Sydney Winter Holiday 2014 (Day 5): Westfield Bondi: Kam Fook Chinese Restaurant ~ Review

Ever since discovering this place 2 years ago without me, my siblings kept mentioning this place and how I should visit it the moment I got the chance to. So there we were and since it was in the afternoon, we gotta have some dim sum :)

You can also order food from the menu in the afternoon if you're not feeling dim sum. This place is located at the top floor of Westfield Bondi. It is very spacious and provides free wi-fi. One thing I can warn you guys is that some of the staff don't speak English and compare to services in F&B in Sydney in general, this place don't exactly have the friendliest, most helpful bunch of staff. But isn't that the beauty of Chinese restaurant? (Am I trying so hard to be positive?)

Before I go to the review, let me just tell you all first that as an Asian who lives in an Asian country (aka Singapore), where Chinese restaurant comes in all shapes and sizes, I've had my fair share of dim sum and Chinese food. What I can say in terms of my preference and taste in general is that:

1. I feel the food served in Chinese restaurants in Western countries taste quite bland for my taste. 

2. Their portions are way larger.

Anway, so here's what we got:

For me, dim sum will be missing without Siu Mai (above), Har Gow (left), and Rice Noodle Roll filled with Barbeque Pork (1st pict, top left) . I am really liking the giant and fresh prawn inside these. The haw kau's dumpling skin is also very soft and chewy.

The minced pork in the Siu Mai is also very chewy and fresh. However, I find the siew mai a bit too bland for my taste.

The one Rice Noodle Roll is quite nice I must say. The rice noodle is really soft and chewy. The meat is sweet and tender which makes it a great contrast to the savoury and salty soy sauce covering the whole dish.

Ahh Chicken Feet in Fermented Black Bean Sauce. It's an either you like it or you find it disgusting kind of food. To be frank with you, I've waited long enough to finally had the guts to try this out but as soon as I sink my first bite into it a few years back, I never looked back.

The sweet savoury taste with a hint of spiciness that sinks deeply into the soft and gelly-like skin is really awesome. This chicken feet is larger in size compare to the ones I usually had which is a huge plus point :)

Steamed Spare Ribs in Fermented Black Bean Sauce is a nice staple to have if you're looking for a good chunk of meat your dish. The tenderness of the pork meat combined with the fermented black bean sauce and a hint of chilli makes it a sweet, savoury, and, slightly spicy dish. This one, again, is a bit too bland for my taste.

Now for the fried stuff:

Char Siew Su - barbeque pork inside a pastry. The pastry is a bit too oily for my taste because the moment I sink my teeth into it, I can feel the oil gushing out into my mouth. Not a pleasant experience. I have to say though that the meat is very tender and sweet.

Deep fried silverfish. Skip this if I were you, the one at Kam Fook is so bland and hard to chew. I was really unimpressed by this. This dish is supposed to be crunchy and salty, like a very crispy french fries with a hint of fish taste to it. This one does not meet any of those description.

So this is my No.1 Must-Have whenever I go to a Chinese Restaurant in Australia. Deep Fried Shredded Beef with Szechuan Sauce. The slight crunch on the tender beef coated with a sweet savoury sauce combine with bits of carrots here and there is just party in my mouth :) I'm not sure why but I never have this dish in Singapore (is it ever in their menu? I'm not sure). This dish does not disappoint, the sauce is very generous, it coats every meat and carrot which is a good thing.

Final verdict: Will I recommend Kam Fook? I can't really say much since I mostly taste their dim sums, not food off from their menu.

Based on my current judgment, I may go back if I'm craving for Chinese food when I'm in Sydney since the portion is pretty generous and the ingredient is rather fresh, especially the prawns. But compare this restaurant to the many dim sums I have in Singapore, I will go for dim sums in Singapore anytime.