Dreaming of the pork buns from Tim Ho Wan

We’ve been walking around Mongkok for 15 minutes and Tim Ho Wan is still nowhere to be found. Maybe it was not a good idea to come to the original branch after all. Maybe the newer location at the IFC mall would be easier to find. But we’ve read that the experience in the new branch is not the same as what you’ll get in the original location. Putting the food in your mouth and tasting it is an experience. But eating it while witnessing food masters create their masterpieces in the very kitchen where everything started is an entirely different experience.


A few more minutes of walking and asking and we were led to a nook with motorcycles lined up on each sides of the street. Then there was a crowd. It was not the usual kind of crowd that you’ll see in Hong Kong because it was a mix of heights, skin colors, and languages. We looked closer at the label and there it was – Tim Ho Wan, one of the cheapest Michelin restaurants in the world.

Through research, I have  learned that they distribute numbers to accommodate customers. We arrived 10am, right in time for store opening, and were given #36. By this time, the first batch of 30 had already been accommodated inside. The Chinese lady at the door hands out order checklists. We ticked everything that we wanted. Pork barbecue buns, siomai, beef steamed rice rolls, prawn dumplings…The list went on and in the end, we thought we over-ordered. That, we were just about to find out. We handed our orders to the lady and we were told to come back after 2 hours.

It was already 10:30am and we have not eaten yet, not even sipped hot coffee, but we decided to wait. While waiting, we decided to walk around Mongkok. There was a market nearby, stores selling jerkies, and a convenient store; places for people like us who choose to patiently wait. After 2 hours, we went back. The lady was right. We were next in line!




Finally, our number was called and we were ushered inside. It was humble. And crowded. There was not anything fancy to the sight but the smell of dimsum coming from the kitchen was more than enough to have me fancying about our order. The area was too small so we had to share a table with other customers. We waited for our orders to be served. Then came the pork buns, Tim Ho Wan's best seller. They were sweet and crispy but each bite leading you to a delicious explosion of juicy, flavorful pork seasoned in soy, sugar… I really can't tell. All I know is that it was worth the wait. The other orders followed and our table was filled with lots of samples of dimsum here and there.

We ate. We went out full and happy. And we ordered just enough.