Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait beyond 30 minutes as smaller groups seemed to get seated first. We couldn’t quite decide what to order and so practically almost ordered one of each type of dim sum on the menu. While we were waiting for our food, we noticed that not far away in the kitchen, staff were busying preparing freshly made dim sum. That’s one of the major selling points of Tim Ho Wan. Instead of serving pre-made, frozen and reheated dim sum, this restaurant prides itself for serving freshly made dim sum.

The carrot cake was delectable. It was soft yet crisp on the outside and importantly, it was not too oily or salty. The Har Gao (prawn dumplings) were fresh and succulent. One of the best I’ve tasted. And even though I am not a fan of chicken’s feet, I’d have to agree with my hubby that they prepared this dish exceptionally well.

I’ve always been a fan of Ham Shui Kok (Fried salty pork dumpling?) but find that most are too chewy, with the glutinous flour portion sticking to one’s teeth. The ones served here were not too chewy, with a very fragrant interior. I should have ordered more! The crystal dumplings were filled with meat and chives. Though this was not one of my favourite items, my mom really did like it. The lotus leaf wrapped glutinous rice was probably one of the more disappointing items we ordered. Even though the fragrance of the lotus leaf permeated the rice very well, the filling was not quite as tasty as I had hoped it would be.

To be honest, I can’t quite recall what dish the first picture in this series represents. I vaguely remember that it contained arrowroot and perhaps some meat? The rice flour roll was of just the right consistency. It was not too soft, and retained a little bit of resistance when you bite into it. Just the way I like it. And the steamed pork ribs? One word: Yums.

The century egg porridge was nothing spectacular. It tasted rather bland. Perhaps, this is how the locals like their porridge. The siew mai was as tasty as it’s brother, the har gao. I think the freshness of the ingredients the restaurant uses goes a long way in bringing out the flavour of their dim sum. The po luo bao was very very good. When you first take a bite, you encounter the crisp and flaky exterior, which quickly gives way to the moist and delicious centre. I could probably have eaten all three of them if I wasn’t so stuffed!

And to round things off, we ordered dessert. The mango pudding definitely did not disappoint. It was rich and creamy, with a generous portion of mango pieces within. The Osmanthus flower jelly was very interesting indeed. It was mildly sweet and had the strong fragrance of the Osmanthus flower.

And to conclude this rather long, picture heavy post, I would have to say that I strongly, highly recommend this place if you decide to pay Hong Kong a visit. Having said that however, I’d have to make a disclaimer that if you are expecting innovative, fusion dim sum, you will not find it here. But if you are like me, and prefers the traditional selection of dim sum, then Tim Ho Wan is definitely the place to visit.

Tim Ho Wan
9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po

After reading reviews about this restaurant from websites and the Miele Guide, we decided on a recent trip to Hong Kong that a visit to this place is a must. We were surely not disappointed. We arrived at the restaurant early, as we did not make a reservation, and were fortunate to get a seat as the restaurant filled up pretty quickly afterwards.

Dinner began with their house specialty, which is served to all their guests. Yung Kee’s century eggs are preserved by the restaurant’s chefs using a special recipe and hence tasted very different from the ones we are used to. The centre of the egg is still fluid, with the distinct flavour of century eggs, yet without the fishy smell. Absolutely delicious.

One of the house specials that night was their small braised abalone. We ordered one each and were delighted at the springy yet tender texture of the abalone. The braising sauce was very tasty and complemented the abalone perfectly.

And what’s a visit to Yung Kee if one does not try the famous roast goose? The skin of the roast goose was crisp with some of the mouthwatering fat oozing forth with every bite. The meat was tender and absolutely flavourful. Even though they provided a plum sauce for dipping, I preferred the meat just as it is. Perhaps it is not for the health conscious but who cares? The dieting can start after the trip.

To ease our guilt over the roasted goose, we decided to think healthy and order some vegetables. Though the presentation of the vegetables was nothing to shout about, we thoroughly enjoyed the crisp sweetness of the vegetables that still retained its crunch with every bite.

And now, drumroll please. We attempted something that could possibly be on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizzare Foods. That’s right – Sea cucumber intestines. In fact, this very interesting dish was not even found on the menu. One has to ask for it, and it’s seasonal. We asked for them to be done simply – fried and seasoned with salt and pepper, so that we could try its original taste. The texture was slightly crunchy, similar experience as if one was eating some fried tendons I suppose. Without the salt and the pepper, I supposed these would have tasted rather bland as the sea cucumber intestines did not seem to have much flavour on their own. It was tasty nonetheless.

We completed our dinner with their double boiled chicken soup, served with chicken feet and mushrooms. The soup was rich and totally gratifying. I only wish I could duplicate such flavour at home. I am almost certain there was some chinese ham in it.

