East Village Dim Sum Restaurant Brings Chinese Eats To Manhattan Streets

Tim Ho Wan, a dim sum parlor from Hong Kong famously known for being the most affordable restaurant to receive a Michelin-star, has just officially opened its doors in New York City. The restaurant has been in soft opening mode for the past month, learning from the original chefs and replicating the dishes to the ounce to ensure the integrity of flavor and texture.

Dim Sum is a traditional Chinese meal usually eaten in the late morning or “tea time”. The meal is also commonly referred to as ‘yum cha’ in many Cantonese households, which literally translates to “drink tea.” Dim sum is made up of several dishes on small plates, similar to what is found in a Spanish tapas bar. While most traditional dim sum consists of steamed dumplings and vegetables, fried turnip cake, spring rolls, and baked pork buns are also among the most popular dishes. Dim Sum is usually washed down with various floral and fruit based teas to aid in relaxation and digestion.

While other restaurants in Chinatowns of other boroughs in New York may feature a wider range of proteins and edible portions of said proteins (beef lung or pig ears, anyone?), Tim Ho Wan’s original chef has a couple of dishes specifically orchestrated for the Manhattan East Village crowd. Fried vegetable spring rolls and french toast filled with egg custard are among these original dishes targeted for the American palate – and if lines around the block are any indication, they seem to have hit their mark.

For more information on Tim Ho Wan‘s journey to the United States, read this article.