Date of publication: 29-03-2013
Hong Kong Michelin star Tim Ho Wan is a restaurant opened in Plaza Singapura
Famous Michelin star dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan from Hong Kong opens its first overseas outpost on the Atrium @ Orchard, the new wing Plaza Singapura, in the middle of the following month.
The 80-seat restaurant, that 2,300 m², will be located on the ground floor, in front of coffee chain Starbucks.
A second outlet, which over the space formerly occupied by Swensen in Toa Payoh Lorong 6 will take Centre in ERA, is scheduled to open in the third quarter of the year.
The plan, says Harry Chua, who was behind the venture here, is to open a total of six outlets by the end of the year, the staff and the location.
The 66-year-old, who is Executive Chairman of Hersing Corporation, which owns companies such as real estate companies ERA Realty Network, was first introduced to the restaurant of his older brother Robert, 67, a Hong Kong-based media entrepreneur and producer, who is often dines.
The younger Chua works with the dim sum restaurant chef-owner Mak Kwai Pui, 50, who runs four successful restaurants in Hong Kong, including those on the IFC Mall in Central and Sham Shui Po. The chef original sales point in Mongkok, which earned its first Michelin star in 2009, has since been moved to another building in the same area.
Chef Mak exhaust in Sham Shui Po is the only other outlet with a Michelin star. The rest are not.
Are casual dim sum eateries in Hong Kong are well known for drawing the crowds, with patrons sometimes row for between one and two hours just for a taste of his tasty and delicate dim sum.
The older Chua has been a fan of Tim Ho Wan for more than two years, and when he brought his younger brother to try it, he, too, was blown away.
Harry says, "I would eat Tim Ho Wan char siew pau all day." It took about six months to negotiate a deal to take Tim Ho Wan overseas.
He now has the franchise rights for the AsiaPacific. The first two outlets here will be entirely in the hands of the Hersing group of companies.
Chef Mak is no stranger to Singapore-he is a guest chef in Singapore several times over the years at restaurants such as Cassia in Capella Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa Feng Shui Inn.
He tells life! that diners expect the dim sum here that can authentic and of the same quality as in Hong Kong. Even the flour used for his famous char siew sandwiches is imported from Hong Kong.
However, what will be different is the price. The dim sum here will be a tad more expensive than in Hong Kong, due to higher rent and labour costs.
For example, in char siew Hong Kong chef MAK's signature roll costs S $ 1.10. Here the same roll costs a little more-prices here is still being completed-but will be priced below S $ 2 each.
Diners can expect the price of food no more than 10 percent higher than the price of dishes in other top dim sum restaurants in the city, says Chua.
There will be 28 items in the menu. The char siew bun aside, include other signature dishes by chef Mak Hong Kong outlets that will ma lai gou, available here are a fluffy steamed cake; Lo bak gou, fried turnip cake; and cheong fun or rice cakes with different fillings including pork liver, shrimp and beef.
Chef Mak started making dim sum at the age of 15, honing his craft at restaurants such as the Michelin-star restaurant Lung King Heen on Four Seasons Hotel. Ask him the secret behind its fine dim sum and he says it is all about the "freshness" of the ingredients and how fast it is served after being cooked to diners.
Speaking in Mandarin and Cantonese, he adds: "the secret is in making the items fresh daily, with fresh ingredients, and then serving it to customers immediately, without warm up."
For example, the cheong fun, which is made from scratch on site, will be made to order, while other items such as har gao (shrimp dumpling) and siew mai (pork dumpling in Wantan skin-wrapped) will be steamed to order, not pre-steamed then warmed up.
The idea that heat up the taste and texture of dim sum chef spoils is something that Mak had to tap into his long time friend, chef Fung Kam Tim, 48, who will be helming Tim Ho Wan here.
The Hong Konger, previously a dim sum chef in Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant in the Singapore Marriott Hotel for more than 20 years, was friends with chef Mak.
Chef Mak says: "chef Fung skills are very good, and I have complete confidence in him and trust him completely. The only thing that I have to do is to change his mentality. "
Chef Fung trained with chef Mak in Hong Kong for more than 10 days during the Chinese new year, and practicing the cuisine in Singapore in the run-up to the opening of the restaurant.
Although finding staff has proven to be challenging, the restaurant has managed to hire the 50 employees it needs, half of whom is running the kitchen.
Of the cooks dim sum-making skills chef Mak says that some even more experienced than his chefs in Hong Kong. He says, "I'm not concerned about the quality at all, as long as we cook items only when customers place orders."
There are plans for a central kitchen further down the road, although many points must still be made on site, chef Mak says.
Only dishes can such as lo bak gou, ma lai gou, or part of cooking processes, such as frying and stewing of phoenix claws, better known as chicken feet, be done in central kitchens.
He says: "We do not compromise on quality. We will cook to order, and serve it immediately, because if dim sum is cold, it is not so good to eat. "
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