Pineapple Pork Buns

One of Hong Kong's most famous foods is dim sum, which I have written about before. A very popular dim sum item is barbecued pork buns, or char siu baau, which are normally cooked in bamboo steamers. The barbecue style is different from American barbecue of course, but nevertheless very tasty.

Today, I tried a famous variation of this type of pork bun at a restaurant called Tim Ho Wan. The original of this chain, which earned one Michelin star, is located in Yau Ma Tei. However, I ate at the branch in IFC in Central, and even better, there is one within walking distance from my house in Sham Shui Po!

All the food we ordered was good, though the menu is a bit more limited than other dim sum places. Of course, the highlight was the signature char siu baau, which has a Hong Kong-style pineapple bun as the crust instead of the traditional steamed bun.

First of all, to clarify, a pineapple bun does not contain actual pineapple. Instead, it is a sweet bread roll that has a crumbly coating on top that sometimes resembles the outside of a pineapple in pattern. They are a common breakfast food here.

It might seem strange to combine a sweet bread with barbecued pork meat, but it was absolutely delicious. It was warm and gooey and practically melted in your mouth. I will definitely go back for more!

Despite being an award-winner, the restaurant is a bit low on the charm and ambiance of normal dim sum. That said, the prices are very reasonable. They use plastic plates and bowls, which do not need to be 'cleaned' with tea before eating, not ceramic crockery.

Nor do they encourage you to order tea to sip slowly. Instead, they almost rush you out after you finish in order to accommodate the long lines of waiting customers. But, they did set aside the cardigan I left behind and had wrapped it in a bag when I came to claim it nearly 6 hours later :)