Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Kam Tung Kitchen 金東大小廚

This restaurant is famous for the Tan Ka cuisine, the type of food prepared and common for the group of people who has been living on their boat. With the urban development, this group of people has become essentially non-existence in HK anymore, so on the night we brought my mother and brother together to try it out.

The original restaurant is rather small and the tables are packed so close, but because of the popularity they have now opened another section at the back, with a much larger space, brightly lit and more comfortable. 

We ordered the Pan-fried Green Pepper Stuffed with Mashed Catfish ($98). The taste is quite good, with nice savory notes but the size of the green pepper is very small. So even though there are a total of 8 pieces, do not worry that it would be too many, or to look similar to what you might get at other restaurants. 

Next came the Seasonal Vegetable, and we had picked Watercress in Original Taste ($138) so we can taste the true and best flavors of watercress in my opinion. It delivered that promise, with the watercress fresh and tender, while right now might still be a bit early for this vegetable, it did not have the bitter taste at all. There is no oil added too so the dish is healthy as well. 

Then came a signature dish - Stir-fried Clams with Pork Liver in Clay Pot ($208). My favorite in the evening, this is cooked on the table, with a gas stove heating the clay pot which has got clams soaked in a broth with fragrant rice wine, covered with a layer of finely chopped pork liver and then sprinkled with an abundance of spring onion. Waited until the clams were fully opened and cooked, the fresh and sweet taste of the clams, matched perfectly with the pork liver, and the spring onion adding another layer of fragrance. Very good indeed and highly recommend.

After finishing the clams, the staff took away the clay pot and added Rice Vermicelli ($58). With the rice vermicelli fully absorbing every single drop of the clams and pork liver essence, it is very tasty and a no-brainer supplement if you have this dish.

My mother wanted to have the Baked Mud Crabs with Oil and Salt ($996 for two crabs) so we ordered two. The chef had cut each crab in half, and upon serving we already knew the quality of the crab was very good. Oozing with oil from the yolk, the crab was bursting, with the meat firm and having lots of yolk. Overall another great tasty dish. My only comment is that it is a bit over-priced in my opinion. And given that the crabs are seasonal, make sure you check with the staff before ordering.

We also had the Hand-shredded Chicken (half) with Special Sauce, with an additional Roasted Duck Drumstick ($286). The more firm texture of the chicken suggests that the chicken is free-range, and the flavors are great, with the chicken seasoned well and no need for any dipping sauce. The spring onion and sesame added further to the complexity of the dish. I like the addition of the roasted duck drumstick as it gave a good contrast to the chicken. A good one.

The last dish is one we have to wait for nearly an hour, another signature of the restaurant, Tankas' Steamed Salted Fresh Fish with Extra Dried Salted Fish ($800). A large piece of fresh cobia which has been salted, and then having a piece of dried salted threadfin, before being cooked in a clay pot, so that the fish oil from the cobia is extracted and seeped out, mixed with that from the dried threadfin. 

The fish oil is then mixed with the steamed rice, together with the fish meat is a true wonder of Tan Ka cuisine. For some it might be a bit too oily, but the pure essence is something one should try at least once. Just that it really took quite a long while, especially after you have finished all your other dishes. Not sure why they did not prepare the dish straight after the order is placed and only waited until we finished half of the dish before showing us the fish and started the cooking. 

The service was good, with the staff happy to provide recommendations but I hope they can talk more the unique cooking and background of some of the dishes as I am sure there are a lot of smart knowledge and traditions behind. The bill was $2,909 for four of us which was not cheap but if you want to try some nice Tan Ka cuisine this is a good choice.