Tim Ho Wan for the Michelin Starred BBQ Pork Buns

I love Pork Asado, or BBQ Pork cooked the Chinese Way. I love it in all forms, most especially when it comes as BBQ Pork Puffs (Pastry form), or even as BBQ baked buns. I think I only don't like it in the normal bun form, but maybe that's because the good old Siopao is very common in the Philippines.

When I lived in Singapore, my go to place when I crave for BBQ Pork Puffs is Tong Heng Bakeshop, no Michelin stars, but just simple good BBQ Pork Puffs and Egg Tarts in Chinatown.

You can read about my post on that here.

If you're in the mood to go more posh, the BBQ Pork Puffs from the Royal China at Raffles (Hotel) is really good, and the pricing was reasonable too. You can read about my post on that here.

BBQ Pork Puffs from Royal China at Raffles.

The crust is lighter, and the pie is meatier.

They also had Baked BBQ Pork Buns, which are only available on weekends. Since we went there for Sunday brunch, we had to try it.

Baked BBQ Pork Buns from Royal China at Raffles.

I remember the bread was soft and light, with generous filling.

Which brings me to my actual topic for this post. Sorry for the long intro, my love of BBQ Pork Buns distracted me. When we went to Hong Kong, Tim Ho Wan (THW), was a must on our list because they are know as one of the cheapest Michelin Starred restaurants in the world famous for --- you guessed it! the Baked BBQ Pork Buns! They also recently opened in Singapore (by recent I mean last year), and since I am so delayed in my posts, here is a comparison of both places.

SG vs HK
Which one do you think has the better BBQ Pork Bun?

Hong Kong

The THW branch I've been to in HK is at the HK Station.

It pays to arrive there for brunch, just before they open, so you are
guaranteed a table, because we had to wait super long for ours.

They have an open kitchen so you can see how they make things.

We were waited for our table for so long, we had time to take pictures.

You can already plan your order while waiting, but it's useless without a table.
Unless you order take-out.

We were so hungry, we ate dessert before we got seated.
Pierre Herme has a branch at IFC mall.

We were so happy when we finally got seated.

We ordered a little bit of everything, as we still has plans to eat elsewhere, but I remember not being impressed if you take into account the waiting time for the table. While the dimsum was ok, I would never line up for it again.

Now the BBQ pork bun is a different matter.

It comes in sets of threes per order.

The bun is soft with a crumbly texture on top.
And the filling is yummy and generous. You notice the meat isn't too red.

I think the best part is the bottom is crisp and adds a nice contrast,
especially when eaten fresh.

Yummy!!!

Our other friends also ordered other dishes.
I don't think they found anything exceptionally wow.

Singapore

Since I found the BBQ Pork Bun so good. I was so excited to try their Singapore Branch that recently opened in the new wing of Plaza Singapura when we were there last November.

The look and feel is similar, but they've been known to attract long lines,
so it's good to go around 4 or 5pm for a snack instead of a meal.\
They will not seat you if your group is not complete.

Singapore is more expensive of course, but I found the price to be reasonable
for Singapore standards.

Of course we had to order the BBQ Pork bun.

While it was still good, I don't think I enjoyed it as much.
In fact, I think I prefer the Royal China BBQ Pork Stuff to this.

We ordered other dimsum so Sofia could also snack.

My surprise favorite dish was their radish cake (sometimes also called carrot cake). You can point to the picture on the placemat to avoid any confusion.

The radish (or carrot) cake was so light, and for some reason,
it tasted really clean and refreshing. I will definitely come back for this.

So there you have it. That's my verdict of THW in HK and in SG. There have been rumors that THW is opening in Manila soon. I hope they manage to replicate the quality of the BBQ Pork buns from HK and the freshness of their Radish Cake from SG. just saying.

TIM HO WAN HONG KONG
Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station Podium Level 1
IFC Mall, Central
Hong Kong, China

TIM HO WAN SINGAPORE
#01-29A/52, Plaza Singapura
68 Orchard Road

Singapore