Summary

The author recounts the challenging yet ultimately rewarding experience of searching for and dining at the Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong.

Abstract

The narrative describes the author's initial struggle to locate the Central branch of Tim Ho Wan, a renowned Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong. Despite frustration and conflicting information from Lonely Planet and Google Maps, the author's persistence leads to a serendipitous discovery of the restaurant's actual location within a train station. The account includes the author's navigation through various floors, the use of subtle cues to find the restaurant, and the eventual enjoyment of the meal, which is shared with other diners. The experience is marked by a mix of emotions, from exasperation to satisfaction, and culminates in a communal dining atmosphere where the author observes and interacts with fellow patrons over the unique culinary experience.

Opinions

The author expresses dissatisfaction with the Lonely Planet guide for providing incorrect information about the restaurant's location.
There is a sense of pride and determination in the author's repeated attempts to find Tim Ho Wan.
The author's excitement is palpable upon suspecting the restaurant's location and upon finally confirming it.
The author seems to appreciate the adventure of the search, as well as the quality of the dim sum served at Tim Ho Wan.
A sense of camaraderie is felt when the author and other diners bond over the unexpected arrival of chicken feet and the shared experience of navigating the menu.
The author's overall sentiment is one of contentment and amusement, particularly at the end of the dining experience.

Travel|Food

Searching for Tim Ho Wan

The ups and downs of eating Michelin-Starred dim sum in Hong Kong

Outside Tim Ho Wan after I’d eaten. Photo: ©Nishan Fuard

I couldn’t find the Central branch of Tim Ho Wan on my first day in Hong Kong.

I spent of lot of time and energy and used many, many swear words — aimed at my Lonely Planet guide— but still nothing.

Yet two days later, while in nearby Causeway Bay, I thought I’d try again. Maybe it was a pride thing or a genuine hunger for dim sum…I don’t know.

But just like the first day, I ended up trudging between Hong Kong station and the IFC (International Finance Centre) Mall and back again. This was because Lonely Planet was saying one thing and Google Maps another.

Returning to the station once more I’d decided to give up and take a train elsewhere. It’s then that I noticed the station directory listing the shops.

And there it was: Tim Ho Wan. It was on L1 and not P1 as stated by Lonely Planet. I was right to curse it the first time around and I did so again.

Going back up the escalator I was feeling a little better, a little more hopeful.

I looked around. I looked around again. Nothing.

I wasn’t ready to start crying — a last resort — or be sensible and ask for directions either. So I went back down to re-check the directory.

No surprises: the directory was no help. “Tim Ho Wan L1”, was all it offered. I headed back up again; I’d had enough.

It was only then that I noticed that the escalator was very long. And the ceiling was a strange shape. Rather than a smooth slope it went bumpy at the midway point. Could it be?… I was kind of excited at the thought.

I looked for a different escalator going down. There was only one other but it led to the trains bound for the airport.

I headed down.

Char siu cheung fun (rice noodle roll filled with Chinese barbecue pork). Photo: ©Nishan Fuard

There was another floor! There were different shops! This was L1!

I went straight to what I thought was Tim Ho Wan but I wasn’t sure because the sign wasn’t in English. The place next door was also a restaurant, busy inside, and with a small queue outside.

I’d passed by the floor directory in my excitement so I went back to it now. There was a group of four young people already browsing. I watched as one of the girls’ fingers suddenly stopped as it travelled down the list: Tim Ho Wan.

I decided to follow them.

Naturally, Tim Ho Wan was that restaurant next door. By now, though, the queue was longer — a full zig-zag.

I headed to the back, slightly frustrated, but also relieved it was the right queue.

As I reached there a server, who was minding the queue, immediately noticed me and raised her index finger. I held up my mine too in response. It was perhaps the first time I’d smiled that day.

There were three people at the four-seater table: a woman in front of me and a couple to my right.

I tried to remove one of the green ordering slips from the container in the middle of the table but they’d been jammed in.

Then a server arrived. She slapped down a pink slip and simply said: “English”.

I still had trouble — for some reason I couldn't find the famous baked char siu buns. I picked two other dishes that I recognised instead.

Har gow (shrimp dumplings). Photo: ©Nishan Fuard

The couple soon left and two young men now sat down; one of them placed a Sony camera on the table.

They looked Chinese to me but they spoke to the server in halting English; they needed help ordering.

My food arrived as did the third dish for the woman opposite — green shoots and leaves. After sneaking in some photos, I started eating.

To be honest I hadn't been that hungry when I arrived, but after tucking in I was regretting not ordering more. It was good and dim sum always leaves me looking for another dish to try. Oh well…

The server returned and placed a bowl of chicken feet between the two men. They stared at it. I stopped eating and stared at it too.

Noting the confusion, the woman in front of me remarked to the men that it must belong to someone else. The pair called the server back who then checked the pink slip: the order was correct.

With nothing else to say the photographer, so I guessed, decided to give it a go. After a moment’s hesitation, his friend followed.

I finished eating and turned to spy, in a nonchalant fashion, on my dining companions. The guy to my right noticed, pausing his eating, and smiled…kinda like “What can you do?”. I smiled back.

Then I picked up my bill and left.