Tim Ho Wan, Hong Kong

Our visit to the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant: bbq pork buns, chicken feet and delicious dim sum, worth the wait!

Tim Ho Wan, "the dim sum specialists" is a restaurant with 4 branches in Hong Kong (they also have some in Singapore); the first one opened in 2009 and they were awarded a Michelin star the following year. Since then it has become an institution of excellent dim sum in HK, with ever present crowds trying to get some of these delicious dishes.

We visited the first one in Sham Shui Po between the Sham Shui Po and Prince Edward MTR stations.
They have a no reservations policy, so when you arrive, you get a number and wait for your turn - numbers are read in Cantonese so there's a high chance you won't understand when they'll call your number, try to stick to some locals and ask them to tell you when they hear your number - or if you prefer, trust your Cantonese skills... if we had, we would have never gotten in!
The papers where you see everyone writing while waiting are the menus that you give to your waiter as you seat. If you're not sure what to get then wait until you're seated and point the dishes you like to the waiter, either from the pictures in the placemat in your table or from what others are having in neighbouring tables - be quick 'cause they don't want to lose their time with you.

Inside, the place is not fancy at all - different from the other food-court-like branches, here tables are filled with families, groups of friends, some couples, fast waiters carrying bamboo steamers, not your romantic first-date spot, but as Hong Kong has taught us, when there's a loud crowd and fast-paced waiters it means the food is good!

We had the classics: shrimp dim sum, vegetables dim sum, baked bbq pork buns and G wanted to try the famous chicken feet with black bean sauce - I am not so adventurous and they were pretty yucky, but if you're up for it, try them just to say you did.

Obviously the dim sum was delicious - they don't call themselves the dim sum specialists for nothing, right? It was the best we had in HK, but the best were the bbq pork buns: crispy, fluffy, freshly baked and filled with sweet barbecue pork, amazing! and all for just HK$ 111! (about €11!) definitely worth any wait!

We tried to go to the branch in Central (inside the Hong Kong MTR station - Podium Level 1, ifc Mall) a couple of times, but once it was also super crowded and the other time they had already closed so check the opening times of the branch you want to visit before going and be ready to wait - you won't regret it!

Tim Ho Wan - Sham Shui Po

G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
九龍深水埗福榮街9-11號地下
Nearest MTR stations: Sham Shui Po, Prince Edward
Tel. 2788 1226
Opening hours: 8am-9.30pm daily