Chinese New Year is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than with some Dim Sum?
Tim Ho Wan, a dim sum chain that originated in Hong Kong, has proudly opened a location on the third floor of the Royal Hawaiian Center. The restaurant offers a variety of iconic dim sum dishes such as Siu Mai, Congee with Pork and Preserved Egg, and Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf, but also specialties that you probably won’t find in other Chinese restaurants, like the Silky Milk Sticks, Deep Fried Eggplant with Shrimp, and their most popular item, Baked BBQ Pork Buns.
We tried (almost) everything on the menu and although we loved everything, we picked our favorites, to save you the trouble. Without further ado, here’s Spoon Hawaii’s Top 5 Tim Ho Wan Dishes:
#5: Pan Fried Black Mochi with Pineapple:
This mochi was the perfect balance of chewy and soft, with a hint of tropical flavors coming from the shredded coconut and pineapple filling. It wasn’t overly sweet, which made it easy to gobble up all three pieces.
#4: Fried Milky Sticks:
I was super excited to try these because I love anything fried and milk flavored. This was essentially fried sticks of custard, and reminded me of carnival food (in the best way possible). Make sure to eat them hot, because reheating it won’t do the flavors justice.
#3: Steamed Shrimp Dumplings:
These dumplings, better known as Har Gow, are a staple to Chinese dim sum, because of the simplicity of the dish. We loved that the shrimp was very plump and juicy, and the outside wrapping was firm and thick.
#2: Steamed Pork Dumplings with Shrimp:
These dumplings are another classic dish in dim sum, and most people know it as Siu Mai. A main component that I look for in a good siu mai is if the skin is thin and smooth, or rough and chewy. This may seem like a miniscule thing to critique it on, but this makes all the difference in the world. Tim Ho Wan passed the test on this one, because the outside skin was perfectly thin and smooth, which pulled the whole dish together.
#1: Baked BBQ Pork Buns:
This is Tim Ho Wan’s most famous dish, and there’s no doubt that it automatically made the top of our list. The bun itself was soft and coated with a sweet glaze on top, and the bbq pork filling was also on the sweeter side, but also gave a hint of saltiness. The whole dish was amazingly composed, and there’s really no way to describe it in words. I came prepared to eat one, but left eating three, and getting another two orders to go.
Honorable Mention: Signature Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea:
I am a milk tea fanatic (like every other millennial in America) and thought I had my fair share of tasty milk teas, but this one was outstanding, beating a few of my previous top boba shops. The tea definitely was on the sweeter side, but didn’t leave an artificially sweet taste in my mouth, and the jelly inside was a nice twist to the classic tapioca boba. Get it with light ice to get more bang for your buck.