What do I like to do on a Friday after work? Eat of course! So last Friday was not any different. With my usual dining buddies D and K, we decided to hit up Kong. It was not my first time there but it was definitely going to be a different experience as previous times were for lunch, this time I had the power to order a lot more since there as more people to share it with (yes I eat a lot and lucky for me, so does D and K).

K and I each got a drink. I opted for the coconut slush which had watermelon, apple with refreshing coconut. K got the popcorn tea and said it was very average. To start we got the mandhu which is a steamed Korean dumpling with waygu and kimchi served with soy vinegar. I had to say, this was disappointing, I felt the dumplings would have been better fried. The skin was lovely and soft and as was everything else, so it was a bit too mushy. The filling flavour was great but it lacked that solid factor or a small  crisp to it. Next was the nasu miso which was eggplant pieces served on ice berg lettuce with yuzu, sesame and chervil. I like the spiciness to the eggplant but wished the miso flavors were stronger. The way it was served it almost needed something else to it. Something either crunchy or a bit dry. The eggplant was soft along with waterful lettuce it just needed something else to soak it all up. The flavours were excellent just needed an extra texture to it. For the roti roll, we naturally went with pulled pork D, K and I had our eyes glued to that once we saw the menu for roti rolls. The generous amounts of tender, sweet pork came with slack, kimchi and chilli mayo wrapped in a soft roti bread. The slaw made it feel fresh and the roti was fluffy. Only thing was, as you ate, sauce dripped down your hand. So have a napkin ready when attempting to eat this one. Buns, we got pork belly, peanut butter salt and pepper tofu and soft shell crab. First to arrive on the table was the soft shell crab bun. It was served with salted egg relish and coriander. I loved the gritty salted egg with the soft shell crab. The sweet bao balanced off the saltiness and the deep fried soft shell crab, gave it that extra flare. K picked the peanut butter, salt and pepper tofu for her bun. The creamy nature of the peanut butter, along with the tofu was a good pairing. Then with the salt and pepper, it made it feel extra guilty (reminder of calamari). Final bun was the pork belly with pickled cucumber and chilli. This packed a small kick to the otherwise simple bun. Finally, when the mains arrived we were already semi full from the all the carbs in our starters, though like any good foodie, we powered on. First main was the baby back ribs with the Kong crazy horse chilli. When we asked if it was really that "crazy" hot and the waiter we got must have really been able to take his spicy sauce because it was "crazy" hot. I would advise getting a drink if you want to try this one. The spice level packs a intense flavour to go with the soft meat that just fell off the bone. Then there was the Bossam pork belly. This was a delightful pork belly soba noodles that came with nashi and apple soy as well a super crunchy crackling on top. Like any good Korean fusion eatery, there was kimchi fried rice on the menu. Kong served their version with beef brisket and a egg on top. The rice was very dense as it packed a lot of sauce and meat. This is also on the spicy side so I would not recommend it for the faint hearted. The overall dish was more on the oily side but not so oily that it felt like eating fast food. To balance out the guilt with all the meat and carbs, we added an order of iceberg lettuce salad. These were baby icebergs dressed with shimichi (Japanese chilli powder) ponzu and parmesan oil. I like the concept and the fusion factors in this dish. We were completely stuffed at this point but K and I had to try at least one dessert, so we got the coconut sago to share. The layers of passionfruit and pineapple truffle with the sago was just the perfect finish to the meal. Overall 16/20 Kong does a good play on fusion concepts and mashed up of new flavours from existing known dishes. I walked out unbelievably full and still wanted to try more on the menu (slightly disappointed I didn't have any room for the Korean fried wings and wood roasted pumpkin) - November 09, 2014
Labels: Japanese, Korean, Richmond Missy Ness Sydney Food Travel Notes Aqua S Subscribe by email so you get all the goss and updates!
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