Tim Ho Wan at Mongkok: totally worth the long wait (closed)

This small little unassuming dim sum cafe deserves the one michelin star bestowed upon it. The long snaking queue even before it opens for business is probably the best testimony to the quality of dim sum served inside.

I learnt about this cafe from a friend in school and I thought it was definitely worth a trip. And boy, was I right! We reached shortly before 10am which is supposedly when their first seating takes place but the queue in front of the cafe had already extended down the 4 shops beside it. Just look at the crowd above!


The procedure to get a seat is kind of confusing. First you stand in line, as seen above, to get a number from the lady. Apparently there is a limit to the number of customers they would take for the first seating so once the number runs out, good luck to you. While standing in line, you can take the paper menu from the podium and tick the dim sum you would wish to order. If you finish ordering before its your turn to get your number, you can hand your orders to her and the dim sum will be prepared. She will then give you a number and write it on a piece of paper for you and tell you when to return. We were told to return 30 minutes later.

30 minutes later, this was what greeted us! MAYHEM. It took us a while to realize that everyone was just crowded around, waiting for the lady to call the number assigned to you earlier. When she finally calls your number, you can hand her your order if you hadn't done so earlier, and she will usher you in if the table is available. This took roughly one and a half hour.


So! After the long wait and immense anticipation, I'm so so thankful that the dimsum tasted so awesome!! I was way too hungry by then so I couldn't stop to take pictures. I just concentrated fully on savouring every bit of my food. We ordered ha kow (shrimp dumpling), gor zeng zhong (huge rice dumpling with meat filling), siew mai (pork dumpling), chee cheong fun with char siew and prawns (rice rolls), cui pei juan (crispy fried rolls with prawns inside) and their famous deep fried char siew bun. I recommend all of the above!!


For the spread that we ordered, the bill came out to be a major surprise. We would never have been able to eat such a large amount of food for that kind of price in Singapore! It cost us slightly more than 200 HKD for 4 people which is roughly... 34 SGD?


To get there,
Take Exit A2 at Yau Ma Tei MTR station.
When you exit the station at street level, turn backwards to Pitt Street, which is like a few steps away. Turn right on Nathan Road. Landmark:, you will see  KFC/7-11 at this turn.
Walk until you see Bee Cheng Hiang on your right, then turn right into Dundas Street.
Walk down this road until almost the end of the road. You will come to a fork somewhere opposite this brown building which is actually a hospital. Take left fork onto Kwong Fa Street. Tim Ho Wan is just a few doors away on your right. Opposite it is a carpark entrance.


(directions courtesy of http://squ33z3.wordpress.com which is what I followed during my HK trip.)


G/F, Phase 2, Tsui Yuen Mansion,
2-20 Kwong Wa Street,
Mongkok

Note: Visited the Tim Ho Wan Mongkok outlet in October 2013 and realised that it was closed.