A lot of people actually mispronounce Tim Ho Wan and read it like an English word. The real pronunciation is actually Tim1 Ho2 Wan3. That is how Cantonese pronounce it 🙂 Okay I am not here to correct people’s pronunciation today.
So I finally dined at Tim Ho Wan @ Plaza Singapura! Was heading to SEA Aquarium with Mummy last week and we decided to dine at THW before heading to RWS. Since it came to Singapore like 2-3 years ago, I haven’t got a chance to dine there yet. Reason being, it’s always very crowded and has a long long queue. So no point waiting for a few hours to just eat Dim Sum. Luckily, there was NO QUEUE that day. Lucky me indeed.
Many people have extreme comments about THW. Some commented that the one at Hong Kong is better, some said that its not worth the queue, some said that it’s good and etc. As I’ve always said, food tasting is very subjective, there is no one size fits all opinion. Try it out for yourself, don’t get discourage to try it out just because people say its not good.
The place I would say is a bit small (maybe that’s why always long queue) but the service is very efficient.
Century Egg Congee (Pei Dan Zhok)
Price: SGD4.20
Rating: 4/5
As a Cantonese, I really like Congee over Porridge. So what is the difference? Congee is more of Cantonese style porridge where they will grind the rice grains into powder and then cook it, so the end result is that it’s very sticky and you will feel more full after eating. Porridge is more of Teochew style (which I don’t like to eat), they just directly throw the rice grains in to cook and it’s watery (those that you can find at Zhap Chai Peng stall or Taiwan Porridge places).
I think that $4.20 for a bowl of congee is quite acceptable. Canton Paradise or even Coffeeshop Dim Sum stall already sells more than that. I remembered I had this super nice congee at Red Star Restaurant when I was very young, as they put in Dried Oyster (Hoe Si) which brings out the very strong taste of the Pei Dan Zhok. But I can’t find it anywhere else now. So the one at THW is the closest that match the fit. But if you don’t like sticky food, you might not like this congee.
BBQ Pork Bun (Char Siew Bao)
Price: SGD5.00
Rating: 4/5
This is one of their 四大天王 (the other 3 are the Egg Cake, Pork Liver Cheong Fun and Pan-Fried Carrot Cake). It looks very big on photo but actually it’s not that big. I like the Char Siew within the bun as it’s not too sweet nor salty. And the outer layer of the bun is so crispy yet not oily. One of their best sellers and something which I anticipated to try for very long!
Don’t get what I mean?
Now you get it. Ahh, I miss it now. I am someone who doesn’t like to eat Char Siew Bao because the Char Siew is often quite sweet and Bao is very floury. But this is so different!
Pan-Fried Carrot Cake (Lor Pak Gou)
Price: SGD4.80
Rating: 4/5
I like this too! The usual Lor Pak Gou that I can find at most Dim Sum places. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with Lap Cheong pieces. Smells so good!
Steamed Egg Cake
Price: SGD3.80
Rating: 2.5/5
I personally don’t really like this because I find it a bit too sweet for me. Maybe they used Brown Sugar to make this? One of their 四大天王.
Steamed Prawn Dumpling (Har Gao)
Price: SGD6.00
Rating: 3/5
I would this it is quite expensive for 4 pieces of Har Gao! Canton Paradise sells it for SGD5.80 and other Dim Sum places I went to sells it for SGD4.80! I think that the skin is a bit floury and thick which I don’t quite like. However, points added for the fresh prawns which they used. I always prefer Har Gao over Siew Mai because I don’t like meat. Haha, yes I know I am a very picky eater.
Steamed Spinach Dumpling
Price: SGD3.80
Rating: 3.5/5
This is something which I would like to recommend. I think seldom people will order this as most of them don’t eat vegetable for Dim Sum. But I am always looking for this whenever I eat Dim Sum. Some places will replace the Spinach with Chinese Spinach (苋菜) which I really love. Swatow Dim Sum @ Toa Payoh sells the one with Chinese Spinach. At least, the skin for this dumpling is much thinner than that of the Har Gao. Bonus points for fresh prawns!
Prawn Roll Cheong Fun
Price: SGD6.00
Rating: 3.5/5
Everything about the Cheong Fun is good just that.. they added in the 韭菜 which I had to remove it as I didn’t like the taste. But thumbs up to the soy sauce, I don’t know how they make it but it’s just so good!
Some people said that THW is over-rated and the food is not as good as some other Dim Sum places. Some said the one in Hong Kong is better. Some said they don’t like the food there. But for me, I think that it is food there is good and for pricing wise, given the fact that it’s a Michelin-rated restaurant, I think it’s still acceptable! I’ll definitely go back again. The service staff there were also very attentive and food was served in the shortest possible time. Though I would think the place is a bit cramp.
Service: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Freshness of Food: 4/5
Value for Money: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 14/20
Tim Ho Wan
68 Orchard Road #01-29A
Plaza Singapura
Singapore 238839
Tel: (65) 6251 2000
Opening Hours:
10.00am – 10.00pm (Monday – Friday) Last Order @ 0930pm.
09.00am – 10.00pm (Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday) Last Order @ 0930pm.
The Piscean Girl 