Going through reviews after reviews of the glitz and glamour of European cuisines, or the elaboration of custom made Chinese banquets, it's easy to forget that on home turf, Hong Kong locales have been feeding themselves off the home-grown favorites. Not to be overlooked, let alone forgotten, They have established a reputation for themselves for having the best blend of tea in their milk tea, or the best custard tarts there are in the city. The latter is rather relative as any piping hot custard tarts are easy to impress. Just on this day I decide to revisit Kam Fung, a gem that's everything but forgotten.
There is no fancy decor, no designer chairs. Kam Fung spells modest from the core out. The white tiles and wooden booths are classics that none of the fluffy designers can glam up or recreate with this much 'flavour' into it. In and out are familiar faces and families taking their children. Classics like Hot milk with Egg ($16) and savoury porrige with beef are bestsellers, but nothing can top the sales of 'pineapple bun with butter' and Milk Tea, which earned Kam Fung its legendary status in Wan Chai.
Pineapple bun with butter ($5) is simple yet an object of indulgence. A buttery rich bun tasted of egg and maybe a hint of citrus (somewhat like a Challah) topped with a sweet crunch of a crust, brushed with egg wash and scored criss-crossedly to yield marks that resemble the skin of a pineapple. When served, the warm buns are slashed crosswise (like a hot dog bun) and a slice of cold butter is stuffed. A fork is given, but there really is no need, as the most satisfying experience lies within consuming it like a hamburger (big bite from top down)...the sweet crust on the warm bun coincides with the chilled butter. The combination if fatally addictive, and what it takes, is a good bun and good butter. Simple.
Milk Tea is another thing to rave about. Notice that every table orders at least one milk tea, The blend is specially concocted, as the proportions of milk and tea are also carefully calculated. That comes from experience. The special part within it all is when served chilled, there is no ice. Kam Fung chills its milk tea concocted (with milk added and sweetened) in jugs in their fridge. There is no scare of it turning moldy at any given time, given the high turnover, you'd be surprised to find that the chilled milk tea ($14) is not served ice cold, nor is it in room temperature. It's chilled ENOUGH for you to taste everything -- a hint of bitterness from the tea, velvety smoothness from the dairy component and just enough of sugar in it.
If you're feeling particularly hungry, the specialty lunch is served daily. For $25 you get a choice of meat with noodles (beef with satay and macaroni happens to be a favorite here), a choice between fried eggs or omelette, and a hot beverage (for an additional $2 you get one of those pineapple bun with butter, and another $2 to make your beverage a chilled one). In short for less than $30 you can feed yourself full with a possibility to have something to go...
The service cannot, and should not be compared to establishments of formal cuisines. Restaurants like Kam Fung are just as worthy of reviews as pricey places, but what's more, in here you can hang loose and chill, with the pretentiousness thrown out the window, and grab that bun and take a big bite with crumbs falling down your chin, and no one is going to give you a side glance or judge you in any way for that.
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