And so we finally meet.. Tim Ho Wan

          Ok so my IG and FB wall was bombarded with post about this so called famous Michelin Star Dim Sum Restaurant, and being the foodie that I’ am I went to Megamall to check it out. (Well.. since I heard that this is really a good place for dim sum I thought they’d be serving Ham Soi Kok so I decided to go.. I go cray cray over Ham Soi Kok)


           It was craaaaaaaaaaazy! :) Went there a day after it opened, was at the mall at around 10:35 AM and at that time we were 18th on queue. We had to wait till 12:00 PM because that's the time that they would open. This would be the second time I’d go in a queue that long to get food. First would be the J.Co Craze then this but it was all sooooooooooooo worth it. SUPER WORTH IT. : )

 

Finally got seated. That queue though..

Love that Bamboo Steamer looking lights <3

I heard they flew in Chinese Chefs for Tim How Wan's opening I wonder if he's one of them.
Dear good sir bring me some pork buns please ;) 

Le Menu|

First thing I looked for was Ham Soi Kok and I must admit I got disappointed that they didn’t have it in the menu but the Pork Buns took away my sadness.. ;)

The Legendary Pork Bun
Got this for FREE!!!!

Ok. So .. I didn’t really get people who were raving about Tim Ho Wan’s Pork buns until I got a taste of it. Tears of Joy fell after the first bite. It was like when I first encounter Wai Ying’s Ham Soi Kok… It was love at first bite x 10. It was one of those Heaven on Earth Moments.. At that moment I finally understood.Plus my first was free ^__^

Hello There Pork Buns.. ^_^ To my tummy you go!
Php 145.00

Because 1 order would never be enough

 People who lined up to get in Tim How Wan went cray cray over the Pork Buns.. But who wouldn't?! Some of them even brought along plastic containers to store their dim sums as the restaurant doesn't have take outs yet. They have the brown paper bag and thats it. I was so surprised at the couple beside our table their table was full of the porkbuns and and when I looked back its was gone in 60 seconds. I thought to myself.. was it that good that they it ate it that fast?!  Haha and then the 2nd batch of their orders came and I noticed the girl stashing the buns in paper bags. Smart. :) But the guy that was infront of us when we were waiting outside was smarter he brought in some microwavable containers to stash his goodies! :)

Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling
Php 140.00

 Awesome <3 A must try!

Glutinous Rice with Lotus Leaf
Php 190.00

 is Machang for me and itsssssss yummeh! <3

Vermicelli Roll with Shrimp
Php 190.00

Beancurd Skin Roll with Pork & Shrimp
Php 120.00

Prawn Dumpling
Php 160.00

 It was OK. Nothing special. Sareeeh.. *In Cheon Song Yi's Accent*

The Afternath

And this is where you but in your order. :)

  Would definitely love to go back to try the dim sums. ^_^ Happy Tummy.
   I haven't tried any other Tim Ho Wan's before but my friends were happy that it tasted the same as the ones outside the country. Good Thing I didn't have to travel far to experience thy Pork Buns. haha! : )



Fun Fact:

Bibendum, commonly referred to as the Michelin Man, is the symbol of the Michelin tire company, The company Michelin is also notable for its Red and Green travel guides, and the Michelin stars that the Red Guide awards to restaurants for their cooking.
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide/reference books published by the French company Michelin for more than one hundred years. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant reference guide, which awards Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a star can have dramatic effects on the success of a restaurant. Michelin also publishes a series of general guides to countries.

Bibendum would always be Marshmallow Man to me! ;)

Feeling Lucky at Lucky Chinatown and The Lo Han Chai

    
          So I finally got the chance to go to Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo, We were suppose to get lunch at King Chef but because of our very hectic sched we had to opt for take outs. You see I am a vampire, I live in the night.. I get to enjoy the night life 7 days a week.. err minus my rest days which makes my body clock really crazy because I don’t know what time to sleep Its just plain cray cray on my rest days. Ya get the picture? So in a hurry to get my much needed sleep we didn't have the luxury to dine in and my sister from my Chinese mama didn’t feel like going out so we opted for takeout. 

          The waiter who took our order said it might take 25 minutes for our orders to be cooked, Yay! I have 25 minutes to explore Lucky Chinatown Mall! ^_^ 1st stop: Lord Stow's Bakery.

EGG TARTS *drools*

This is definitely a "Little taste of Heaven"

Tired from our errands, this is her "suhol" to make me walk some more around the mall >.<
and it worked! haha

Ham Soi Kok

          When we got back to the restaurant our food was still not ready and so we decided to sit down and get some tea. Since its already past 3PM they have this promo 50% off dim sum and I grabbed the opportunity to get a taste of my favorite Ham Soi Kok. The tikoy like part was too thick but the filling was yummy. But in my heart It would always be Wai Ying in Binondo that has the best Ham Soi Kok evaaah. :) 

Lo Han Chai

          For some weird reasons my Chinese sisters didn’t know what Lo Han Chai was, they just knew it was veggies when we were setting the table back home. So I did a little research because all along I thought there was a veggie called Lo Han or something. haha. 

Loh Han Chai or Buddah's Deligh

is a popular braised veggie dish served during Chinese New Year which came from a Buddhist practice that a person should maintain a vegetarian diet in the first five days of the New Year as a self-purification.

It uses a lot of veggie ingredients, usually 8 ingredients to signify prosperity  but some restaurants can create a more elaborate version which has 18 and up to 35 ingredients.

Typical Ingredients for Loh Han Chai: 

1. Chinese cabbage

2. Dried Chinese mushrooms

3. Dried cloud ear fungus/ wan yu

4. Glass noodle

5. Black moss/ fatt choi

6. Dried gluten ball

7. Gingko nuts

8. Snow peas

Traditionally it was enjoyed by vegetarian Buddhist monks but now it is populardish worldwide. The name luóhàn zhai is a combination of two words which means a vegetarian diet (zhai) for an enlightened ascetic individual or the Buddha himself (luohan).

Now We Know! :) 

I liked this dish because its 1) Healthy 2) I like how the veggies texture are – crunchy 3) It tastes good. 

Deep Fried Pigeon

Black Pepper Crabs

Bamboo Shells In Taosi Sauce

Seafood with Spinach Soup

Wine to end the Day