Tim Ho Wan

I have reviewed Tim Ho Wan once before on this blog - you can read about it right here: http://reasonablywednesbury.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/tim-ho-wan.html 

Almost exactly one year on, I bring you 10 more dishes from the world's cheapest Michelin starred chain. The menu hasn't undergone much change over the past year. There is a rotation of 'specials' which are displayed on each table, but I do feel that Tim Ho Wan may be resting on its laurels just a tad. The food, as always, is delicious; but without change and variety it's hard to want to go back again and again - particularly when the menu isn't very big to begin with.

Having said that, the fact that you can always count on it to deliver good food, the speed of service and cheery cheap price makes it a very viable destination for a casual quick bite with friends, family or colleagues (but make sure you go in multiples of 3s!)

Pork Dumpling with Shrimp, $7.90 for 4 pcs

 The word 'dumplings' seems to be used to describe a whole variety of dim sims, so let's be more precise than the menu here. The proper name for these little gems are 'sui mai' or 'shao mai' (depending on whether you are thinking of Cantonese or Mandarin). A staple at yum cha, I particularly like the ones at Tim Ho Wan because the pork and shrimp mixture is dense and bouncy, and each siu mai (let's go with the Cantonese pronounciation - we're at Tim Ho Wan after all) is topped with a cooked goji berry. Goji berries have a distinct sweet flavour which balances the saltiness of the dish.

Spinach Dumpling with Shrimp, $7.90 for 3pcs

The rice-paper casing for these dumplings went a little soft and soggy, as you can see in the photo. One thing I appreciate about Tim Ho Wan is that they don't stint on ingredients - just look at that big piece of shrimp!

Prawn Dumplings, $7.90 for 4pcs

These babies are a must-order at any yum cha or dim sim restaurant. A good restaurant (such as Tim Ho Wan) will not stuff these dumplings with anything but juicy, bouncy pieces of prawn. Less good restaurants might try to mix in a bit of flour mixture - so constant vigilance (as Moody would say)!

Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumplings, $6.90 for 3pcs

I just realised that we ordered a lot of prawn or shrimp based dishes - they are the best! The wasabi sauce is light and slightly tangy, which pairs well with fried food. Crispy but not greasy, I would definitely order these again.

Being the professional blogger that I am, I have forgotten what this is. Hm. 

Beancurd Skin with Pork & Shrimp, $6.90 for 3pcs

Embarrassingly, I have forgotten what the first bean-curd skin dish is - and I can't find it on the menu anywhere! Perhaps it was a special. I love bean-curd skin, they take on distinctly different characteristics depending on how you prepare them. The top dish, for instance, has the lightly, crispiest and crunchiest skin as a result of being flash-fried; whereas the bottom dish has silky soft skin that soaks up all the flavours of the sauce.

Pork Rib with Black Bean Sauce, $6.90

This dish is rather hit-and-miss. On good days, the pork is beautifully succulent and flavourful. On bad days, the pork can be extremely fatty and greasy. Caveat Emptor!

Tofu with Pork Floss, $7.90

These golden nuggets were amazing. I would say this dish is like stinky tofu without the stink - instead of using fermented 'old' tofu, 'young', soft tofu is battered and flash fried until it is crispy on the outside but precariously soft on the inside. The salt-and-pepper flavour, combined with pork floss, makes this one delicious yet light little dish. Be careful, though - content extremely hot!

Steamed Egg Cake, $5.90

We're on the home stretch, people - dessert time. Don't underestimate the humble-looking s'teamed egg cake' - it is so light and fluffy, yet still moist and slightly chewy - the texture wins the day, and the texture is very hard to describe. So you must try it for yourself!

Sesame Rice Ball with Salted Egg Yolk, $7.90 for 3pcs

Finally, we come to my favourite dish. Traditionally, sesame rice balls are filled with red bean paste (one of my pet hates) or black sesame (one of my pet loves). These ones surpass both. Salted egg yolk is prized in Chinese cooking for both savoury and sweet dishes (think moon cake for sweet) - and in this case, salted egg yolk is used in a sweet. It's like our (expensive) version of salted caramel. The glutinous casing is rolled in white sesame to give it that rich nutty taste, and the inside is runny, golden and just a bit salty. Highly recommended.

I always underestimate how filling a little morsel here, a little bite there can be when I go out for dim sim or yum cha - after this 10 course marathon, all three of us were extremely, extremely full-bellied; and we even packed some leftovers home.

Score: 3.5 / 5 
As I said at the beginning, every dish is well-executed. However, will I be returning in a hurry? Probably not - simply because the menu does not change, and there's only so many times in a month you want these food I described above. Hey, that's just me - maybe your love for dim sim means you can have it week in week out!
Cost: cheap and cheery
Address: there are a few dotted around Sydney now - Chatswood near the train station (which is where I always go), CBD, and Burwood.