if you're into local eats. If money is no object however you can go to fancier places for better ambient, better service, and maybe better food. When I say better food, it's only better ingredients, not the taste.
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