How different could a har gow be?
I wondered to
myself after hearing about Tim Ho Wan, a dim sum specialist restaurant in Hong
Kong, which has long held on to its one Michelin star. After all, in Toronto,
most shrimp dumplings are similar, the wrapper sometimes stickier, but otherwise
most are filled with crunchy shrimp that have little taste. They’ve become
larger throughout my lifetime, some of them reaching golf ball status, but the
bland crunchy shrimp has remained constant.
Therefore,
to draw comparisons, we stuck with the basics at Tim Ho Wan; I wanted to see
what these “specialists” could do! Getting back to the har gow ($28), they indeed differ - smaller in size, the steamed dumplings
are delicate so you can taste the shrimp’s sweetness (these are also tinier)
with the seafood not packed together. The wrapper is soft, but not gummy, and
has an elasticity to its consistency allowing them to be easily picked up. So,
I stand corrected, har gows can be
different.
Their
steamed pork dumpling with shrimp ($28) or sui
mai follows a similar recipe for success: big chunks of pork (as opposed to
being pulverized) and shrimp combined loosely so there’s a juicy succulence to
the dumpling. Oh, how I want more.
The
wrapper for the vermicelli roll stuffed with BBQ pork ($25) is impossibly thin,
yet withstands the large pieces of BBQ pork stuffed in it. Personally, I like
the bigger pieces of meat and full springs of cilantro placed throughout - you
can taste the ingredients.
Tim Ho
Wan’s glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf is the old-school format arriving as
one gigantic package: a thick layer of chewy sticky rice stuffed with chicken,
Chinese sausage, and mushrooms. The longer cooking time helps the lotus leaf
essence seep into the rice, but having this dish again makes me realize I
prefer the new miniature versions. The rice is softer and overall the dish more
flavourful because of the gravy minced meat mixture used. Of course, the
traditional way of making the dish requires experience (as you need to ensure
everything is cooked throughout) and there is more filling, but you end up with
one or two pieces of protein and big hunks of rice.
Forgetting
we already ordered the glutinous rice, the steamed rice with spare rib and
chicken feet ($27) was too much; sadly, the rice was wasted. Frankly, unless
you’re with a large table, this is a forgettable dish, the spare ribs and chicken
foot both fairly average.
A dish
that graced every table was their signature baked bun with BBQ pork ($21). Fresh
from the oven, they are piping hot and the thin bun containing a large piece of
BBQ pork. There’s a sweetness from the sauce and pineapple crust you’d expect,
but it’s well balanced with the meat’s savouriness. For those who like it
sweeter, allow the bun to cool down and the flavours intensify.
The pan-fried
pork and chives dumplings were also delicious, the meat cut into pieces (rather
than minced) with enough vegetables to create a lightness to the dim sum. It’s wonton
wrapper was so thin that it’s barely there, merely forming a fantastic crispy
crust over everything.
With
only four desserts to choose from, we decided against the signature tonic
medlar & petal cake, instead going for the tried and true deep-fried sesame
dumpling ($18). At Tim Ho Wan, aside from the red bean paste they also add a
piece of banana, which when heated turns into a creamy consistency.
In the
end, what makes Tim Ho Wan so good? From my experience: thin wrappers,
ingredients left in chunks, and well-balanced flavours. If you don’t want to
wait, head their as soon as it opens on a weekday, you’ll walk right in and
find a seat at a number of tables. It’s a quick meal with dim sum flying out of
the kitchen, which runs like a tasty, dumpling-making, well-oiled machine.
How To Find Them
Location: North Point, Hong Kong
Address: 2 Wharf Rd (Seaview Building, GF)
Address: 2 Wharf Rd (Seaview Building, GF)
Website: http://timhowan.com.hk
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
