The Hong Kong yum cha sensation that is Tim Ho Wan has arrived at the newly renovated food court above Chatswood train station. Rumour has it that if you start lining up now, you should be able to get a seat next week. Slight exaggeration, but as a rough guide we waited for around 1.5hrs when we went at 12pm on a Saturday. It's popularity and hype is based off the original Hong Kong restaurant, which is dubbed the "world's cheapest Michelin-star restaurant". Outside of Hong Kong, there are only franchises in 3 countries - Singapore (which I have also been to), Philippines and now Australia.
The vibe (and pricing) is definitely not of the cheapest yum cha in Sydney. The table area is actually quite spaced out and roomy, the restaurant is clean, and waiters wear plastic masks which I assume is to prevent them from spitting into your food??
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| Random fact: Tim Ho Wan is not the name of the owner or chef, it actually translates to adding good luck. |
The menu is very simple, there are 25 dishes and 6 beverages. Many of the items can be found at most yum cha joints, however some do
stand out. The dish which has given Tim Ho Wan world wide fame is the
BBQ Pork Bun - of the 1hr 30mins that I waited, I would dedicate 1hr
29mins to the BBQ Pork Bun.
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| Simple menu of Tim Ho Wan |
You order by filling in the number of servings of each item you like on a paper menu. With a large enough group, it is very possible to
try every single dish! For smaller groups I would recommend trying the "Big 4 Heavenly Kings" (4 specialty dishes), the pork rib, wasabi prawn dumpling, braised chicken feet (if you are brave or Asian...) and the mango sago pomelo. Some people actually order an extra serving of the BBQ Pork Bun to takeaway though it is definitely not as tasty as having them fresh.
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| H1: BBQ Pork Bun $6.80. Sweet, crispy bun, filled with savory, moist char siu pork. Best dish! If there is one extra, don't do the Asian polite thing and not eat it...fight for it!! |
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| H2: Carrot Cake $6.00. Less oily than at other places, worth a try. |
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| H3: Steamy Egg Cake $5.50. Sweet and fluffy. |
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| H4: Vermicelli Roll with Pig's Liver $7.50. Personally not a fan of liver. Only get it if you like pate flavour, otherwise V5 which has BBQ pork as the filling is a good alternative. |
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| C8: Braised Chicken Feet with Abalone sauce $6.20. Surprisingly nice - not as savory as what you commonly find with the black bean sauce version. |
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| S11: Pork Rib with black bean sauce $6.80. Tender with just the right amount of fat. Recommended. |
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| S9: Prawn Dumpling $7.80. Nothing spectacular. A bit pricy for only 4. |
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| S13: Beancurd skin with Pork and Shrimp $6.20. The beancurd skin absorbs all the flavours really well. Recommended. |
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| D18: Wasabi Prawn Dumpling $7.80. Deep-fried. Funky idea, I wouldn't mind a stronger wasabi kick. |
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| R23: Glutinous rice in Lotus Leaf $8.80. Lacks fillings, I wouldn't recommend wasting your stomach room on this. |
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| R22: Rice with chicken, sausage and mushroom $8.80. Again rice is very filling, I would rather fill myself with another BBQ pork bun! |
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| D24: Mango Sago Pomelo $6.00. Light, sweet, chilled. Recommended. |
Recommendations:
- Expect a (very, very) long wait if you are planning to go before mid year or maybe even beyond. Great way to catch up on the entire life stories of your friends while waiting in the queue.
- If you prefer a shorter wait, consider going at an unconventional meal time.
- Dishes are suited for sharing so go with a group.
- You can get takeaway of the BBQ Pork Bun (only if you order at the table).
- Personally I think it is worth trying - provided the wait time is less than 30 mins...so maybe try it next year?
