Tim Ho Wan (Westgate)

Tim Ho Wan created quite a stir when its first outlet opened in Singapore. Tim Ho Wan is a famous dim sum restaurant which originated in Hong Kong. Having earned its place in the world-famous Michelin guide, 

 Steamed Cuttlefish With Homemade Sauce is one of the Chef’s Recommendation, and I can definitely see why. I have no idea what the homemade sauce is but the sweet sauce is fully absorbed into the cuttlefish after being braised for hours. The cuttlefish is soft but still has some crunch to its bite.  

Crystal Dumpling With Mushroom are packets of goodness wrapped in wheat starch and tapioca skin, which turns transparent when steamed. It definitely deserves a place in Chef Recommendation.

Garlic Fried Fish Skin is crispy and crunchy and it is surprisingly not oily, even though it is deep fried. Good fried fish skin not easily found in Singapore, this definitely deserves a spot in Chef Recommendation.

This is the famous Baked Bun With BBQ Pork. Instead of using the traditional fluffy skin, Tim Ho Wan uses crumbly pastry skin. The bun is filled with barbecued pork with oozing sauce which is salty-sweet. No wonder it is one of the Big 4 Heavenly Kings.

Pan Fried Carrot Cake is one of the Big 4 Heavenly Kings. It has a very fine and smooth texture and delightfully light on the palate. The contrast between the slightly charred exterior and the silky interior will leave you craving for more.

Steamed Egg Cake (which is what we call Ma Lai Gao) looks plain but do not let its simple exterior fool you, because there must be a reason how it can make it into the Big 4 Heavenly King. It is light and spongy with a nice caramelised taste. It is simple yet so comforting.

Vermicelli Roll With Pig’s Liver is one of the Big 4 Heavenly Kings although it is definitely not my favourite dish because I don’t eat pork liver. However, I have to admit that vermicelli roll is velvety and deliciously light.

Vermicelli Roll With BBQ Pork is the traditional version filled with delicious barbecued pork. 

Vermicelli Roll With Shrimp is nice, but I do wish more shrimp can be added.

Vermicelli Roll With Sweet And Sesame Sauce is an interesting take on the traditional dish and it tastes surprisingly good. 

Each Tim Ho Wan outlet serves a few hundreds of diner everyday, the restaurant is overflowing with people. I have seen with my very own eyes the long queue that coils like a snake and I have been told that the minimum waiting time is 1 hour. It is truly impressive that the food tastes like everything is cooked upon order (Tim Ho Wan’s website claims that their dim sums are made-to-order although I don’t know if that is true) under such circumstances. 

However, restaurants with multiple outlets has the tendency to have varying food quality at different outlets, as I have personally experienced at Poulet (Raffles City & Great World City) and Poulet (Bugis +), not forgetting my “memorable” dining experiences at The Manhattan Fish Market (Suntec City). I shall try the other two outlets at Plaza Singapura and Toa Payoh before I make any judgement.