FINE DINING REVIEW
Chinese New Year Seasonal Menu — Year of the Horse
Available through 3 March 2026 | Plaza Singapura, #01-29A/52, 68 Orchard Road
Overview
Tim Ho Wan occupies a singular position in the global dim sum landscape: a Michelin-starred institution conceived to bring affordable, world-class Hong Kong-style yum cha to the masses. Founded in 2009 by chef Mak Kwai Pui in a modest 20-seat shopfront in Mong Kok, the brand has since expanded across Asia and beyond, without meaningfully compromising on the culinary standards that earned its original star. Its Plaza Singapura outpost is one of Singapore’s most reliably patronised — and the Chinese New Year seasonal menu running through 3 March 2026 gives both regulars and newcomers fresh cause to visit.
What distinguishes this festive offering from routine CNY menus elsewhere is restraint. Rather than piling on novelty for novelty’s sake, Tim Ho Wan has curated a compact selection of five seasonal items that each earn their place at the table. The centrepiece is the Black Truffle Chicken Bun — the brand’s first new signature bun flavour since its founding year — and it acquits itself admirably alongside the established canon.
Ambience & Setting
The Plaza Singapura outlet sits at the base of one of Orchard Road’s busiest lifestyle malls, accessible within a brisk three-minute walk from Dhoby Ghaut MRT (Exit D, E, or F). The location is convenient to a fault — this is dim sum for the urban commuter as much as for the deliberate diner — and the dining room reflects this duality with characteristic clarity.
The interior is compact and efficiently arranged, with close-set tables dressed in the brand’s signature warm timber and clean white palette. Pendant lighting casts a soft amber wash over the room, and a steady ambient murmur of Cantonese conversation and the clatter of bamboo steamers fills the space throughout service. The atmosphere is convivial rather than hushed; this is yum cha as a communal, living tradition, not fine dining theatre.
During peak hours — particularly weekend brunch — queues extend well into the surrounding mall corridor. Weekday lunches offer a marginally more measured pace, though walk-ins at all hours should expect a wait. The service is brisk and practiced, characteristic of a high-volume operation that nonetheless remembers to replenish tea with quiet attentiveness. For large reunion groups celebrating the Year of the Horse, the space accommodates parties warmly, if not with the grandeur of a dedicated banquet hall.
Overall ambience rating: Casual, bustling, and authentic to the yum cha tradition. The setting enhances rather than distracts from the food — which is, here, unambiguously the point.
In-Depth Dish Analysis
- Twin Buns — Black Truffle Chicken Bun & Signature BBQ Pork Bun ($5.80)
RATING: 4.2 / 5
The headline dish of the season arrives as a paired set, staging the brand-new Black Truffle Chicken Bun alongside the iconic Signature BBQ Pork Bun — an intentional dialogue between novelty and institution.
TEXTURE: Both buns share the same defining crust — a crumbly, slightly laminated shell that occupies the textural register between shortcrust pastry and a Hong Kong pineapple bun’s topping. On contact, it yields with a soft fracture, releasing a plume of steam from the filling within. The BBQ Pork Bun’s interior is pliant and slightly sticky with caramelised char siew juices; the Chicken Bun’s filling is finer in grain, more tender, with a silkier mouthfeel attributable to the poultry’s lower fat rendering.
HUE: The BBQ Pork Bun presents the familiar burnished gold of its craquelure crust, contrasting with the deep amber-mahogany visible at the bun’s split. The Black Truffle Chicken Bun presents nearly identically from the exterior — the truffle is discreet in both colour and form — with a paler, cream-tinged interior filling that reads as restrained and considered.
FLAVOUR: The truffle note in the chicken bun is genuinely surprising in its elegance. There is no artificial earthiness, no overblown umami bomb; instead, a gentle, fungal fragrance lifts the delicate chicken filling and lingers briefly on the mid-palate before yielding to the buttery crust. Against the sweeter, richer pork bun, the two-bun set creates a satisfying arc of flavour across a single sitting. The pairing is the right way to order. - Steamed Scallops with Green Sichuan Peppercorn ($6.80)
RATING: 3.8 / 5
An intriguing interlude in what is otherwise a predominantly Cantonese register, this dish introduces a muted Sichuan inflection to the festive table.
