We've been to Tim's Kitchen four or five times now and each time are impressed by the quality of the cooking and the pricing of the wine.

Being of the opinion that Cantonese food is at its best when it sticks to the basics, I've never enjoyed it when they get fancy, reference Western fine dining tropes, and have always been at most neutral from a taste perspective and, in one case, dubious from a moral perspective when it comes to supposed premium dishes like abalone, sea cucumber, shark's fin and bird's nest: therein lies a large bill and less enjoyment.

Though nicely decorated, the former Muse 2 space is cavernous and, on a number of the occasions we have been, sparsely populated with customers. It should be much busier - the food is close to the standards of other high-end Cantonese places like Lei Garden.

Here's what we had last night:
Shanghai style xun yu - a good refined version of this staple dish, slightly different to the style of Jereme Leung / Fu 1088, but good all the same;
marinated jellyfish - a very good version of this dish, with a lovely balance in the vinegar and nice almost lacey pieces of jellyfish;
marinated bean curd sheet with mushroom - rather bland and a pale imitation of Jesse's version;
stir fried crab with conpoy and egg - like a sort of rice-less crab fried rice, I've had this dish every time I go and it is great;
sauteed tripe with pickled mustard green and cucumber - very tasty, with a nice mix of textures and none of those "farmyard" scents that tripe can have;
choi sum with XO sauce - simple, but good;
crispy skin chicken - this seems to be a signature dish of theirs and it's really good;
braised e-fu noodle with wood ear mushroom and bean sprouts - a little bland, but to be expected with those ingredients, noodles were good hand made ones.

With a bottle of Loire Cab Franc at 320 rmb, tea and 10% service charge, this came to under 1200 for three people. Service charge aside (service isn't bad, but nor is it exceptional), that's not expensive for cooking of this calibre, and their wine pricing is lower than most restaurants in town.

All this place really needs to become really enjoyable is more customers, then the room might be a better space to eat in. We haven't been for dim sum at the weekend, but have heard good things.

Out of a 10 Tim's would rate a 6.5.

There was definitely something missing. Yes the service was better than what you get at any other Chinese restaurant, but for the price I'm paying and for the Michelin star it's received in Hong Kong and Macau...I expected better.

This place isn't cheap. Just so you know.

We started off with the Roast Pork Belly which was yes, admittedly damn amazing. Even better if you ask for some honey rather than the standard sugar and mustard they give you.

The foie gras was so bland...Tim, sorry you should leave duck liver to the Europeans, it was just so tasteless and the blueberry jam? I swear you got that from Cityshop down at the Portman man.

That fist-sized prawn? Meh, cool to look at but it wasn't tickling my taste buds so much as the presentation looked like a minimalist approach...big round thing...little skinny rectangle thing.

The Shark fin soup was seriously? Bland. Nothing spectacular, mediocre...stuff I can get at a 10-course meal in a Chinese wedding.

Sea cucumber. Now... I grew up with sea cucumbers and I love them. But sea cucumber here... looked appetizing.. too bad it didn't have any flavors.

Fried rice. Ew. I thought Cantonese made the best fried rice. Damn was I disappointed.

Dessert.
When we picked two desserts from the menu the server said no, we don't have that, no we don't have that one too. Well what do you have? Well we recently changed the dessert menu. He proceeded to take the menu away, rush away somewhere and came back with a dinky little paper you usually get at those dimsum restaurants and check off what dimsum you want? Yea.

Wow. Michelin star? C'mon give me a break. I'm sure if you have the money to rent a space in 66 you can just buy your star.