Overview
Dim sum powerhouse Tim Ho Wan, the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world, has picked Australia as its first ever venture outside South-East Asia. Set to open in Chatswood on Saturday, March 28, Tim Ho Wan is one of the year's most anticipated restaurant openings we've seen in a while.
The original Tim Ho Wan eatery in Hong Kong, led by ex-Four Seasons Hong Kong dim sum chef Mak Kwai Pui, has been attracting hordes of local and international visitors ever since it opened in 2009. A star rating by arguably the world’s most prestigious food guide the year after raised the dim sum stakes and a chain of Tim Ho Wan restaurants in the region quickly followed. Now, it’s Australia’s turn to break open a piping hot pork bun and see what all the fuss is about.
The dim sum specialists are set to open three stores in Sydney, starting with the Chatswood outlet this weekend. A flagship Sydney store on George Street is scheduled for an October 2015 opening and Burwood's eatery will open in the third quarter of 2015. Melburnians can expect some Tim Ho Wan goodness in late April and a Brisbane store is possibly in the works too.
So what's in store for the menu? Of course, Tim Ho Wan's 'Big Four Heavenly Kings' will be making an appearance: think pan-fried carrot cake, baked pork buns, vermicelli rolls stuffed with pig's liver and steamed egg cakes. Including these four signature dishes, Chef Mak Kwai Pui will be teaming up with acting executive chef Eric Koh to create a menu of 25 fresh made-to-order dim sum treats.
And how cheap is the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant? A Tim Ho Wan in the Philippines has no menu item over the equivalent of $5.17 so similarly bang-for-your-buck prices can be expected when the chain trickles into the country this year.
With an emphasis on freshness and made-to-order everything, Tim Ho Wan is likely to follow in the footsteps of fellow fawned over international imports, Ippudo and Hot Star. For everyone except the Sydneysiders who can make reservations, that means some long queues and serious waits. Anything for cheap, Michelin-starred dim sum though, right?
Tim Ho Wan is located at Corner of Victoria Avenue and Railway Street, Chatswood. Open daily from March 28, from 10am to 9pm. For more information head over here.