Tim Ho Wan is the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world. This means, they are the ultimate “bang for your buck” restaurant. The Michelin star designation means they serve amazing food and have great service. I’d assume Tim Ho Wan has served a million plus people throughout their lifespan and I am one of those people who ate there and had a horrible service. Let me preface by saying that, I was in Hong Kong, and I don’t speak any Cantonese. I ate at the Java Road location restaurant at off-peak hours at 3pm.
Why am I sour on Tim Ho Wan? Let’s start with the ordering process, it’s probably the most efficient way when done right, you order from a paper menu and check everything you want. Sounds easy right? It is easy. So fucking easy. I ordered 3 items. I get two of them. When I asked where the other one was, two women tell me I wasn’t charged for numero tres. Why the fuck not! I checked that item, but no, it just wasn’t ordered. The woman thought my check wasn’t good enough, so she didn’t place the order.
After talking to one of the ladies in charge, she asks me if I still want it. Everyone else who sat down when I did are winding down their meals and paying their checks, and every group is bigger than me. I say, “Yes” and she puts the order in. 10 minutes pass and still no food. The kitchen is open and while this is off-peak hours, one of the two chefs working takes a break. The waitresses also take a break. Still no fucking 3rd dish. As I’m coming up on 15 minutes from when the 3rd dish was re-ordered, I get up and I tell the women I don’t want it anymore. I motion to my watch and she gives me stink eye. You fucking kidding me lady? I’m one person and at a Dim Sum restaurant for 45 minutes and still waiting for another dish. This is unreal. Every time I’ve talked to the waitress she speaks to me in Cantonese and then grabs someone else. Everyone else got their food fast, and I’m talking like 8-10 dishes to my 2-3.
As a Chinese person who doesn’t speak Cantonese, I’m probably the worst person to come to restaurants like this. They either expect locals or tourist, not me.
On a happier note, the two dishes I ordered, rice roll with pork and baked BBQ buns were very good. Fresh even though this was off-peak time and flavorful. The baked pork buns looked to be lacking filling as some other photos show the buns bursting with pork meat. The buns had a funky pale color and sugar on the outside. When you bite into these, they crack and not rip due to the baking process. The rice roll with pork was meaty on the inside and soft on the outside. There’s a dark sauce that’s poured over them and they’re delicious.
Get everything if you’re cool going here. I fucking hate this place for the treatment I got. If my order was fucked up by them, I’d expect an apology or something, but I was met with hostility.
Source: Tim Ho Wan
