Kai Duck

One of the best things about being with an adventurous diner is that you can throw forth a suggestion and the person will not hesitate to give it a go.

I'd heard about this place a couple of months ago. 

Back then we'd just lost one of our favorite places for Peking Duck (bye, Asia Grand) and we were looking for a new one. 

The reviews of Kai Duck said that they'd taken traditional Cantonese cuisine and given it a modern uptake. 

They'd also said that the place reminded them of Hong Kong's cha chaan tengs in the 60s.

Now, I have no idea how the cha chaan tengs of 60s Hong Kong look like, but if they were anything like what I saw on the day that I was there, I can imagine just how deep in Hong Kong's dining culture these cha chaan tengs must have been. 

It could have been the allocation of the space, the geometric floor tiles, the color of the tables, the lights or even the color of the chairs.

But everything in this place reminded me of a colonial-style sundowner, very much like the wide, airy patios, and the spacious verandahs in black and white houses built during colonial times. 

I shan't suppose that Hong Kong had the same kind of architectural structure.. 

But the influence at least- I wouldn't be surprised. 

After all, they, like us, were outposts of the British (EIC) for a fairly long time.  

Kai Duck is a very casual Cantonese restaurant. 

It is one of those places where you're encouraged to sit back, lean against the cushion of your chair and put down your chopsticks after every bite.. 

A pot of tea looks remarkably comfortable in a place like this. 

A plate of roast duck too. 

We'd originally planned to order the Signature Peking Duck (like what we normally do) but then we realized we weren't very hungry, and there were other dishes on the menu worth a try. 

So we discussed, and decided to have this. 

Unusual, is it not? 

If you think it looks like a pizza, well, that's exactly what it is. 

The Pizza Peking Duck here at Kai does not come with a thick bread crust, cheese, or any of the (Western-style) vegetables like olives, red peppers and other vegetables. 

Instead it comes with a bit of duck meat, a bit of duck skin, a thin layer of sweet sauce, and a smattering of vegetables scattered all over.

Let's just say that, having not known what to expect, we were a little surprised. 

It's one thing to be presented with a re-interpretation of a familiar dish. 

It's another, however, when you start wondering if you've accidentally ordered roast duck tortillas in a Cantonese-fusion sort of meal. 

I won't go so far to say that we felt silly, but I think we'll either aim straight for the Signature Peking Duck, or at least, the Peking Duck Salad Hand Roll next time. :)

Nevertheless, the surprise of the Pizza didn't deter us from enjoying the other dishes. 

There was a plate of Pan Fried Carrot Cake. 

There was a plate of Deep Fried Eggplant with Pork Floss. 

And a plate of Wok Fried Noodle with Supreme Soya Sauce. 

The deep fried eggplant had specially been ordered for me. 

Because I have a huge love for eggplant, I love them whether grilled or deep fried or fried, and we have fond memories of a battered deep fried eggplant dish at another restaurant elsewhere. 

Here the dish was done very delicately. 

Like, yes, there was batter, but it was a very light coat, it didn't overwhelm, and it made the texture of the eggplant feel crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. 

I think I ate up most of the vegetable. 

My companion, on the other hand, took an unexpected liking to the noodles. 

Notwithstanding the fact that the dish had been ordered to celebrate a birthday, the blend of sauce, and soy sauce in the noodles made for an excellent meal. 

There were no complaints of the noodles being too oily, too sticky, too dry or even too stringy. 

It was cooked just fine- with the right amount of Q, the perfect balance of flavor, and only a faint hint of oil left behind on the lips at the end of each bite. 

I found this dish surprisingly moreish. 

And had it not been for the carrot cake left unfinished on its plate, we might just have ordered the noodles once more. 

Perhaps the charm of Kai Duck is not merely in its casual simplicity nor its glaring shift away from the golds and reds of grandiose Chinese dining, but the fact that they have elevated the simple whilst at the same time, making the complicated simpler. 

I had a raised a curious eyebrow when my friend first placed the order. 

"It's chai tow kway, no..??"

But as it turned out, this $16 Pan Fried Carrot Cake of a chai tow kway was worth every single dollar. 

I can't tell you exactly why, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that this okonomiyaki-like pancake came chock full of carefully-shredded radish, that there was (again) hardly any feels of oil, and that it was crisp on the outside, mushy on the inside. 

Maybe you think I'm exaggerating. 

But I'm not. 

Because we packed the part of the carrot cake we couldn't finish, heated it in the microwave the next afternoon, and it tasted nearly as good as what we'd had on the plate the previous day.