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2013-10-01 14 views
I've never stepped into their main restaurant in Hong Kong. Neither have I patronized the outlet at Plaza Singapura. So I was very happy to try the food at their second outlet at Toa Payoh Central before I left this sunny island. Visit: http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/09/tim-ho-wan-at-toa-payoh.html for full review and picsOne dish that I found interesting was the Ham Sui Gok 咸水角 or Deep Fried Dumpling with Salted Meat ($3.80). I've seen those with a thicker glutinous crust but the version he
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I've never stepped into their main restaurant in Hong Kong. Neither have I patronized the outlet at Plaza Singapura. So I was very happy to try the food at their second outlet at Toa Payoh Central before I left this sunny island.
Visit: http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/09/tim-ho-wan-at-toa-payoh.html for full review and pics
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One dish that I found interesting was the Ham Sui Gok 咸水角 or Deep Fried Dumpling with Salted Meat ($3.80).
I've seen those with a thicker glutinous crust but the version here is thin and hollow. The more I chew, the more I appreciate the tinge of sweetness that trickles out from the fritter as it allows me to take a much desired sweet break from the savoury food. Not enough meat? Well, the amount works for me.
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The Fried Noodle with BBQ pork and Soy Sauce 叉烧鼓油皇炒面 ($6.00) lacked the wok-hei aroma and was too greasy.
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The light brown gravy drenched on top of the 大排檔猪肠粉 Vermicelli Roll ($4.20) tasted more like peanut butter than sesame sauce to me. The downside of this filling-less roll is that the rice sheets tend to dry out after sitting out in the air-conditioned dining area.
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Of course, the most star-worthy dish was the 酥皮焗叉烧包 Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50 for a portion of 4). I can't tell how authentic this is but some said it is closer than the P.S. outlet version to the original bun in Hong Kong. Apparently, the recipe has been tweaked.

The crust was extremely thin and evenly wrapped around the bread, unlike typical HK Polo Bao that comes with a lumpy surface. And it was so fragile and flaky that it disintegrated as easily as sand castles on the beach. Both the char siew filling and bun was not too sweet and actions speak louder than words--I wolfed down 3 entire buns.
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And I love the Steamed Egg Cake香滑马拉糕 $3.80, which resembled our Chinese huat kueh but this was way fluffier and not too sweet at all. The aroma of brown sugar that wafted into my face was so enticing that I happily cleared the entire block of sponge cake by myself (my partner was too full) plus some leftover from another table. This definitely marked another climax of that day after having the char siew bao......

Visit: http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/09/tim-ho-wan-at-toa-payoh.html for full review and pics
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Spending Per Head
$15 (Dinner)
Recommended Dishes
  • Ma La Cake
Level2
16
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To start off, we had the 豉汁蒸肉排 Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce ($4.20). This was not overly oily and marinated just right to produce soft steamed ribs. It can be easy to go overboard with the black bean sauce, as it's quite a salty paste, but this was perfect. Very good start.Hearing so much about the 4 Heavenly Kings Dim sum (四大天王点心), a homage to old-school Hong Kong celebrities the 4 Heavenly Kings, it was time to see whether they live up to the name.This is the 黄沙猪润肠 Vermicelli Roll with Pig
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To start off, we had the 豉汁蒸肉排 Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce ($4.20). This was not overly oily and marinated just right to produce soft steamed ribs. It can be easy to go overboard with the black bean sauce, as it's quite a salty paste, but this was perfect. Very good start.

Hearing so much about the 4 Heavenly Kings Dim sum (四大天王点心), a homage to old-school Hong Kong celebrities the 4 Heavenly Kings, it was time to see whether they live up to the name.

This is the 黄沙猪润肠 Vermicelli Roll with Pig’s Liver ($5.50), which is quite rare in Singapore to use pig's liver wrapped in Chee Cheong Fun/Vermicelli Roll. I initially thought it was beef before popping it in my mouth, then the liver hit me. Now personally I hate liver, but in a bid for an objective view, the liver was about medium cooked still having some redness thus being tender and fresh. It was good for Chef Warren. We also had the prawn and char siew version of the this dish, which all had very fresh ingredients as well.

