Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Kaum by Potato Head

This Indonesian restaurant is located at Sai Ying Pun, part of the Potato Head family which also operates two other restaurants in Indonesia, offering authentic cuisine from the archipelago. One can easily miss the entrance, with one side selling clothing and the other side a bar. But once inside you will find a large space, starting with the bar area, and then going into the dining zone.

The dining area offers many traditional crafts from Indonesia, from the ceiling and wall panels handmade by artisans showing intricate patterns, to the teak furniture hand-crafted by the locals. A dim lighting creates a hip contemporary ambience for customers to enjoy.

During my reservation I pre-ordered the special menu 'Journey through Java & Bali' ($800 for 2 persons). The first starter is Lumpia Basah Bandung, from West Java. This fresh spring roll is filled with sauteed carrot, bean sprout, jicama, egg and herbs. Paired with a nice savory sauce which adds to the tasty roll with the vegetables, it is a good appetizer and worth trying it out.

The second starter is Gado Gado. This famous Java salad is colorful, with assorted blanched garden vegetables, white cashew and peanut dressing, served with fried shallots, free-range eggs, tempeh, and garlic crackers. Certainly rich in flavors, it is a great salad and no wonder well-liked by many. Another good one to sample.

The third starter is Sate Babi Kecap. This chargrilled pork belly satay is marinated very well, and the chef had also cut the pork belly in perfect cubes making the appearance more refined and premium. Paired with the sweet satay sauce and grilled scallions, the pork belly did not make you feel overwhelming on fat, with a good balance of lean meat. The starters are all scoring high marks to me.

Coming to the mains, the first is Ikan Bakar Jimbaran. This Bali dish is essentially a fish fillet marinated with different herbs and spices, then wrapped in leaves to grill, in the 'Jimbaran' style. Good in taste without any muddy or fishy note, the shallots, torch ginger and red chili relish adds further complexity of flavors. A nice dish.

The second mains is Kangkung Bumbu Belacan, which is wok-fried morning glory with red spices pastes and shrimp paste. A familiar taste, the intense shrimp paste provides rich savory flavors to the vegetable, and the chef has cooked well under high-heat so the morning glory is still crunchy on texture. My only comment is that it can be a bit salty on its own, but if eating together with some rice it will match better. 

The third mains is Mie Goreng Jawa, another famous Indonesia dish. The stir-fried egg noodles is cooked together with prawns, sweet soy sauce, and seasonal vegetables. A great feast of different flavors, I like this one the most as the noodles got a nice bite and the flavors are all in good harmony for me. On its own it would be a nice complete meal for lunch. 

On the dessert it is supposed to be Lapis Surabaya, but was changed to Es Campur, with shaved ice, coconut milk, the cendol infused with pandan leaves fragrance, palm sugar syrup, diced jackfruit, and sweetened red beans. Quite sweet, but not excessively so, the colorful dessert is nice to wrap up this wonderful meal. 

Service is good, with the staff attentive and friendly. As the menu is pre-set there was not much interactions at the beginning, but I do observe they provide nice recommendations to other customers during the ordering. 

The bill was $1117, with us ordering drinks and water as well, and I would say this is a nice pleasant meal which showcased well the Indonesia cuisine. A nice place to hang out and enjoy some good food.