If your news feed is anything like ours, over the past week you've been bombarded with reports that the "world's cheapest" Michelin-starred restaurant has arrived in New York to queues of up to three hours. 

Eater has called the wait to get into Tim Ho Wan "NY's most maddening food line." Of course, this is not the first time Bangkok has beaten New York to the hottest food fads, but we'll take the bragging rights.  

Opened in 2009, Tim Ho Wan's original 19-seater restaurant was first awarded a Michelin star one year later. Since then it has grown to three branches in its hometown and 45 worldwide—including three in Bangkok (Terminal 21, Gateway Ekkamai and The Street Ratchada) and one in Korat.

Wait, what? Yes, in this week's most overlooked news, the dim sum empire has expanded to the new Terminal 21 mall in Northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province. As yet there's no word on the queue situation there.

But does anyone in Thailand still care? Rewind to mid-2015 and Tim Ho Wan caused a serious frenzy upon opening in Bangkok. The buzz quickly turned into a resounding "meh" as customers complained of lax service and dim sum sweetened for the Thai palate (though we put up a tentative defence of the first Bangkok branch).

Next time you're chowing down on one of Tim Ho Wan's undersized pork buns, at least spare a thought for these brave New Yorkers fighting off frostbite to get a taste. 

 

A photo posted by Brian Kusler (@briankusler) on

Dec 16, 2016 at 7:03am PST