Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - "CaN LaH" (Harbour City)

This restaurant focuses on Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine, helmed by Chef Francis Chong from Singapore, who insists to import ingredients and sauces locally sourced in Singapore. There are now two outlets, one in IFC and another in Harbour City. This time we visited the one on Kowloon side.

The entrance actually is shared with another restaurant of the same group. Occupying the window section of the shopping mall, it has wonderful harbour view but can be a bit too sunny around sunset time. The décor has an elegant minimal vibe reminiscent of a Southeast Asian resort.

We ordered some of the signature dishes, starting with Black Nyonya Kuih Pie Tee 娘惹黑炭小金杯 ($88). A DIY, we filled the interesting black deep-fried crispy cup with shredded jicama and carrots, with a bit of shredded fried egg, a shrimp, and then garnished with Chinese parsley, before pouring in the homemade chili sauce. The sweet and sour taste of the jicama and carrot is appetizing, with the chili sauce providing an extra layer of spiciness. Very tasty. 

Next was Ipoh Chicken 怡保火焰脆皮燒雞 ($248 half). The staff presented us the Ipoh flaming fried crispy chicken before taking it back to carve out the meat and remove the bones. The chicken is a bit under-seasoned and relying on the chili sauce for flavors. At least the chicken meat is not tough but overall, it was not that impressive. 

The highlight for the whole meal was Crab Bee Hoon 螃蟹濃湯米粉煲 ($598). Served in a clay pot to keep the temperature, the mud crab was large in size, fresh and meaty. The soup was very delicious, umami and intense in flavors, with also a nice underlying peppery note which was not over-dominating. The noodles, absorbing the essence of the soup, were also very good. A must try for this restaurant in my opinion.

The service was good, with the staff attentive and friendly, but it would be great if they could explain a bit more on the dishes and ingredients. With a couple of drinks as well, the bill on the night was $1,149. Perhaps next time we should also try the other crab dishes, like the signature white pepper or famous Sarawak black pepper version.