I have been to Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong recently and discovered that they have recently opened one in Melbourne. My friend Sandy had went recently and told me I had to try it. I asked her what she thought about their BBQ Pork buns and she loved them. She also loved the pawn cheong fun and told me I had to try them as well. When I arrived I was some what surprised to see how small the restaurant was compared to other chinese restaurants. However, I suppose they wanted to test the Melbourne waters first. Also I was surprised how early they opened at 10am. The menu is exactly the same as the Hong Kong ones and also have special dishes that they change monthly.
Har Gow – Prawn Dim Sim
These treated nice and went well with their chilli sauce. However, they were not as full of prawns chunks compared to what I had in Hong Kong. They had a good crunch to them but were slightly on the small size. The chilli sauce on offer was also interesting as it tasted like a chilli chutney due to the sweetness in the sauce and there was no chill oil in sight.
Har Cheong Fun – Prawn Rice Rolls
These were also nice but I would say the same thing about this dish as I said about the Har Gow. There was a lack of prawn in the dish. In my Hong Kong review I said the pawn was the star of the dish. However, here the rice roll was just not up to par.
Char Siu Bao – BBQ Pork Bun
These were really good and were as good as the Hong Kong ones. They top was crisp and crumbly and I do not know how they manage to get the top of the bun to raise so high. The filing was well balanced with a good amount inside with good flavour. These have to be good as this is the dish they are famous for.
Golden Tofu
Sandy recommended this to me, I was a bit suspect as I am not a fan of deep fried tofu, but as Sandy is also a foodie I did order it. The deep fried tofu was just so good, I could not believe it. The outside was crisp and the tofu then melted in your mouth. The flavoring was well balanced and the added garnish also added a bit of difference to every bite.
Overall Tim Ho Wan was good but compared to the Hong Kong version it did not match it unfortunately. An aspect I did like was the lack of MSG in their food and I came away not thirsty. I do wonder how their other dishes differ from the ones in Hong Kong. Also I was slightly surprised how expensive the food was for Yum Cha. However, Tim Ho Wan has a famous name and people still go. Finally I have to say again, how good the BBQ Pork Buns were. They were just outstanding.
Previous Visits; Hong Kong
Website; Tim Ho Wan
Address; 206 Bourke St, Melbourne
Trencherman's Travels 