We love a good dive or greasy spoon as much or more than the next person. But we really don’t like to use the word “cheap.” Sure, the concept can be a great thing. There’s just something about the word that leaves us grasping for more civilized euphemisms. When you can also incorporate the phrase “Michelin-starred” in there though, it seems like a pretty damn great piece of vocabulary.

Which leads us to Tim Ho Wan, a Hong Kong dim sum export that happens to be the most inexpensive economical reasonably priced—fine, cheap Michelin-starred restaurant on this, the third stone from the sun. It’s soft-open now in that sweet spot between the East Village, Union Square and NYU country.

You’ll come here for the classics these guys are known for—the barbecue pork rolls and the many steamed and fried dumplings. But they’ve also got a few dishes that only exist at this location—the Lo Han Jai and the custard-filled French toast dessert (see them here) among them. Sorry for casually dropping custard-filled French toast like that’s not a big deal.

So pull up a chair, speculate as to the meaning of the wall-mounted gold Chinese symbols, witness steam emanating from the dumplings in the open kitchen, eat some of those things above, and have a beer, or a mango slushy.

Curveball.