A couple of months back I booked a table at Kea's after reading about her Private Kitchen on a review. I was so excited to go, but then Kea called me a few days before our reservation date to say her baby was sick and she needed to cancel. We were bummed out and booked another place, but took the first chance we had to come back to Kea's. So with some great friends from Australia in tow, we eventually headed off to Kea's Kitchen for real.
Kea has a beautiful, custom designed 3 storey boat floating in the Aberdeen marina. From the open air top deck you can sit in style, and look out over the flashy lights of the kitsch Jumbo Floating Chinese Restaurant while rowers training for the dragon boat festival swoosh by. To see the colours at sunset over the water is a truly unique Hong Kong experience.
But even getting out to Kea's boat is an interesting Hong Kong adventure in iteself. When you arrive at the marina club, call Kea and she'll arrange a sampan to come pick you up for a couple of coins. It's a fun way to get between the pier and the boat, and Chocolate, the patron dog of the sampan gives plenty of licks and laughs to make the experience all the more unique.
The boat is Kea's private residence, which she shares with her husband and 3 young kids. It's an immaculate, modern motor boat, with clean white curves as chome accents, and beautiful wooden boards. It feels so special to be on this boat, which is at the same time private and hidden, yet inviting and special. Kea is able to open up her home so genuinely, that you don't feel you're intruding, even though there will be no more than a dozen or so guests on board at any time.
We elected to have the Thai style set, which is her specialty, despite having trained in European techniques as well. The flavours were so fresh and raw, with peppercorns and bighty herbs popping right out of the plate. It had a healthy does of chilli, and beautiful knife work. Kea explained that she goes to the market each day to source the best produce, and it certainly shows.
After several full-flavoured courses of curries and vegetable parcels, we finished off with a mango and sweet rice, which was the perfect ending to an elegant meal. The simplicity shone through, and the ingredients had central stage. This is Thai like I have never seen it before - with so many Pad Thai, Thai Me Up, Right Thai, and Thairiffics out there, it's easy to assume Thai food consists of greasy noddles only. But if you've tasted the fresh lemongrass and clear broths within Thailand itself, you can imagine there's so much more to this punchy cuisine, and Kea certainly does it justice.
At the end of the meal, Kea brought up her baby daughter to meet us on the roof - a beautiful little cherub girl who was so well behaved, and ideally suited to the private kitchen business! Kea also offered us a shot each of a locally made passionfruit vodka, demonstrating that she's a true part of the local grass roots hospitality scene in Hong Kong, supporting other small purveyors. We made a point of visiting their shop the next night.
We had such a fantastic night, and were sorry to get back on the sampan to go back to land and the real world. Kea offers something truly special. The food itself is something, the boat setting is something else, but Kea's hospitality brings it all together into a very unique and totally enjoyable fine dining experience. Hong Kong style!
Add: Catch a Sampan from the Aberdeen boat club, Hong Kong, Island South
PH: +852 6077 5964
Web: http://keaskitchen.com/
Kea has a beautiful, custom designed 3 storey boat floating in the Aberdeen marina. From the open air top deck you can sit in style, and look out over the flashy lights of the kitsch Jumbo Floating Chinese Restaurant while rowers training for the dragon boat festival swoosh by. To see the colours at sunset over the water is a truly unique Hong Kong experience.
But even getting out to Kea's boat is an interesting Hong Kong adventure in iteself. When you arrive at the marina club, call Kea and she'll arrange a sampan to come pick you up for a couple of coins. It's a fun way to get between the pier and the boat, and Chocolate, the patron dog of the sampan gives plenty of licks and laughs to make the experience all the more unique.
The boat is Kea's private residence, which she shares with her husband and 3 young kids. It's an immaculate, modern motor boat, with clean white curves as chome accents, and beautiful wooden boards. It feels so special to be on this boat, which is at the same time private and hidden, yet inviting and special. Kea is able to open up her home so genuinely, that you don't feel you're intruding, even though there will be no more than a dozen or so guests on board at any time.
We elected to have the Thai style set, which is her specialty, despite having trained in European techniques as well. The flavours were so fresh and raw, with peppercorns and bighty herbs popping right out of the plate. It had a healthy does of chilli, and beautiful knife work. Kea explained that she goes to the market each day to source the best produce, and it certainly shows.
After several full-flavoured courses of curries and vegetable parcels, we finished off with a mango and sweet rice, which was the perfect ending to an elegant meal. The simplicity shone through, and the ingredients had central stage. This is Thai like I have never seen it before - with so many Pad Thai, Thai Me Up, Right Thai, and Thairiffics out there, it's easy to assume Thai food consists of greasy noddles only. But if you've tasted the fresh lemongrass and clear broths within Thailand itself, you can imagine there's so much more to this punchy cuisine, and Kea certainly does it justice.
At the end of the meal, Kea brought up her baby daughter to meet us on the roof - a beautiful little cherub girl who was so well behaved, and ideally suited to the private kitchen business! Kea also offered us a shot each of a locally made passionfruit vodka, demonstrating that she's a true part of the local grass roots hospitality scene in Hong Kong, supporting other small purveyors. We made a point of visiting their shop the next night.
We had such a fantastic night, and were sorry to get back on the sampan to go back to land and the real world. Kea offers something truly special. The food itself is something, the boat setting is something else, but Kea's hospitality brings it all together into a very unique and totally enjoyable fine dining experience. Hong Kong style!
Add: Catch a Sampan from the Aberdeen boat club, Hong Kong, Island South
PH: +852 6077 5964
Web: http://keaskitchen.com/
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