The Cheapest Michelin Meal? Count me in…
On my second day in Melbourne, I was in a taxi on the way to dinner at Lume (read my review of Lume HERE). Lume with it many awards, service oriented staff and chic interior has a reputation for putting forth innovative dishes and it is hard to argue that it isn’t one of the top restaurants in Melbourne. So when the driver asked me where I was going, I let it be known that I was excited to be going to what I expected, would be an amazing dinner. After all, Lume had been awarded two hats (Australia doesn’t have Michelin stars, and instead has hats. Yes like the ones that go on your head – trust the Aussies to do something unique! At least they don’t use Crocodile Dundee hats and have appropriately selected chef hats). “So, you are one of those foodies!” He said with enough disdain to convey exactly how he felt about foodies. Ever happy to jump up onto my soap box, I explained my thoughts on the term “foodie”, my position as an “UnFoodie” and my love of great cuisine and the fine dining experience. Perhaps he didn’t hear “fine” and retorted, “Well if you like good food and want an experience, you should eat at the cheapest Michelin started restaurant in the world – just a few blocks from where we are right now. You could feed your family for 50 bucks.”
A number of thoughts simultaneously popped up in my head. In no particular order: WHAT??? Right here? Cheapest in the world? Wait, Michelin – I thought Michelin didn’t rate in Australia? Why did the Aussies pick hats and not dinner plates or forks? But I was intrigued and wanted to try and fit it into my culinary exploration of Melbourne. A little cajoling and I got him to drive by the restaurant so I could take down its name and do a bit of investigating to try and address my burning questions. The place’s name will be very familiar to many but was new to me – TimHoWan.
A quick search on Google and I had a bit more of the story. The original TimHoWan in Hong Kong, is indeed a Michelin starred establishment and for years was the cheapest Michelin meal in the world. Currently, it rates within the top 2-3 cheapest Michelin meals with top distinction going to Liao Fan Hong Kong, in Singapore. This got me thinking about these cheap Michelin starred restaurants- more on that in a minute.
TimHoWan-Hong Kong is Chef Mak Kwai Pui’s answer to the populist call for simple, traditional and excellent cuisine in a humble, unpretentious setting (power to the people, I say). Ok, that may not be fine dining, but it is still pretty UnFoodie in other regards.
A very busy store front
Capitalizing on this raging success, Pui opened up its first ex-Hong Kong location in Singapore. The success led to a number of restaurants in countries across South East Asia including Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and in more recent years the contagion has spread to other countries including Japan, Australia and even the US. From the reviews, these new locations, may not carry the same Michelin star distinction, but still have maintained excellent quality of food.
Melbourne is not necessarily considered the Mecca of dim sum, so it was a little surprising to me that this particular location of is thought to be one of the best of the TimHoWan offspring, close to the original in food quality. Many who have dined at both (HK and Melbourne) locations give rave reviews to the Melbourne location, referring to it as only slightly less impressive than the original. Given this, I decided to give the place a visit.
What I ordered, can most generously be described as gluttonous. I was dining alone and yet I ordered enough food for four people – shameful, but such are the sacrifices I make for you.
The one “must-have” dish is the signature Tim Ho Wan Pork Bun, and that’s exactly how I started.
This bun is absolutely spectacular and rather unique. It is baked not steamed leading to a flaky, rather than traditionally squishy, texture. Less unique, but not less importantly, it also yields a more even dough to filling ratio. Chef Mak Kwai Pui’s has even imported a specialty oven to obtain the very particular effect. The result is a rich golden pork bun with a fluffy light texture and scrumptious barbeque pork filling.
Prawn dumpling
The quintessential traditional dumpling, executed to perfection with a well-crafted delicate pastry covering a simple portion of prawn meat – this is the way I measure every dim sum restaurant that I visit. This was close to the best one I’ve ever had. I’m convinced!
Pork dumpling with shrimp
Given the reputation of the pork bun, I also had to try a pork dumpling. This is a delightful pork and shrimp meatball stuffed into that the bright yellow wrapper.
For the more artistically inclined, there is a red date garnish on each dumpling. True to expectations, this was another perfectly executed traditional item that could serve as a bellwether.
Bean curd skin roll with pork and shrimp
Bean curd is my favorite manifestation of tofu. In this case, the textured skin sopping with gravy held the well seasoned and substantial pork and shrimp mixture.
Spinach dumpling with shrimp
A translucent pastry artistically wrapped around fresh wilted spinach and juicy shrimp, minimally seasoned with salt.
TimHoWan is known for their dumpling skins and in this case it gave a window into the heavenly interior.
Crispy garlic chicken wings
This was me being utterly indulgent. I was already stuffed but figured I should order some dessert – can’t imagine a better end to this meal.
Moist tender chicken, with a crispy and garlicky golden shell. The spicy heat of this dish nicely offset the savory sweetness of the pork buns I started with.
Definitely a bizarro turning upside down of sweet and savory in this meal .
For less than $50, I had enough food to feed a family of 4. It was indeed an amazing dinner that qualifies as a culinary experience – not for the quality of the service, the fine wine or the decadent setting, but instead for the incredibly tasty dishes. I haven’t been to the original TimHoWan in Hong Kong, but it will certainly be the first restaurant I visit when I do eventually make my way to Hong Kong. Then I will be able to do a head to head comparison for you. Till then, all I can say with any confidence is that if you do visit the Melbourne location, you will get a great meal at an incredible price.
Now, back to the idea of bargain Michelin Star restaurants. In a way it is a bit hard to wrap ones brain around the concept. Michelin inspectors evaluate service, decor and location, but the Michelin guide editor, Rebecca Burr, told The Telegraph that “It is all about the food. Absolutely.” Burr suggested that to go from one star to two means displaying “that technical strength, signature dishes, refinement, something that sets them apart.” While the journey from two to three stars is about the “ultimate culinary experience”. This being the case, if one can elevate the food and eschew the Michelin Star restaurant’s ethos of selecting only ingredients of pristine quality and crafting every dish as though it were a work of art, it is feasible to obtain a star – and clearly, if the service, decor and location are put to the side, once can reduce the cost of the meal dramatically. In looking at regularly published lists of the most affordable starred restaurants, one can see that there are at least a dozen, from all around the world including in the expensive San Francisco Bay area and Tokyo where one can get a Michelin Star dinner for under $20. WOW! I’m definitely going to plan a vacation based this list…