The chee cheong fun roll wrap for all of them was silky and smooth yet firm enough to hold all the ingredients in without breaking apart. Soak up more of the sweet soy sauce for a nice well-rounded taste. 酥皮焗叉烧包 Baked Bun with BBQ Pork

酥皮焗叉烧包 Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50).
OHMYGODWTFBBQ. Biting into the crispy sugary skin breaking apart to reveal savoury char siew brought me to wonderland for a few seconds. Traditional Char Siew Bao is with steamed white skin but this was more like when a Bo Lo bao 菠蘿包 and a Char siew bao got married and had a beautiful, delicious baby. This was in my opinion the best dim sum I had at Tim Ho Wan. Chef Warren found it a tad too sweet though for him though, but Chef Cheung explained later on it was intentionally made this way so the palate would crave for more buns. Sneaky.

香煎萝卜糕 Pan Fried Carrot Cake ($4.50). I'm pretty neutral about carrot cake because it's so starchy usually, but this was not as jelat and had bits of Lap Cheong (chinese sausage) inside giving it a sweeter fragrance. With the addition of meat inside, this became such a joy to eat.

Rounding up the heavenly kings is the 香滑马来糕 Steamed Egg Cake ($3.80). I originally thought this was a Singapore adaptation, but this has been on the Hong Kong menu since long ago as well. Extremely fragrant with Gula Melaka and coconut milk flavours, this cake had such a Q texture that if you pushed down on it flat, it would bounce back up. This was very fluffy and would break apart with a fork easily yet still retaining it's overall form. Not exactly a Malay cake fan, but this was on such a different level I became a convert.

鮑汁闷风爪 Steam Chicken Feet with Abalone Sauce ($5.00), 家乡咸水饺 Deep Fried Dumpling with Salted Meat($3.80). These are specials exclusive to the Toa Payoh Tim Ho Wan branch. I really liked the chicken feet that was cooked till the meat skin pretty much dripped from the bone, but some people enjoy it firmer like Chef Warren. The Deep fried dumpling with salted meat however, was a complete miss for me. The dough was sticky and stuck to my teeth, the meat to bun ratio was damn imbalanced (can barely taste the meat), and the cloves marinate just overpowered everything. Just give this dish a miss and stick with the traditionals.

You know it's not dim sum until the Har Gao arrives. 晶莹鲜虾饺 Prawn Dumpling ($5.50) had very fresh huge prawns and wrapped in the same silky skin that's not overly chewy. The secret is in the technique and also the recipe that is well-guarded by Tim Ho Wan.

Mainstay of dim sum is the 鲜虾烧卖皇 Pork Dumpling with Shrimp ($5.00). A wonderful meat dumpling with fresh prawns, this was version was flavourful with a unique hint of wolfberries that most Siew Mai's don't have.

Another classic fried dumpling, the crispy 青芥末明虾角 Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling ($5.00) comes with Wasabi dressing and Tobiko roe which adds a slight spice to make the fried dumpling less common and expected to the bite.

杨枝甘露 Mango Pomelo Sago ($5.00) and 杞子桂花糕 Tonic Medlar & Osmanthus Cake ($3.50). Even though we've had so much already, we struggled to move on to dessert since we've heard such praise. The mango pomelo sago was pretty average in my opinion, probably because so many famous Hong Kong dessert shops have already started selling this in Singapore. The Osmanthus cake however was quite unique to me and not really a cake. Within the jelly texture you can taste the wolfberries and the strands of Osmanthus flower, making a very refreshing light dessert. I loved this jelly cake.

Chef Cheung was very hospitable and came out to speak with many guests here for feedback and comments. He explained how they only used fresh ingredients which is the key cornerstone of their popularity.

With Tim Ho Wan's roaring success, it's only a matter of time till the next few outlets open. I've heard there will be more local flavour infusions in the next outlet, but Chef Cheung kept the details a secret. I'm guessing chili crab dumpling somewhere in there! Fresh ingredients and classic award winning recipes, Tim Ho Wan Singapore is definitely worth the slightly pricier dim sum. Skip the monthly specials and go straight for their famous dishes.

