Singapore Tim Ho Wan dim sum (aka the cheapest Michelin star restaurant!)

Do you like variety?

I love variety and trying new things. This applies to food as well. I almost always have to order something different from my husband when we dine out (gasp, we couldn’t eat the same thing!) and love family style meals where large platters are passed around. So it’s natural that I would love dim sum, or Cantonese style small bites served at brunch, because I get to try small morsels of several different dishes.

I have had excellent dim sum in Hong Kong and New York. Unfortunately, the dim sum I’ve eaten in Singapore was usually mediocre, unless it was a higher end restaurant (and that’s unfortunate too since dim sum shouldn’t be a pricey meal). I first learned about Tim Ho Wan while I was researching the best dim sum in Hong Kong. Good dim sum is very easy to find there since it is so commonly eaten and there is stiff competition to procure customers. Yet Tim Ho Wan managed to stand out and earn itself a Michelin star. Simple shrimp dumplings and roast pork buns that are worthy of a mention in this famed foodie guide? I was curious and dragged a few friends to the original famed Tim Ho Wan outlet in Hong Kong but found a line at least 50 people deep before the doors even opened. So I was delighted to find that the restaurant was opening a few branches in Singapore and is now in Taipei too.

I’ve visited two of the outlets here, but frequently go to the flagship at Plaza Singapura.
This dim sum is simply made from quality ingredients and executed well – it tastes great. The roast pork buns have an airy and crispy shell filled with mildly sweet pieces of pork. The spinach dumplings are my favorite dish and are light, yet flavorful.

Other dim sum standbys like shumai as well as bean curd filled with shrimp and pork are satisfying and flavorful.

This jelly dessert was pretty and tasty too (I think those are goji berries!)

I’d definitely recommend Tim Ho Wan if you are in Hong Kong, Singapore or Taipei (assuming the quality standards are maintained). This is dim sum done right!