Evening rolls around mid bus ride from Tai O. We metro bounce our way to an area called Mong Kok looking for Sister Agent Bao. She sent us the name of a dim sum place to meet her at, all undercover-like. Surprise! it’s in a mall. So now we’re lost in another Hong Kong mall. But….

Queenie looks at a map!

Hmmmm nope, we’re still lost. Better bring in some more agents

We find the spot and Bao is outside  waiting for us. The place she picked for dinner is called Tim Ho Wan. It’s a dim sum place with a Michelin Star so it should be daaaaaaaaamn gooooooood!

Tim Ho Wan

Bao gives us a briefing on the place: So apparently Tim Ho Wan was opened in 2009 by a Michelin-starred chef named Mak Kwai-pui. By 2010 it had a Michelin star of it’s own, has exploded in popularity and since expanded to 5 locations in Hong Kong. And why stop there? It’s also branched out into other countries such as the Philippines and Australia. It’s not easy getting a Michelin star, just ask Bradley Cooper (that’s for Paris, bitch!), and this place has been dubbed the world’s cheapest Michelin-Star restaurant. Getting a Michelin-starred dim sum dish for $5 is kind of hard to beat. Let’s FEAST!

We scan the menu and, of course, there is way too much good looking food on there. So naturally we go overboard with a smorgasbord of delicious options that included:

Phoenix Talons w abalone sauce (aka chickens feet)
Baked Buns w bbq pork
Vemicili rolls w pigs liver
Steamed rice w chicken feet and spare ribs
Steamed fresh shrimp dumplings
Tonic medlar and petal cake
More buns.. more balls.. egg rolls?
Food.Porn.Montage!!!

It was incredibly good. Family dinner style mixing and matching, overlapping chop sticking and tea pouring. We gorged and we giggled, politely. The gates of food heaven shone down on us for about an hour.

Highly highly recommend hitting this place. Hands down the best dim sum ever. We ordered multiples of the steamed buns and phoenix talons, couldn’t get enough of them. I don’t know why people don’t just come back here every day for super cheap, super awesome dim sum. It’s one of those experiences that when you are done you are actually sad it’s over. Sad you couldn’t eat more. Just one more bun.. crumbly melty nom nomz! But we were collectively stuffed and any spare space now needed to be filled with… Cocktails, woohoo! (That last part is to be sung like the theme song to Ducktales btw)

Agent Bao leads us through some more confusing malls, back down to the water, and across the harbor. We pass by some glitzy shops and incredible Christmas displays.

While we’re walking I notice the following cute behavior between sister agents Bao and Tha Queebs: “Hey Si!” + (Point at something) + giggling. They both do this, referring to each other as ‘Si’. So I ask Queenie what’s going on here. “Si, like sister. You know”. Ah yes, of course. “Si!”, the pointing and giggling continues.

The thing about this area of Hong Kong is you’re constantly lost in a mall and never actually have to touch street level. After a few more stops at the mall directory map and a couple inquiries with security guards we are finally directed to our destination: Sevva!

SEVVA

Sevva turns out to be an upscale restaurant in the Prince’s Building. Having just eaten our dim sum faces off we are a little confused why Bao would bring us here. She leads us through the fancy dinning area with the inverted garden wall and the red tinted loungy bar to a flashy outdoor rooftop patio. Ahh sweet! We’re getting some funny looks since everyone but Bao is severely under-dressed for this scene. Again. “Oh man, I’m wearing a hoody and jogging pants, again!”, “And a backpack. Again”.

The rooftop bar looks out over the harbor and towards some of the mega-lit-up central bank sky rises. It has a really great vibe.

The view is fairly impressive. The price for drinks is not (again!), and we drop $100 US on a round of cocktails (woohoo?). Apparently Bao didn’t get the memo that we were at a super swanky rooftop patio just last night. But it’s cool here at Sevva, and the weather is perfect, so we just relax and use the social scene as cover to discus our covert operations here in Hong Kong.

While the Si Agents are pointing and giggling, the Adventure Detectives tone the drinks down a notch to just $17 drafts of Kronenbourg. Agent Getz looks around, “Nice place, I’ve gotta use the bathroom here for sure”. He takes off through Schmancy Land to hit the head.

Drinks were stirrin up the zizzies and it was time to discuss what to do with the remainder of the evening. “We’ve gotta get out of the city”, “Yep, totally agree”, I watch a shooting star pass through McBurger’s brainspace, “We could take the metro to the Chinese border?”, “Ahhhh… yeah we could do that.”

At that point there is a break in the giggling and the Si Agents come back over to us. “Ok, we’re going back to Bao’s House”, “Bauhaus, haha”, “Yeah, you guys wanna just meet us there later?”. There’s a dangerous side-glance between McBurger and I that screams ‘Boys night out!’. “Yeah sure, we’ll catch up with you in a bit”, “Ok!” and the girls take off, skipping on rainbows.

“It’s on!”, “Ohh it’s on!” (high fives). Agent Getz comes back, “What’s on?” (high fives), “We’re going to the Chinese Border!”, “Ahhhh… yeah we could do that. Sooooo, I just stuffed a bunch of towels down the handicapped toilet and upper decked it. The next person that…”

“Check please!”