For full review and more photos, please visit
http://sethlui.com/food-review-tim-ho-wan-singapore-toa-payoh/
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Date of Visit
2013-09-19
Spending Per Head
$25 (Lunch)
Recommended Dishes
  • BBQ PORK BUN
  • LIVER VERMICELLI ROLL
  • SIEW MAI
  • MALAY CAKE
  • CARROT CAKE
  • OSMANTHUS CAKE
Level2
16
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Expect a really long queue, even at the Toa Payoh neighborhood branch. I think the only off peak time is 3-5pm. I like how they have modified some of the dishes like the BBQ pork bun with crispy skin and the Carrot cake having some Lup Cheong inside. Adds a bite more twist to Singapore's common expected dim sum. Slightly pricier, but good award winning dim sum!Skip the monthly specials (which taste like my dog's armpit. wait how would I know what tastes like? HMM.) and go for their popular dishe
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Expect a really long queue, even at the Toa Payoh neighborhood branch. I think the only off peak time is 3-5pm.

I like how they have modified some of the dishes like the BBQ pork bun with crispy skin and the Carrot cake having some Lup Cheong inside. Adds a bite more twist to Singapore's common expected dim sum. Slightly pricier, but good award winning dim sum!

Skip the monthly specials (which taste like my dog's armpit. wait how would I know what tastes like? HMM.) and go for their popular dishes.

Chef Cheung has also indicated the next outlet will have more local infusion dim sums, so do look forward to it!

For mind blowing dim sum photos and review click below:

http://sethlui.com/food-review-tim-ho-wan-singapore-toa-payoh
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Date of Visit
2013-09-11
Spending Per Head
$25 (Lunch)
Recommended Dishes
  • BBQ pork bun
Level4
2013-09-16 33 views
The Michelin-starred Dim Sum Restaurant opens a second outlet in Singapore, palliating the pain of Singaporeans who is known for queuing. Being the people behind bringing Tim Ho Wan into Singapore, it is no surprise that the joint has extended this time, to ERA Centre at Toa Payoh. It can seat 86, slightly smaller than the one at Plaza Singapura.Officially opened to public on Sunday, 8 September 2013, 1pm, dim sum enthusiasts can expect 6 new items only available at this outlet, of which, 3 are
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The Michelin-starred Dim Sum Restaurant opens a second outlet in Singapore, palliating the pain of Singaporeans who is known for queuing. Being the people behind bringing Tim Ho Wan into Singapore, it is no surprise that the joint has extended this time, to ERA Centre at Toa Payoh. It can seat 86, slightly smaller than the one at Plaza Singapura.
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Officially opened to public on Sunday, 8 September 2013, 1pm, dim sum enthusiasts can expect 6 new items only available at this outlet, of which, 3 are monthly specials (that changes every month) and 3 are permanently on the outlet menu.
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Amongst the monthly special, the Deep Fried Dumpling with Salted Meat ($3.80++) is my favorite. Many times, I’m just an innocent lover of sweet and savory ingredients combined. Its sweet sticky inner shell makes it delightful to bite on, and the fillings would have been perfect if not for the presence of a foul vegetable.

The Steamed Chicken Feet with Abalone Sauce ($5++) was not too bad either. Not exactly a WOW-item, but it was worth the stomach space. Flavorful and not overly sweet. The Fried Noodles with BBQ Pork & Soy Sauce ($6++) on the other hand, was lackluster. It could have been better with more moist and impactful flavors.
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Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling ($5++) was the first new item that caught my attention, and I’m glad I was not disappointed. The wasabi sauce was subtle, the crisp dumpling wasn’t too oily, and the whole prawn was fresh and a vital presence in the dish. The empty Vermicelli Roll with Sweet and Sesame Sauce ($4.20++) wasn’t too bad either. I especially like the sesame sauce, though it can get too salty. The roll was reasonably thin, soft and moist.

The Mango Pomelo Sago ($5++), though, wasn’t my favorite. It was a bit too sour for my liking. Otherwise, it was ordinary.
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Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50++): Chef Mak has also tweaked the recipe for its famous hot-seller a little, making it less sweet for our local palate. It was quite evident that there were some amendments done. Regardless, I still think this is in a league of its own. Heavenly.

