dim sum Archives - freespiritfood

After reading much about Tim Ho Wan’s baked bbq pork buns and homemade dim sum, we were on a mission this morning to find the original store in Hong Kong of what is now a very popular chain of restaurants.

True to the reviews the pan fried and baked bbq pork buns are absolutely delicious, with tasty pork filling encased with a light, fluffy and slightly crispy pastry. Very different to the palate binding texture of traditional pork buns.

We also tried their congee with preserved egg, steamed chive and shrimp dumplings, steamed beef brisket with turnip and steamed pork spare ribs with black bean. It was all very tasty and well executed.

The restaurant itself is unassuming and was packed with locals enjoying Saturday morning brunch/breakfast.

Definitely worth the short trip from Tsim Sha Tsui up to Olympian City 2 in Tai Kwok Tsui, West Kowloon.

Found this little gem on my recent trip to London when I was searching for a bar to meet up with a work colleague near the West End.

Don’t be put off by the rather dingy entrance (look for the Jade Door says their website) and creaky wooden stairs to Opium..it’s all part of the atmosphere of making you feel like you are in some back room opium den in old time Shanghai. After climbing up a few flights of stairs, you enter an atmospherically lit bar decorated with Asian flair.

Situated in the middle of London’s Chinatown and a hop from West End theatres, Opium is a great Pre or post -theatre drinks venue but also an excellent experience in it’s own right.

The Dim Sum menu features sharing platters as well as individual dumpling plates and the dumplings were freshly made and delicious.

The cocktail list is very inventive and includes a beautifully illustrated menu of cocktails themed around the Chinese animal zodiac and cocktails from this list are served in corresponding animal shaped jars!

Munching on dim sum as you enjoy the drinks is a great idea and the whole experiences is quirky and fun.

Make a booking online at http://www.opiumchinatown.com as it fills up fast and there are queues to get in.