DimSum HK: Take 1

As promised, this blog is about travelling, experiences & above all else FOOD. I've been in Hong Kong for little over a week & instead of blogging about my daily whereabouts (I'd like to think I can be a bit more organized with my blog content) I will try to structure the posts by popular areas, cuisines, specific restaurants etc... Enough jibber jabber, on to the good stuff. I am extremely thrilled to announce that I was able to visit 2 of the "best" & most "authentic" dim sums in the last few days (according to Times http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1850110_1850124_1850300,00.html & the Michelin Guide).

The first is the Lin Heung Tea House, located on the busy street of Wellington in the Central neighborhood. I went with 2 other exchange students & it was a bit of trek to get there. It's a bit far from the hustle & bustle of the main areas of Central but definitely worth the trip. I suggest you go with the least amount of people as possible because this place gets packed fast, is always busy & very difficult to find a spot. Luckily a nice gentleman invited us to sit with him at his table (it is customary to share tables at busy restaurants, so expect to meet new strangers all the time while you're in HK). It's a very traditional restaurant and strictly Cantonese, but again a nice gentleman who spoke English sitting behind us helped us with ordering and showing us how everything works (fun fact: he was a Western alum, what are the odds?!)

busy busy for Lin Heung

 Val learning how to "clean" our dishes

 lotus seed bun=DELICIOUS & a house special, absolute MUST

 fried noodles w BBQ pork & chinese broccoli - drool worthy 

beef siu mai 

 shrimp siu mai

brown sugar cake is also a house special and so light&delish

 our new friend from Western (we had to)

 The second place we visited (this time with 5 people) was the Tim Ho Wan, situated in tucked away side street in the busy Mong Kok area. Not only is this place rated a 1 star in the Michelin Guide but it is also the cheapest restaurant featured/starred in the Michelin Guide... in the world!! It is a hole in the wall kind of place, very tiny & cramped (fitting max 30 some people) but the food is to die for. They have a fairly limited menu compared to most dim sum places, but all dishes are incredibly scrumptious and savory. When we first arrived we were given a ticket and told it would be a 2 hour wait. It was worth it.

 first order featuring dumplings of all sorts, glue rice & custard buns

 what they are famous for BBQ pork baked buns

totally worth it

 val enjoying the tea

 biting into some dumplings

 a little bit of everything

 spring rolls, siu mai, more dumplings, BBQ pork buns etc etc...

 tiny tiny place

 from the outside

our cook hard at work

Overall, I really loved both of these restaurants. Now that I have these "must eats" out of the way, I am excited to explore more restaurants all over HK & stumble upon some hidden jewels along the way. Enjoy these drool worthy pictures.