Tim Ho Wan will be opening its 3rd outlet at Bedok Mall in the near future, and its 4th in the western part of Singapore. I am guessing and hoping that it’s at Westgate Shopping Mall, the mall that is under construction right beside Jurong East MRT. Then really, a Westie like me can stop hitting the town once and for all /triumphantlaugh.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Spending Per Head
$20 (Tea)
Recommended Dishes
  • Baked Bun with BBQ Pork
Level4
2013-09-08 8 views
Really glad that my good friend has brought me to this new outlet of the famous hong kong dim sum restaurant at Toa payoh. Even though took us more than 20 minutes to wait for our turn to go in and be seated, but we have no regret after taste the great food here. My preference will be their siew mai, vermicelli rolls with roasted pork and also their carrot cakes. Siew mai really soft in texture and the juicy meat inside really taste great and not too salt. The vermicelli rolls are very smooth
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Really glad that my good friend has brought me to this new outlet of the famous hong kong dim sum restaurant at Toa payoh. Even though took us more than 20 minutes to wait for our turn to go in and be seated, but we have no regret after taste the great food here. My preference will be their siew mai, vermicelli rolls with roasted pork and also their carrot cakes.

Siew mai really soft in texture and the juicy meat inside really taste great and not too salt. The vermicelli rolls are very smooth and easy to swallow, with really fragrant not too oily roasted pork meat in it. The pork meat is super fragrant as well. Carrot cake is very soft and moist in texture, which I love those slightly overcooked texture on the outer layer. These few items are really good to have it with a cup of hot Chinese tea. However would be good if the restaurant can be more spacious so that more comfort will be there when having the food.
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
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Date of Visit
2013-09-04
Spending Per Head
$15 (Lunch)
Recommended Dishes
  • Siew Mai
Level2
7
0
2013-09-01 9 views
It was my mum's birthday, due to me waking up late, we decided to have dim sum instead of proper meal. We decided to have dim sum at Tim Ho Wan as there's only two stalls in Singapore. One in plaza Singapura and the newly opened Tim Ho Wan at Toa payoh. It's a newly opened restaurant, thus the space are very limited, the place is quite small and not easy to find. The restaurant at Plaza Singapura can queue up to 2 hours! Whereas this newly opened at Toa payoh, not much people know, thus waiting
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It was my mum's birthday, due to me waking up late, we decided to have dim sum instead of proper meal. We decided to have dim sum at Tim Ho Wan as there's only two stalls in Singapore. One in plaza Singapura and the newly opened Tim Ho Wan at Toa payoh. It's a newly opened restaurant, thus the space are very limited, the place is quite small and not easy to find. The restaurant at Plaza Singapura can queue up to 2 hours! Whereas this newly opened at Toa payoh, not much people know, thus waiting time for now won't be longer than 20 mins. If you ever go this restaurant, have to try the 4 heavenly Kings! The picture below shows the 4 heavenly Kings! They are the recommended dishes of the restaurant, it's a must try!!
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Date of Visit
2013-08-25
Spending Per Head
$25 (Other)
Recommended Dishes
  • 4 Heavenly Kings
Level4
Tim Ho Wan (THW) officially opened in the heartland. After much fanfare opening of its first overseas outpost in Plaza Singapura, THW has made inroad to the heartland. The residents of Toa Payoh now can rejoice and licking their chops in anticipation to savour the popular Baked Char Siew Bao.After reading about their soft opening from RubishEatRubishGrow on my blogger buzz, Little Devil and I decided to try our luck on Friday (23/08) pre-empting that the queue won't be so long. So far, we have
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Tim Ho Wan (THW) officially opened in the heartland. After much fanfare opening of its first overseas outpost in Plaza Singapura, THW has made inroad to the heartland. The residents of Toa Payoh now can rejoice and licking their chops in anticipation to savour the popular Baked Char Siew Bao.
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After reading about their soft opening from RubishEatRubishGrow on my blogger buzz, Little Devil and I decided to try our luck on Friday (23/08) pre-empting that the queue won't be so long. So far, we have not tried the Plaza Singapura outlet yet, as we don't want to queue and we don't work near town area. Lucky for us, we can now claim that “We don't need to line up at Tim Ho Wan”. Understanding that it is currently on soft launch mode, we kept our expectations in check.

The décor of the restaurant is very simple, light wooden colour and Zen like. The decoration is similar to the THW at IFC Mall in Hong Kong and Plaza Singapore (which I saw when I passed by). For review of Hong Kong Tim Ho Wan @ IFC Mall, click here***. Small table size and limited personal space is something to remind you of Hong Kong, but be glad you are given a slightly bigger personal space here. This place can sit maximum about 100 customers.

