Tim Ho Wan has garnered an international reputation as a Michelin-starred dim sum spot. Naturally, when one opened up in Irvine, California, just outside the Foodbeast backyard, we had to go see what the deal was with this renowned restaurant.

As part of our research into Tim Ho Wan, myself and fellow Foodbeasts Reach, Marc, and Elie embarked on a dim sum version of Going In, where we eat the entire menu, rate it, and pick the top dishes to try.

After sampling all of the food Tim Ho Wan had to offer, and some contentious culinary debates, we narrowed it down to the below five dishes that are a must whenever you pop in to this dim sum legend.

Braised Beef Brisket with Rice Noodles

The braised brisket is pull-apart tender, and the broth is light and savory while still delivering big on flavor. The chunks of daikon radish inside offer an interesting texture as well. Of all of the noodle dishes we had, this one was the most filling and captivating.

Baked BBQ Pork Buns

Tim Ho Wan’s signature dim sum dish, these buns are light, flaky, and airy all at once. The sweet barbecue pork plays into all of that nicely, and the dish almost feels like a pastry more than a bun.

Deep Fried Eggplant with Shrimp

This was a sleeper on our list, but the combination of the eggplant and the juicy shrimp was one that was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

Pan Fried Turnip Cake

A dim sum classic, these pan-fried turnip cakes come loaded with dried shrimp and cured Chinese sausage, which has a sweet yet deep flavor to it that permeates the entire slice.

Deep Fried Silky Milk Sticks

Nobody at the table had seen anything like these milk sticks before. They were like deep fried rectangles of panna cotta, a welcome and enjoyable end to the meal.

Of course, we all had other favorites that didn’t make it into this top five (including Tim Ho Wan’s famous rice rolls with BBQ pork), but the above five represent our unanimous can’t-miss dishes.

To see how we felt about the entire Tim Ho Wan menu, you can view the full episode of Going In above.