Shum Shui Po Eats: Dim Sum

The Michelin Guide is a yearly publication that ranks restaurants and hotels on an international scale. While the rankings can be controversial, many ardent eaters follow them on their travels, marking off restaurants to visit. While I don't think that this is a complete list by any means, it's fun to see who is included. There is a guide for about 20 countries in the world, covering major cities. Restaurants of note are awarded one, two, or three stars (three being the best).

When I was doing my food research for the neighborhood, I noticed that a one-Michelin-starred restaurant was in the area. That alone might not get me to visit. But better yet, it was considered one of the cheapest dimsum options in town. Whoo; what an irresistible combination! I am there!

English name: Tim Ho Wan

This place ended up being a leisurely 10 minute stroll from my apartment (I am *loving* this neighborhood!). As I had carefully timed my visit to be on a weekday morning, it was not too busy and I was immediately seated and handed a paper checklist of menu items.

Chinese literacy helps make a belly full!

At this point, I mentally lamented my limited stomach and cautiously marked off three items to try. I could always order more later, right?

Item #1 to arrive was their famous roast pork buns (叉燒包). There was something a little different about this version though. Instead of a soft sweet bun with a slightly glazed top, these baked buns were topped with a thin crackly layer of sugar similar to that on a 菠蘿包. The bottom of the bun was also slightly browned, so that there was a slightly crunchy resistance when you bit down.

Three buns to an order, each of them about the size
of my palm. 

I really enjoyed this new texture in my 叉燒包. The sugary top didn't distract from the pork filling, and I think it was especially delicious because it came to the table piping hot. The one small dislike I had was that there was too much porky glaze inside the bun, and not enough pork itself.

Porky innards. The slight change in texture created a whole new
eating experience.

Item #2 to arrive was the Chiu Chow dumpling (潮洲粉果). It's not one of the most popular dumpling choices at dimsum, but I find that I like it more than the traditional shrimp or pork dumplings.

Plumply pretty!

I think I like these dumplings so much because of their flavor and texture contrasts. The skin of this dumpling is particularly sticky and chewy, and it is filled with a myriad of chopped ingredients. I think the filling differs at each restaurant, but typically it includes some sort of meat (pork or shrimp), some form of crunchy vegetable (pickled turnip or water chestnut), some herbs (chives or cilantro), and peanuts. All these combine together to make for a fantastically thrilling bite. The version at Tim Ho Wan didn't feature some of my favored ingredients (no dried shrimp or cilantro), but everything was really fresh and tasty.

Dumpling guts. 

Finally, Item #3 was chicken feet braised in black bean sauce (豉汁鳳爪). The difficulty in this dish (in my opinion), is getting the cooking time right. Too short and the chicken feet will be too chewy. Too long, and there's no texture left (which is what I've experienced a lot in dimsum places). Tim Ho Wan's version was absolutely perfect; the sauce was also spot-on. Not so much of it that the chicken feet were drowning, not too salty, and with a ever-so-slight kick from a thin slice of pepper on top.

Cartilage-y goodness! 

I really enjoyed my meal at Tim Ho Wan. I understand why the place receives criticism (with so many restaurants in Hong Kong, everyone has their own favorites), but I found the food to be very fresh and tasty. And with it being so close, I may just wander over again in a few days to sample some more menu items!