The Hong Kong Kitchen
Hong Kong Kitchen
Average cost for two: R200.00
Hong Kong kitchen is a very small “hole-in-the-wall” restaurant in Sunset beach, serving authentic Cantonese cuisine. I am sure a lot of people might be misled by its appearance, or even misunderstand the kind of food they serve. Chinese cuisine is so westernized these days it’s seldom you find the real thing. It’s most certainly not something I have been lucky enough, to have been exposed to. That was until Saturday.
It is not often one has an experience when dining, let alone one they can really appreciate. Hong Kong Kitchen is absolutely an experience you can appreciate! Sharing a table with friends, we were offered a menu. Upon request they gave us a “Dim sum / Chinese menu.” This menu steers away from the westernized form of Chinese cuisine, and offers up a delightful array of authentic Cantonese bites.
The owner came across to our table, a petite little Cantonese lady – with a big smile on her face noting that we had asked for the traditional menu. She was so helpful in making suggestions and changing the quantities we ordered; of course we had ordered far too much! She dismissed us with rhetorical, chopsticks? Before bustling back into the kitchen with excitement.
She later returned with beautiful little porcelain bowls, chopsticks and chilli-soya sauce – and then the feast began. We had steamed BBQ pork buns, steamed prawn dumplings, wonton soup and crispy spring onion pancakes, vegetable spring rolls, vegetable chow mein and steamed bean curd rolls.
What a taste sensation! Every single item stood out on its own. The pork bun had a delicious dumpling texture and the inside was filled with lots of saucy pork pieces. I could have eaten these all night; they were my absolute favourite. The steamed prawn dumplings were just as good, the prawn was well maintained, perfectly cooked and seasoned! The crispy spring onion pancakes were so moreish and light, as were the vegetable spring rolls. The wonton soup was a first for me – it was made up of a very tasty broth, bok choy and pork and prawn wontons. The chow mein was excellent, the noodles were flavorsome, dressed in a well-seasoned sauce and crisp vegetables- I’d imagine all of their chow mein’s would be just as good. The steamed bean curd rolls looked like pancakes; they were filled with vegetables, shitake mushrooms, tofu and drowned in a salty-sweet sauce. Even meat lovers would love this vegetarian delicacy.
The Hong Kong Kitchen does not sell alcoholic beverages – so be sure to ask if you can bring along your own wine. I would recommend this eatery any day of the week – but remember to ask for the alternative menu, if it’s an experience you are looking for then this is an absolute must. I will definitely be frequenting this restaurant.