And finally, a snapshot to seal our memories of Yung Kee – a row of mouthwatering chinese ham, prepared by the restaurant themselves. Unfortunately, the prices of these were as exquisite as the appearance of these hams. Coupled with the fact that they only sell them by the leg, we obviously did not purchase any.

Yung Kee Restaurant
32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
http://www.yungkee.com.hk

We were too late for breakfast and had to order from their lunch menu. I ordered a crabmeat pasta which honestly, was unspectacular. They were rather generous with their crabmeat and shaved parmesan, but sadly, the crabmeat was not quite fresh.

Girlfriends decided to go for the fish and chips and the calamari which tasted pretty good. They were a way lot better than the pasta. The batter used for the fish and chips remained crispy even after some time. It wasn’t overtly oily. The chips were chunky and yummy. I am definitely partial to chunky fries.

The calamari was above average. It was crisp on the outside but just right on the inside and not too chewy. The mayo dip complemented the calamari very well.

For dessert, we shared a “Death by Chocolate” which essentially was a piece of warmed chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream. The cake was very rich and chocolatey. It was very gooey but I wished that it would slightly less sticky. The vanilla bean ice cream was good. This is worth a try if you pop by this place.

Riders Cafe is located at 51 Fairways Drive, Bukit Timah Saddle Club

Personally, I’ve never been to Jumbo, and so was taken aback to see so many customers that weekday night. Indeed, the restaurant was packed! My hopes at finding good food that night was elevated. We went for a set dinner package for 4 people, so that we could try a variety of things. We were not disappointed. Here are some of the dishes we ordered.

The mixed platter, featuring seasoned jelly fish, braised duck with cucumber and mango salad, seafood rolls and fried special beancurd was a good start to our meal. The jelly fish was tangy and spicy, whetting our appetite.

Next up, steamed drunken prawns. They were so sweet and succulent! Absolutely lovely.

We had to have some vegetables for a balanced meal and this was surprisingly good. A common dish, but nicely done.

The chilli crab was the highlight of our dinner. It was the very reason why we were even there in the first place! The crab was fresh, succulent and sweet. The chilli gravy really complemented the crabs well. Served with fried and steamed mantou buns, these were really fulfilling.

Location: Jumbo Seafood, Blk 11 Dempsey Road #01-16

This mozzarella cheese is an absolute favourite among us. It is different from the usual Caprese that most Italian restaurants serve. This is hand braided buffalo mozzarella, freshly imported from Naples, Italy. The taste is fantastic, if you are a cheese fan, of course.

This antipasti is very appetising and really whets your appetite. The vongole is fresh, sweet and succulent. The white wine tomato sauce complements the vongole totally.

This is one of our house favourites. The squid ink crab meat pasta. I don’t recall a time at the restaurant when this was not one of our orders. If you enjoy seafood pasta, you have got to try this. The handmade squid ink pasta retains some resistance when you bite into it. Flavoured by the chunky crab meat in a tomato based seafood sauce, the taste is heavenly. Enough said.

This was one of their specials of the day and so we decided to try it. The pasta tasted typical, but the meatballs were really good.

How can we forget their wood fired pizzas? This one has a thin and crisp crust. The fillings were rich but accompanied with the rucola and freshly shaved parmesan, the taste was delightful. J had many slices of this.

Check out the restaurant at 11 Jalan Bingka, Mayfair Park.

J also bought a small rectangular slice of Pepperoni pizza to try. That too, was delicious. The pepperoni and cheese was topped over a flavourful tomato based crust. The crust was more crispy that the earlier pizza that we tried.

Address: Blk 164 Bukit Batok Street 11, #01-152 (Near the market, beside Guardian Pharmacy)

We went for their Ala Carte Buffet, which comes with free-flow of drinks. The main highlight for us that it was free flow of sashimi as well. Yes… free flow. And the variety was truly worth the value of the buffet. They served up the typical Salmon sashimi, but also served Hamachi (yellow-tail), Tai (Sea bream), Tako (Octopus) and Ama Ebi (sweet prawn). The sashimi was fresh and sweet. It was truly mouth-watering.

We tried their tempura, which was lovely as the prawns used were very fresh, and also their grilled Sanma Shio. The fish was grilled to perfection, with just a pinch of salt so that one can taste its natural sweetness. J couldn’t stop raving about this.

Their softshell crab was a tat bit puny though, but still delicious. We tried a variety of sushi and handrolls, and were impressed with their california maki and unagi handroll. Personally though, I would give their chawanmushi a skip. When dinner’s almost done, we washed everything down with a serving of their clear and tangy teapot soup. Dessert was homemade macha ice-cream and grape sorbet.

A truly contenting meal.

Location: Keppel Club, Level 1
Price: $38++ for non members
Buffet availability: Saturday and Sunday (Lunch and dinner), Monday (Dinner only)