Queue

OK, patience is not one of my virtues. Nevertheless, I got up early, headed to Mongkok via Yau Ma Tei MTR, and was first in line at Tim Ho Wan at 8.40am. Yes, I, together with my sister Suk Harn and cousins Honn Ken, Ming Ken and Ai Peng, were first in the queue, which meant that we would be in the first seating when business commenced at 10am. By 9am, the line was thirty deep, the approximate number of covers available in the restaurant.

I first read of Tim Ho Wan, a one Michelin-star restaurant in a travel mag, probably either Travel & Leisure South East Asia or Destinasian and since then had made up my mind to brave the crowds. This aspiration did waver slightly as I had contemplated heading to Tim Ho Wan's branch outlet in Shum Sui Po, apparently larger, with more seating and much shorter waiting time. Suffice to say I was vetoed by my cousins, and so to the original we trekked. The verdict? The wait was well worth it. A tiny, cosy restaurant, simple seating, all attention on the dim sum. The five of us shared sixteen plates of gastronomic creations, some familiar, others a new experience. An hour and twenty minutes' wait, an hour of great dim sum at an affordable price. What's there not to love?

My cousins and friends in Hong Kong would you believe, have never been to Tim Ho Wan. They know of it but have never tried the dim sum, largely due to the long lines. In fact, I have a friend who stays on the same street. She tells me that the daily lines are a deterrent. I suppose this is where the adage 'the early bird catches the worm' rings true. Nothing good comes easy I guess. I am happy to have made the effort.

Photo of baked Char Siew Pau, crusty on the top, flaky in the middle, moist in the centre.