TEXTURE: The scallops arrive plump and just-set, their proteins tightened to a tender firmness without the rubbery overcooking that ruins lesser dim sum preparations. They rest on a silken tofu base whose custard-soft give creates a pleasant contrast — two proteins of diametrically different densities sharing a single plane.
HUE: The visual palette here is restrained and elegant: ivory scallop against alabaster tofu, finished with a celadon-green Sichuan peppercorn paste and a slick of pale soy. The green peppercorn provides the only assertive colour note, dotted across the surface like a painter’s considered accent.
FLAVOUR: The seasoning is deliberately light — a soy of brackish salinity that amplifies rather than masks the scallop’s natural sweetness. The green Sichuan peppercorn paste contributes its characteristic ma la numbing sensation, though here calibrated to a mild, curious tingle rather than the full anaesthetic effect of a Chengdu hotpot. It is a dish that rewards slow eating and attention. Those seeking bolder flavour may find it understated; those fatigued by the richness of festive menus will find it a welcome and refined respite. - Crispy Noodles with Prawn and Abalone Sauce ($13.80)
RATING: 4.0 / 5
One of the strongest plates of the meal, and a masterclass in textural engineering.
TEXTURE: The noodle base is deep-fried to a golden, shard-like crispness — the individual strands separate and crackling, each capable of bearing sauce without collapsing immediately. The sauce makes contact and the noodles begin to absorb, softening from the centre outward over the course of the meal. The prawns, by contrast, deliver a snap of firm, springy protein — the quintessential Q texture prized across East Asian cooking — while the abalone contributes a gelatinous, yielding counterpoint.
HUE: The visual composition is dramatic: a glossy, deep amber-brown sauce lacquers the golden noodle nest, dotted with the coral-pink of cooked prawns. The abalone, when visible, reads as a translucent celadon. The overall effect is one of luxurious, festive warmth — a dish that photographs as celebratory and tastes as good as it looks.
FLAVOUR: The sauce is the star. Deeply umami-laden with the oceanic sweetness of abalone broth, it is rich without being cloying, luxurious without demanding restraint. The wok-hei is subtle — more implied than explicit — but the concentrated depth of the sauce compensates entirely. This is the dish most likely to prompt an unprompted remark from across the table. - Glutinous Rice with Steamed Chicken in Wine Broth ($19.80)
RATING: 4.0 / 5
The dish most likely to divide first-time diners — and to convert them entirely by the third mouthful.
TEXTURE: The glutinous rice is sticky and dense in the manner of lo mai gai, each grain swollen with absorbed wine broth until the mass becomes a cohesive, fragrant whole. The chicken, steamed low and slow within this glutinous matrix, shreds with gentle pressure and dissolves readily on the palate. Embedded premium ingredients — likely mushrooms, dried shrimp, and preserved sausage based on the flavour profile — add intermittent chew and textural complexity.
HUE: Presented as a composed mound, the dish reveals a rich, warm chestnut-brown from the wine-infused rice, offset by the paler gold of the chicken and the dark mahogany of embedded lap cheong. A festive, visually assured plate that announces itself with confidence.
FLAVOUR: The wine broth imparts an initial sweetness that registers as unexpected on the first bite — the unmistakable floral-alcoholic note of Chinese rice wine. By the second mouthful, it reads as deeply comforting: a reunion dish in the most literal sense, evoking the kind of home cooking that only tastes right around a shared table. The wine sweetness integrates progressively with the savoury, smoky depth of the rice as the meal continues. A dish that rewards patience and rewards the diner who commits to finishing it. - Lucky Crispy Chinese New Year Cake / Nian Gao ($5.80)
RATING: 4.0 / 5
The meal’s proper conclusion, and one of the better renditions of this festive staple in a commercial dim sum context.
TEXTURE: The exterior has been pan-fried to a crisp, lacquered shell — a thin, caramel-brittle casing that shatters on the fork to reveal an interior of yielding, gooey glutinous rice cake. The contrast between crunch and chew is archetypal nian gao, executed with discipline. There is no unpleasant greasiness, no collapse into sogginess, which speaks well of both the preparation timing and the fat temperature control.
HUE: A deep amber-gold exterior gives way to the translucent, honey-coloured interior of the cake itself. Visually modest, but carrying the warm, nostalgic palette of the Chinese New Year table.
