Private kitchen review: Curry Bay, Hong Kong
A new private kitchen experience for fans of contemporary Indian food
It’s always nice to find a dining experience that’s a little different in Hong Kong. There are a number of private kitchens in our fair city, usually labours of love by passionate foodies keen to share unique experiences with their guests. A private kitchen specializing in Indian food was new to me, so I was super excited to hear about Curry Bay.
Each Thursday and Friday night, Curry Bay opens shop at the BiteUnite space on Lung On Street in Wan Chai. It can be a bit hard to find, though it may be worth mentioning that it’s up the hill and around the corner from Samsen and Stone Nullah Tavern. The space is gorgeously industrial, with a long cozy table and a wide open kitchen. On the night we went, 16 people squeezed around a long table though it might more comfortably seat 12. The cost is $540 per person, and it’s BYOB.
The 5-course menu
We started with Curry Bay’s take on the samosa chaat, a Delhi street food. This dish is such a treat for the senses: soft and crunchy, sweet and sour, spicy and tangy. The addition of crispy vermicelli noodles and pomegranate juice were nice and unexpected.
Next up were the chicken and lentil patties with pineapple salsa. The patties were blended smooth, and had an almost foie gras-like texture. Delicious.
The chicken achari curry had a lot of depth. I was trying to put my finger on the spices, when the cook explained they were pickling spices. This included fennel, cumin, and mustard. While the curry was rich, the naan was healthier made with variety of grains including spelt and flax. Usually, I prefer my carbs refined and fluffy but I needed to save calories for the rest of the dishes to come.
I loved the Madras fish curry so much I wanted seconds instead of dessert. It had a coconut and tomato base, and was served with vermicelli instead of rice. But what blew me away was how tender the fish (salmon in our case) was. It was super fatty and moist; not a dry bite at all.
Anyway, it would have been a mistake to skip dessert. We were served two small bites: a carrot tart and a baked yogurt pudding. While the carrot tart was a bit too mild for my taste, the guest sat across from me happily ate three of them. I enjoyed the baked yogurt much more: thick, creamy, and heavily spiced with cardamom. For this dessert, I did indeed ask for seconds.
Verdict
The food at Curry Bay is delicious. As they’re used to hosting large parties, they have the portion sizes and attentive-but-not-overbearing service down. It would be great for a casual work event or even an intimate birthday dinner. If you’re looking to host more people, the owners are happy to host a cocktails and canapes event for 30 to 35 people. And in case you were wondering, no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives are used.
G/F, 15 Lung On Street, Wan Chai, currybaykitchen.net
*By invitation
**This post will also appear on afoodieworld.com
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