Kam Fung Montreal

Posted By Jennifer Ho Oct 22 2011 · 0 comments · Dining Out

Breaded and Fried Taro and Minced Pork Balls

Kam Fung offers the most authentic and traditionally found dim sum dishes in the entire city. Legendary by name, it is easy to see how popular they are by the hordes of people lining the restaurant entrance come noon. The best time to come in order to avoid the wait time is just before the rush, at 11:30. There is a tradeoff though – while service is quick (it always is), the food is hot and there is less clamor around while eating, there is greater variety in the dishes served during rush hour. By no means am I saying that the dishes served before aren’t good – on the contrary! There is just more choice later on. You’ve been told. For those who have never been, it is perhaps a good idea to go along with someone who has some experience in ordering dishes as it may seem overwhelming at first – people are constantly shouting, and it’s not in English. There is a regular flow of traffic in the restaurant, enabled by diners leaving after their meals or just settling in as well as the always moving body of cart ladies hawking their foods.

I’ve been here countless times and from experience I can tell you that it’s been consistently good every time. The steamed shrimp rice balls are among my favorite. The gelatinous, sticky but firm outer film is soft and hot, perfectly enrobing the shrimp bits inside, each bite a steaming taste of deliciousness. A similar dish to this is the peanut, shrimp and Chinese chives dumpling – this one has a heavier taste and is notably more salty. Another great dish is the chicken feet marinated with black beans (Kam Fung’s online menu calls it “phoenix feet”) – true, there are a lot of bones that you need to spit out when eating, but the best part is the tendon and the skin around the bone. That’s the part you need to get with. The shrimp wrapped in rice sheets drizzled in soya sauce is another must-try dish, just make sure to give your piece a good dipping in the sauce to get some salty flavor in. The fried squid is crispy, tender with a little bounce to it and perfect dipped in the soya sauce and the steamed spareribs are great on top of white rice – lots of thick, crunchy tendon in this as well. To finish, the egg custard tart is an old favorite (you can get this from any of the bakeries in Chinatown) especially when they’re made just fresh, with the crust a little flaky and the center still warm. That’s exactly how Kam Fung sold it, so that was really nice. There was also sweet tofu served with ginger sauce – this is more of a traditional dish which is great for those watching their sugar levels or for those who are looking for not too sweet sweets.

If you haven’t been here already, it is an interesting dining experience. I can’t think of any other restaurant that operates in quite the same way in Montreal. Other dishes that are worth mentioning that aren’t shown in this post: beef stomach stew, tripe with ginger and shallots as well as the steamed cuttlefish. These are dishes that are more likely to come out during the busier hours. Readers, don’t be shy – let me know if you have any questions regarding the food served here!