FLAVOUR: Lightly sweetened — measured rather than cloying — with the gentle aroma of caramelised sugar on the crust and the muted, molasses-adjacent depth of the glutinous rice cake within. This is comfort food rendered with craft, and a fitting close to a festive meal built around considered restraint.
Dish Summary & Ratings
Dish Rating Price (SGD)
Twin Buns (Truffle Chicken + BBQ Pork) ★★★★☆ 4.2 / 5 $5.80
Steamed Scallops with Green Sichuan Peppercorn ★★★¾☆ 3.8 / 5 $6.80
Crispy Noodles with Prawn & Abalone Sauce ★★★★☆ 4.0 / 5 $13.80
Glutinous Rice with Steamed Chicken in Wine Broth ★★★★☆ 4.0 / 5 $19.80
Lucky Crispy Chinese New Year Cake (Nian Gao) ★★★★☆ 4.0 / 5 $5.80
Delivery & Access Options
Tim Ho Wan’s Plaza Singapura outlet supports multiple modes of access, making it practical for those who cannot secure a table during the festive rush or who prefer to celebrate at home.
Dine-In
Available daily. Walk-ins accepted; queues are common, particularly on weekends and public holidays. Advance reservations are possible — contact the outlet directly at +65 6251 2000. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM, and Saturday to Sunday, 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM.
Takeaway
Available at the counter. Dim sum travels adequately for short journeys; steamed items will soften in transit, while baked items such as the signature buns hold their crust better. The nian gao is particularly well-suited to takeaway.
Third-Party Delivery Platforms
Tim Ho Wan is available across all major Singapore delivery platforms, with coverage extending island-wide. The following are the primary options:
GrabFood offers a minimum order of approximately $10, with delivery fees ranging from $3 to $7. Priority delivery tiers are available for faster arrival windows.
Foodpanda sets a minimum order of approximately $10.99, with delivery fees from $2 to $6. App-exclusive deals and first-time free delivery promotions are periodically available.
Deliveroo covers city-central outlets including City Link, with estimated delivery windows of approximately 32 minutes from nearby hubs.
Oddle’s own platform offers island-wide delivery including to Jurong, Woodlands, Tampines, and Punggol, with a first-order discount code (WELCOME15 for 15% off, minimum spend $30) and delivery fees starting from $6.80.
Delivery Bundle Options
For home dining during the festive season, Tim Ho Wan offers pre-curated bundle formats including a Delivery Bundle for 2 (approximately $39.80, combining signature dim sum and selected mains) and individual Bento Sets (Series A, B, and C, priced between $17.80 and $18.80, each including a main dish, sides, and a beverage). Bento Sets are available most outlets year-round and represent strong value for solo or paired weekday orders.
Note on Seasonal Items and Delivery
The Chinese New Year limited-time menu items — including the Black Truffle Chicken Bun, the Steamed Scallops with Green Sichuan Peppercorn, and the Glutinous Rice with Wine Broth — may not be available on all delivery platforms. It is advisable to confirm directly with the outlet or check platform listings prior to placing an order. The seasonal menu runs through 3 March 2026.
Final Verdict
Tim Ho Wan’s Chinese New Year seasonal menu is a well-executed, disciplined affair. It does not reach for spectacle, nor does it need to. The Black Truffle Chicken Bun is a genuinely accomplished addition to the brand’s canon — refined, fragrant, and confident. The supporting seasonal dishes, from the numbing elegance of the Sichuan scallops to the addictive depth of the wine-braised glutinous rice, sustain the meal across a range of flavour registers without fatigue. The crispy nian gao is an honest, satisfying close.
At these prices — five dishes totalling $52.00 for two diners eating well — the value proposition remains exceptional for the quality delivered. This is what Tim Ho Wan has always represented: accessible excellence, practised with care, and worth the queue.
OVERALL RATING: 4.0 / 5 | RECOMMENDED | Limited time through 3 March 2026
Tim Ho Wan, Plaza Singapura | 68 Orchard Road, #01-29A/52, Singapore 238839 | Tel: +65 6251 2000
Nearest MRT: Dhoby Ghaut (CC / NE / NS Lines), Exit D, E or F