When you see Instagram photos of the crazy lines outside THW, do not ever doubt them. Believe them and devise a plan to avoid them. That's what I did, or so I thought. I took a half day leave two Wednesdays ago to see Maleficent on IMAX. With roughly an hour of commute, I will be in Megamall at around 11am. By that time, that early, I thought, I wouldn't be waiting that long to be seated. With the confidence of a warrior, I texted my sister and aunt, we'll be having lunch at Tim Ho Wan. They replied, what is that?
I arrived a few minutes early and strutted away to Mega B. When I turned right, I was greeted with the image of an Instagram photo come to life. Wow, I said. Why? There are ordered stanchions for crowd control and people with empty stomachs are already lined halfway through. I scurried toward the end of the line and breathed deeply. The dining area was still empty. Ah, yes, I guess I wouldn't have to wait long enough. And then with a swift glance, I spotted a sign in printed paper hanging in the middle of the transparent wall saying: "OPENING TODAY @ 12NN."
What?!
It's now or never. A wait staff approached me, asked for my name and the number of people dining with me. I was informed to have everyone present by the time I'm called or else we wouldn't be seated. It is a strict rule that they follow so don't be stubborn. I asked for a menu and started ticking down stuff I wanted to eat. Nothing was priced above P200. I went all tick-happy. And waited. And waited.
In front of me was a chinita lady waiting for her chinita friend. Behind me was a family of chinita girls who were blabbing about their Tim Ho Wan experience in Mongkok. Most of the waiting patrons, I observed, were Chinese. Ha, of course. Dim sum. As 12nn approached, the queue just kept growing. You'll think there's a secret One Direction meet and greet.
Ten minutes before 12nn, the staff gathered into a wide circle for their pre-shift meeting (I always call it prayer meeting, heh). Staring at them almost killed my patience. I started chanting "pork buns, pork buns, pork buns."
Remember the strict rule I mentioned earlier? I was still alone when my turn came to be seated. My aunt and Nicole went to the grocery to buy movie snacks. My sister ran to look for them. The server apologized and guided me to wait behind her; they needed to serve the next person in line until "my crew" was complete. I gave her a phony smile. She wrote "chubby" beside my name in her cork board. (I know my chubbiness is a fact but work ethics, please. She should have known better than to let me see it. I was wearing a rainbow-colored shirt. She could have written that down instead. But I digress.)
Yadda, yadda, yadda. We were seated inside, unfortunately to uncomfortable chairs (ones that only support the end of your spine), and ordered. They left a list of the table's orders as a guide (they cross off the dishes as they arrive).
Now let's eat.
 |
| Pork dumpling with shrimp |
 |
| Prawn dumpling |
 |
| Steamed spinach dumpling |
 |
| Beancurd skin roll with pork and shrimp |
 |
| Steamed egg cake |
 |
| Rice with beef and fried egg |
 |
| Pan fried carrot cake |
 |
| Vermicelli roll with pig's liver |
 |
| Yum |
 |
| and yum |
 |
| and yum |
It was like Diner Dash inside. People are seated, order is taken, food is served, people eat, people pay, people leave. We ditched ASAP because we had a movie to catch, but with the queue outside, you're crass if you stay a minute longer than intended. But then again you waited forever to be seated so why not soak it in. You make your own life decisions.
Jesus, my stomach is grumbling. I'll fill it with water now. Goodbye.
Post a Comment