Kaum @ Potato Head Hong Kong (已結業)

Item: Kaum @ Potato Head Hong Kong
Rating: 3
Author: TheWongEatsHK

72 食记

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11393

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$201-400

印尼菜

TheWongEatsHK

等级2

There is nothing more despairing on Earth than having a horrendous dinner and emptying your wallet for it. Sure, you can suggest various forms of torture, or something like a lobotomy. But then again, you don't pay anything for torture and you certainly do not leave with a bad taste in your mouth after a lobotomy. Basically the closest comparison to an expensive meal gone bad is a robbery, where your soul and your wallet are being robbed by the restaurant in question. Here at Kaum by Potatohead, I was not just metaphorically 'robbed' at gunpoint, it was a straight up mugging.

Supposedly 'Kaum' means tribe in Indonesian, a fact proudly printed on the menu. Yet after tasting the food, I am sure that the entire continent would be justified in stoning the head chef to death for blaspheming their cuisine. In Bali, Potatohead was the hippest, trendiest beachfront location to drink and dine in for tourists and locals alike. The artsy, trendy concept then opened a three storey Singaporean outpost, where they sold great burgers on one floor (I love Three Buns so much I have their sticker on my laptop) and operated a lovely bar above. Compared to the other two, the Hong Kong outpost located in Sai Ying Pun was much more modest and refined. There was a coffee shop and an art space, and the kitchen has abandoned the Western cuisine that has served the company so well and replaced it with local Indonesian dishes. This was a terrible mistake.

Potatohead is famous for their cocktails, so we had to order one of their signatures. Great minds think alike as my partner and I both laid eyes on the ‘Pisang Manis’ (spiced Nusa Cana rum, milk, banana, lemon juice, palm syrup). We were very excited for this. Anyone who has ever had Goreng Pisang (deep fried banana) would be very intrigued to see how the sinful snack could be replicated into a drink. First visual: it came with 2 slices of caramelised banana slices over the top which I would not recommend you take a bite of (unless your teeth were were made of iron and you don’t mind sticky bits). The drink overall was quite pleasant, smooth and creamy with sharp fruity notes from the bananas and lemon. Prices were also reasonable (HK$120) when compared to other popular dining establishments in the region. Then the meal took a turn for the worse.

Interestingly, we were served the Beef Rendang (HK$200) first, despite it being a main course. I've had countless plates of Beef Rendang before, the beef should be succulent and soft from long braising, while the sauce should be spicy and aromatic. This was wrong, terribly wrong. It was cold, almost as if they just scooped it from a giant pre-made batch and served it straight to us. The beef itself was nice and tender, and the purple potato chips provided some crunch, but the sauce lacked the kick you get from chilis and was rather insipid. But overall, a cold main course was not what we expected from one of Hong Kong's hottest new restaurants.

Then our starter course arrived: 'Batagor' - 3 deep fried prawn and mackerel dumplings which sat in a cashew nut sauce. Being asian, (trust me, we have had our fair share of dumplings), we had to order this. We had high expectations on Kaum's interpretation of the humble fried dumpling. When the dish arrived, we gave ourselves 30 seconds to make passing comments, desperately trying to find positives as to not ruin our meal. Yes the dumpling skin was nice and crispy, and the filling tasted well. But eventually, we could not mask our disgust at the entire dish. The dumplings were bordering on lukewarm to cold, and the cashew sauce was bland, uninspired, just like any poorly executed peanut satay sauce. The fact that it costed HK$70 made it even more unforgivable.

Next to arrive was the Mie Gomak (Wok fried noodles with shredded chicken, mushrooms, Andaliman spices, curry leaves and coconut milk), probably the only saving grace of Kaum. Thankfully, it was hot as we were hankering for something warm. Although not nearly spicy enough for our asian tastebuds (disclaimer: a French lady beside me had it sent back for being way too spicy), the taste did come pretty close to 2 people going on a perfect date. The yellow noodles mingled happily with the well-balanced savoury curry sauce - the texture of the noodles was very comforting, soft and thick; and the curry sauce wasn’t too sweet nor too salty. The pieces of chicken and mushrooms were cooked properly as they should be for HK$140. My only gripe would be that if you wished this dish to be more spicy, you would have to pay a hefty price tag for any of their sambal chili sauces (HK$22/ea).

In the centre of the restaurant's open kitchen is a special bamboo grilling station, where the dying art of Balinese bamboo cooking is practiced and performed in front of diners. We ordered the Timbungan Babi (HK$295), where pieces of pork belly are marinated in an Indonesian spice mix before being wrapped in banana leaves and grilled inside a hollowed bamboo shoot. The pork was extremely well cooked and retained moisture, and the aromatic marinade meshed well with the protein. However, the spices were a bit too overpowering at times, especially when we bit into an actual lemongrass stem or a piece or torch ginger (which was quite often). Still, it was nice to be finally served something that actually tasted authentically Indonesian.

Last came the Ikan Bakar (HK$278). Based on the menu's description (charcoal grilled blackened boneless barramundi with a tropical Manado Chilli, herb and fruit salsa), we expected it to be a well cooked piece of fish, soft and juicy with a nice charcoaled flavour. Sadly, it was a total let down. The only positive was that the dish was a big portion and could possibly feed a table of 3. And that is where it ends. To begin, the fish was NOT boneless as advertised in the menu (Westerners beware). Many of the bones along the fish's spine were still intact, and there were other small bones wedged here and there. The fish was also unevenly cooked. Some parts were extremely dry and overcooked, while other parts remained honeyed and succulent. The salsa, while tasty by itself, added little to the dish and felt like an entirely separate entity on the side of the plate. Overall, I felt terribly sorry for the fish that gave up its life for this mediocre cooking.

I think its safe to say that after this absolutely non-brutal (please note the blatant sarcasm) review of Kaum, neither of us will be coming back. The food does not justify the hefty price tag. Unless you are one to enjoy Westernised versions of Asian food with monotonous flavours and no kick (basically panda express in America), do think twice before emptying your wallet for this place.

(以上食记乃用户个人意见 , 并不代表OpenRice之观点。)

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用餐日期

2016-09-11

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$500 (晚餐)

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