Since it was a Saturday, and we knew that there's always a queue here, we made it a point to be at SM Megamall before it even opens. We arrived at the mall with 10 minutes to spare, but when we got to Tim Ho Wan, there was already a queue before us. I think we were ninth or tenth on the list. In just a few minutes, the queue extended all the way to Chez Karine.
They have a very strict policy on their accommodations. The entire dining party must be present at the time your name is called, otherwise, only those present will be seated. They also don't do reservations. I think having quite a limited seating capacity and a massive crowd to serve called for this strict policy.
Lunch service starts 10:45 AM, so we had to wait for another 45 minutes. We were finally seated and we placed our orders using the order sheet that was set on the table. Customers just need to write the quantity of the item that they would want to order. This was actually more convenient and made the ordering process more efficient.
It just took a short time before our orders arrived.
Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (Php145 - 3 pcs) is their signature dimsum
The bun was soft and flaky, while the bbq pork was a bit too sweet for my liking. There wasn't really anything special with this, it's like eating pandesal with sweet barbecue. Oddly enough, the taste reminded me of Goldilock's asado roll. >.<
I also tried their Pan Fried Carrot Cake (Php 145). Also nothing special about this. If you frequent Ongpin or Binondo area, you'd be able to find something better than this.
Next is the Steam Spinach Dumpling with Shrimp(Php 120)
I guess the name of the dimsum itself is self-explanatory. Also nothing special.
For our rice toppings we had the Pork Rib Rice and the Rice with Beef & Fried Egg (Php 180)
The pork ribs were ok. It was tender and had a nice amount of heat. Then again, I've had better. The rice with beef on the other hand was just a huge disappointment. The beef had no flavor whatsoever! We had to add an ample amount of their soy sauce just to be able to eat this dish.
I am no food critic, but you don't need a sophisticated palate to know what good food tastes like. Having traveled to both Hong Kong and Singapore, I would say that the taste of the food at Tim Ho Wan was just really mediocre.
Overall, we just found it overrated. As Anya said, it's one of those places that you just have to try once, just to say that you've been there. It's definitely not worth the long queue.
Tim Ho Wan
SM Mega Fashion Hall (SM Megamall Bldg. D)
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