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Chinese Food

Tai Zi Heen, Dim Sum, Eat All You Can, Dim Sum Buffet, Unlimited Dim Sum, Promo, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant, Where to Eat in Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Restaurant, Food, Food Review, Restaurant Review, Pullman Hotel KLCC, KLCC, Pullman, Prince Hotel KL,
in Expat Life, KL Food, Kuala Lumpur

Food + Review: Tai Zi Heen, Unlimited Dim Sum Review

March 20, 2016

Since the hype over this restaurant has been off the charts recently, I thought I’d give it a try with the husband and give you guys my honest, no-fuss review of the place.

Also, full disclosure: We do love dim sum and a great deal on food is enough to get me really excited over a restaurant. 😉 We also paid for this meal so I am in no way bound, expected, or persuaded by the restaurant to wax poetic over their food and service.

The current promo is as follows:

 

Tai Zi Heen, Dim Sum, Eat All You Can, Dim Sum Buffet, Unlimited Dim Sum, Promo, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant, Where to Eat in Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Restaurant, Food, Food Review, Restaurant Review, Pullman Hotel KLCC, KLCC, Pullman, Prince Hotel KL,

Photo grabbed from the Tai Zi Heen Facebook Page

Since it’s a Sunday and I’ve been craving for dim sum as per usual, we made our way to the restaurant which was located inside the Pullman Hotel in KLCC.

FYI: The Pullman KLCC is formerly known as Prince Hotel.

Parking was a breeze and only took us a few minutes. Tai Zi Heen is located at the hotel’s 2nd level and from the 5th floor parking area, you’ll have to go down to the lobby first before taking a different lift or hopping on to the escalator.

We were seated right away. We had reservations (which is actually required) so this wasn’t that much of a shocker but I did expect the restaurant to have more people. Based on my experience here in KL, Malaysians love a good deal as much as I do.

Tai Zi Heen, Dim Sum, Eat All You Can, Dim Sum Buffet, Unlimited Dim Sum, Promo, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant, Where to Eat in Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Restaurant, Food, Food Review, Restaurant Review, Pullman Hotel KLCC, KLCC, Pullman, Prince Hotel KL,

Tai Zi Heen, Dim Sum, Eat All You Can, Dim Sum Buffet, Unlimited Dim Sum, Promo, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant, Where to Eat in Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Restaurant, Food, Food Review, Restaurant Review, Pullman Hotel KLCC, KLCC, Pullman, Prince Hotel KL,

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in Expat Life, KL Food

Food: Tim Ho Wan Opens in Kuala Lumpur (Things to expect + Prices)

November 29, 2014

I could live on steamed Chinese shrimp dumplings (hakao) for the rest of my life. That addiction brought me to Chef Mak Kwai Pui’s (麥桂培) Tim Ho Wan in 2010 during a visit to Hong Kong. That’s when our long distance love affair started. That first visit was also the start of another addiction – their BBQ Pork Buns.

Trivia: Tim Ho Wan literally means “to add good luck” or “more good luck” (thanks, Rob and Diane!) in Cantonese. 

I can’t begin to tell anyone how much I love those two dishes and at the risk of being deemed basic, I order those two every single time I’m inside a Tim Ho Wan. In Hong Kong, in Manila when it opened last May (I was writing an article about it and was lucky enough to be one of the first people to dine there during opening day), Singapore, and now in Kuala Lumpur. True, I’ve tried the egg cake, the Vermicelli rolls, and the rest of it during that media visit in Manila but I guess I’m just in too deep with those two.

While a lot of neg-heads would often go like: “It’s overrated” and “The branches in other countries will never be at par with the one in Hong Kong”, I myself am just happy to have my hakao and pork bun fix – especially here in KL where not a lot of restaurants serve pork. I’m a Filipina and pork, is part of our basic food groups back home so halal food is usually okay and healthier but I do miss some good old pork in my food. Oh, and did I mention I miss chicharron (fried pork rinds) a lot too?

And come to think of it, there are lots of Chinese restaurants and hawker stalls here in KL and even in Singapore but not everyone and not a lot of them serve hakao! It drives me into bitch fits, sometimes when my craving is just too much. I went to Ying Ker Lou, a Chinese restaurant in Pavilion where they serve different kinds of dim sum, hakao included. Went in with a smile on my face, went out disappointed. The shrimps were obviously frozen so they didn’t taste the least bit fresh and were a bit gummy.

So I made it to a point to go to the Tim Ho Wan opening yesterday, November 28, in MidValley just to makeup for that bad experience. Expecting a long line, I wore comfy sandals. But I was surprised to see that the line was manageable.

Tim Ho Wan, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Dim Sum, BBQ Pork Buns,

Expect a line outside the restaurant.

When going to Tim Ho Wan, one should expect that they wouldn’t be seated right away. It’s like that in almost all their branches. The cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant (I think it’s a tad cheaper than Din Tai Fung) is of course, very popular everywhere it goes. Even those who don’t know of the restaurant before it came to their shores are drawn in because of the hype that comes with it and the intriguing line.

In KL though, the line is manageable since it’s a non-halal restaurant, a huge percentage of the population here are not part of their target audience. But still, the restaurant will be full. Even if it’s slightly bigger (with an upper floor for dining opening soon) than its sisters abroad. I waited in line for about 10 minutes max which isn’t so bad.

Tip: Smaller groups, solo diners in fact, get seated faster.

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in Asia, Expat Life, KL Food, Kuala Lumpur, Travel

Foodie Adventures: Chinese food haven at Jalan Alor

August 18, 2014

Malaysia is basically Asian food heaven. With the country being a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, and Indian culture, it’s quite hard to imagine Malaysia not having good food.

We all know the history between Singapore and Malaysia and I’m pretty sure a bit of the rivalry between these two countries also extends to their food which is very very similar. However, one observation that can really differentiate one’s cuisine from the other is this: Malaysian food is definitely spicier than Singaporean. If you’re used to Singaporean laksa which is already spicy, you better brace yourself for Malaysian laksa because it will definitely leave your mouth burning. I have a friend who will testify to this as well.

A couple of weeks back, the husband and I decided to walk all the way to Jalan Alor – a street known for its authentic Chinese street-restaurants – for dinner. The food was so good, we found ourselves back in Jalan Alor only two days after that, friends in tow.

Ok, first things first: Where in KL is Jalan Alor?

Jalan Alor is located in the Bukit Bintang area. You can take the Monorail and just hop off at the Bukit Bintang station. From there, it’s only a short walk. As for my husband and I, we would always pass through Pavilion Mall (our building is located a couple of minutes walk from the mall’s back entrance while it’s front opens up to Bukit Bintang). For a map to Jalan Alor, click here.

From the mall’s main entrance, you will see this:

Just go straight down the main road which is behind that fountain. But wait, there’s Sephora! It’s best if my husband and I would make a quick stop over, yes?

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