Having never been to Kaum at Potato Head, I jumped on the chance to make a booking for their recently re-launched weekend brunch. The menu sounded great: a variety of small dishes to start, unlimited large dishes, a dessert, and the option to add on a free-flow package with an impressive variety of drinks options (including Veuve Clicquot, mimosa’s, bloody mary’s, and more). Needless to say, I was expecting an indulgent brunch that Saturday and made sure to leave my diary free for the rest of the day (because you just never know where daytime drinking can lead in this city). I thought that the Kaum brunch was great value, at HK$395 for food and an additional HK$195 for free-flow drinks, and would highly recommend giving it a try if you like Indonesian food.

Vibe during Kaum brunch

When you first walk down through Potato Head, you’ll pass a beautiful open-space bar, a very long bench-style dining table right in front of the kitchen, and then finally Kaum’s intimate dining area at the back. The restaurant is beautiful, with intricate patterns and designs on the walls. Though I did love the look of the restaurant, I found this area to be too dark for my liking during a brunch. I would have much preferred to sit in front of the kitchen where there was ample natural light and you could get a peak into the happenings behind the kitchen.

Small Plates

Despite looking at the menu ahead of time, I didn’t realize they served one dish of each of the five small plates to start (after which I immediately wished I had worn stretchy pants). We began with a light Gohu Ikan Tuna; marinated fresh tuna with coconut oil, lime, chili, and green apple, served with rocket, rice crackers, and kenari nuts. Moving onto something more substantial, we tried the Batagor; Javanese fried prawn and mackerel dumplings, served on a roasted cashew nut sauce. Resembling the ever-popular Hong Kong wantons, this was one of my favourite small plates to start. The Ayam Kampung Berantakan; pan-fried free-range chicken topped with crispy garlic, shredded oyster mushrooms, chilli, and toasted coconut flakes, was another winner. The lively seasoning did wonders atop the crispy skin of the tender chicken. The other two dishes included as a starter were two peanut-flavoured curries (one meat, one veg) that were equally as good, however, we felt like there could have been a bit more diversity in flavour between the two.

Large Plates

At this point, we were ready to dive into some carbs and lapped up the (massive) bowl of Nasi Goreng Udang; fried rice with fresh prawns. Our waitress told us that the green beans were actually referred to as “stinky beans” in Indonesia because, well, they’re a bit stinky. This was definitely the case when you ate them alone, but mixed in with the fragrant rice, they were actually quite tasty. We added a bit of meat to our mains with the Babi Guling; a roasted boneless quarter baby pig marinated with Balinese style spices. The pork was succulent, but the skin on the pieces in the middle weren’t crispy enough and were tough to chew, so we left them untouched. To balance things out, we had the Tumis Keciwis; wok-fried brussel sprouts with garlic and fermented bean paste. Healthy(ish) and seriously addictive, I had to stop myself from ordering seconds.

Dessert

Despite pouring out of my pants at this point, we welcomed dessert with open arms and full bellies. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Lapis Surabaya. The layered butter cake with pineapple preserve was dry and bland, and the lemon curd was overpowering. The burnt pineapple and mango ice cream was good, but unfortunately not good enough to redeem this dessert.

Verdict

I think that the Kaum brunch is great value. The quality of food is excellent and they did a great job of using traditional Indonesian flavors to modernize various dishes. While it may not be my first choice when the weather outside is beautiful, I would recommend popping by on a cloudy day when your belly is empty, and ready for a plethora of South East Asian delights and delicious drinks.

Price

Brunch menu (includes one serving of small plates [5 dishes], unlimited servings of large plates [4 dishes], and one serving of dessert): HK$395

Optional free-flow package (including Veuve Clicquot, Bloody Mary’s, sangria, mimosas, soft drinks, and wine): HK$195

Kaum @ Potato Head
100 Third Street 
Sai Ying Pun 

Tel: 2858 6066