The first Tim Ho Wan restaurant that opened in Manila was located in SM Megamall. It was in 2014, that Filipinos were able to try the dishes of this popular Hong Kong restaurant.
I am hoping that Tim Ho Wan will finally open it's SM Seaside branch before the Sinulog Festival in January. Cebuanos are fans of good quality and affordable Chinese food.
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| Tim Ho Wan Favorites |
In the past week, I've eaten twice in Tim Ho Wan while enjoying the Holidays in Manila. That's how I'm addicted to it's food menu.
I've tried most of their popular dishes and I keep wanting more and more ---- especially the pork buns!
Unfortunately, when you order the dumplings or dim sum, they don't serve calamansi or chili oil. They only use the spices that they have in the original Hong Kong store.
The prices per dish averages about 140php to 200php. It's a little on the high side compared to local Cebu Chinese restaurants but it's less oily and greasey plus the flavor is quite tasty.
The Cantonese-style of preparing and cooking food dominates their menu choices. Two of it's International branches earned Michelin stars. It's like being awarded the Oscars for restaurants.
What to expect when you order Tim Ho Wan food? A full stomach.
Pork Buns
It will not be a complete Tim Ho Wan food experience without their signature pork buns. The pastry is sweet, soft and crumbly. The secret could be because it's baked rather than steamed. The Char sui has that right amount of smoky and roasted barbecue flavor. If there is a pork bun eating contest, I would definitely join it. I could eat it all day.
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| Oh, my pork buns! How many can you eat in one sitting? |
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| The inner goodness - Char sui |
Vermicelli roll with Shrimp
Paper-thin rice vermicelli rolls stuffed with shrimps and topped with their special sauce. The rolls are something that I like because of its texture.
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| 1, 2, 3 Vermicelli shrimp rolls |
Spinach Dumpling with Shrimp
One of my favorite cartoon character growing up was Popeye the Sailor man but I didn't eat a lot of spinach because it's not a popular vegetable in the Philippines. But now, more folks are exposed to different kinds of veggies because of their availability.
It might be a little weird for some of us to have veggies in their dumplings. But the spinach and shrimp combination do work.
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| Popeye would love these spinach-shrimp dumplings |
Congee
Rice porridge, arroz caldo, pospas --- it all pertains to this super filling dish. No need to add fish sauce or calamansi to this dish for extra flavor. I normally share a bowl of this rich congee so that I can have more room in my stomach for the other dishes.
I don't usually see this being served in the local Cebu restaurants.
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| Rich and soothing congee |
Shrimp Dumpling
Locally known as Hakaw, Tim Ho Wan's version is no different with what you're used to but the dough that they use for the dumpling is thinner compared to others.
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| 4 shrimp dumplings in a basket, served hot. |
Wasabi Shrimp Salad
A little Japanese-Chinese fusion goes a long way. Imagine fried shrimp wanton topped with Japanese mayo and slivers of wasabi and roe. Then imagination turns into reality. This is my second favorite thing to order in Tim Ho Wan.
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| Wasabi Shrimp Salad is not what you would expect |
Chow Mein
Also known as Pancit, they use flat noodles and its slighty crunchy compared to the soft noodles that we're used to. It also doesn't have that strong soy sauce taste.
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| Chow Mein Fat but not too much |
Pork Dumpling
Every customer at a Chinese restuarant orders the pork dumplings or siomai. It's not a good meal without this food.
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| You're the best part of the meal, pork dumpling |
Beef, Mushroom and Sausage Rice
I haven't ordered any of their rice dishes before but because of ny nephew, we had to try this meal. They use Spanish chorizo for their sausage. It's a complete dish but not your typical rice toppings.
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| Beef, mushroom, sausage --- Oh, my! |
See you soon in Tim Ho Wan when it finally opens in Cebu.
PostScript: Tim Ho Wan at SM Seaside is now open.
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