First out from the kitchen within 10 minutes of placing our order are Vermicelli Roll with Pig's Liver ($5.50) and Vermicelli Roll with Sweet and Sesame Sauce ($4.20). The Vermicelli Roll on the Pig's liver filling is slightly thinner than I remember. It is smooth in texture and the pig's liver is cleaned properly, no foul smell, silky, juicy and tender. For sweet and sesame sauce, it has the right thickness, smooth and goes well the with sauce, tasted like one of Littledevil's favourite street food in Hong Kong.
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For traditional Dim Sum, Prawn Dumplings / Har Gao ($4) and Pork Dumpling with Shrimp / Siew Mai ($5). Har Gao here is fresh and juicy with a sticky, soft and resilient skin. What we find interesting about the siew mai is it tasted better after you let it rest a while. Slightly chewy and flavourful with a wolfberry uniquely placed on top to add sweetness to the siew mai.
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Beef Ball with beancurd skin ($4.20). This dish left a lasting impression during our visit in Hong Kong. They add a little tangerine skin into the ball to create a distinguish taste. When the first order came, the beef ball is over steamed until the beancurd become dry and the supposed unusual flavour of the tangerine aroma did not come out as expected. We ask the a couple of service staffs, if it suppose to be like this. Finally the Executive Chef came out to check with us, graciously accept our feedback and insisted to make us a new batch. This is what I call service. Kudos to them. The result of the second batch is nice tender juicy beef balls with its distinct tangerine skin twist.
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Finally come the time for reckoning the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50). It's thin crispy crust with the texture of a 'Bo Luo Bao', is simply amazing and melts in your mouth. The filling has a familiar sweet juicy char siew flavour chopped pork. Yummyyy, I can say this is as good as the one in HK. If you have to wait in line, this is something that you can look forward too.
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Steam Chicken Feet with Abalone Sauce ($5). It has a nice rich flavour from the abalone sauce, unfortunately the chicken feet is slightly mushy instead of springy and crunchy comparing to the ones that we tasted in Hong Kong. Hopefully they can do something to get back its crunchiness. The presentation with parsley and cut chilli, show that they are trying to twist Singaporenise in their dish.

For desserts, we have Mango Pomelo Sago ($5) and Tonic Medlar & Osmanthus Cake ($3.50). The mango sago is thick, flavourful with a nice combination of sweet and sour. The pomelo taste is somewhat missing. Osmanthus cake is like a jelly, with visible Osmanthus flowers and wolfberries in the jelly. It is very flavourful and it is not as sweet as we thought it is going to be.
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Service is very good. Their service staff is very friendly including the trainee. According to the service staff, they are going to open take away counter on the 1st floor in the near future. At the moment, they only entertain dine in. If you want to take away after you dine in, you can order but you need to pack yourself due to the company policy. Styrofoam box and plastic bag will be provided FOC.

Overall, we like what we saw. Although all the food is not one hundred percent of the Hong Kong standard, it is close enough, especially on the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork. I hope the line will not be as long as the one in Plaza Singapura in the future. All I can say is that from the soft launch, it can only gets better. Cheers!!

For full review and more photos, please visit http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2013/08/tim-ho-wan-toa-payoh-hot-off-oven.html

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Spending Per Head
$25 (Lunch)
Recommended Dishes
  • Baked Bun with BBQ Pork
  • Beef Ball with beancurd skin
  • Vermicelli Roll with Pig's Liver
  • Vermicelli Roll with Sweet and Sesame Sauce
  • Prawn Dumplings / Har Gao
  • Steam Chicken Feet with Abalone Sauce
Level2
121
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Tim Ho Wan is famous for their dim sums. After tasting those dim sums, I finally understand why were they so widely acclaimed. They are amazing! I would recommend the BBQ buns. The BBQ pork is juicy and it tasted superb when it is eaten while hot. The siew mai was average though but I loved the pork ribs and the pork chee cheong fun. However, the price is more expensive. Even so, it is definitely worth the price.
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Tim Ho Wan is famous for their dim sums. After tasting those dim sums, I finally understand why were they so widely acclaimed. They are amazing! I would recommend the BBQ buns. The BBQ pork is juicy and it tasted superb when it is eaten while hot. The siew mai was average though but I loved the pork ribs and the pork chee cheong fun. However, the price is more expensive. Even so, it is definitely worth the price.

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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