This is a review presented from two perspectives: one as a tourist in Hong Kong who doesn't speak Chinese and doesn't read much kanji; and secondly as a dim sum lover excited to eat dim sum in Hong Kong.
Tourist POV:
This branch of Tim Ho Wan is centrally located within Hong Kong, but is a bit difficult to find. Although the address lists it as IFC Mall, the restaurant is technically underneath the mall on the first floor of MT Hong Kong Station, so you need to go down one floor from street level to find it. The worker at the information counter in IFC Mall gave me really good directions, but I would have wandered around lost and starving if it weren't for him.
Ordering is done by marking off the items you want on the order slip. The server will cross each dish off your receipt as they bring it to the table.
If you aren't familiar with dim sum and clueless about what to order, the paper placemat has photos of recommended dishes. The menu is written in both English and Chinese so the ordering process is not prohibitively difficult. Some of the dishes are also listed with their romanized names, for example, ha jiao (har gow), but for most of the items you kind of have to guess what they are based on descriptions like "steamed rice rolls stuffed with shrimps" for har cheung.
When you're done eating, take your receipt to the register at the front of the restaurant to pay. The restaurant is cash only, so make sure to withdraw some HKD before arriving. There is an ATM at the top of the nearest escalator that accepts international cards.
The process is overall pretty straightforward, and a lot more approachable than a hardcore dim sum experience with old ladies and push carts. Between that and the price, I would recommended Tim Ho Wan to any tourists who are interested in trying dim sum in Hong Kong, especially if you don't have a local to guide you to the best places.
Dim sum lover POV:
The Sham Shui Po location of Tim Ho Wan has one Michelin star, but I wouldn't have guessed it from eating at the Central branch. Don't get me wrong--the dim sum was good. All of the staples were well made and very, very good for the price, but the experience was not world changing.
The crowd you'll find here is a good mix of locals, expats, and tourists and I think the reason for that is the price, quality, and approachability as I described above in my review. But personally, I would pick somewhere with a bit more atmosphere, which Tim Ho Wan's Central branch was solidly lacking. From the decor to the location, I felt like I was eating in a strip mall.
If I only had time for one dim sum meal in Hong Kong, I think I'd be a little let down having come to Tim Ho Wan. Admittedly, I didn't try their signature item (the baked BBQ pork buns) because I went a bit crazy on ordering dumplings, so perhaps that was the deal breaker.
Fortunately, I have time to enjoy a few more dim sum meals while in HK, so I still have a chance to find my world changing dim sum experience.
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Pros: tasty, affordable and very well made for the price; an approachable dim sum experience for non-Chinese speakers
Cons: lack of atmosphere, won't blow your mind if you're looking for the ultimate HK dim sum experience
3 stars read more