Kym’s, the second London venture by Michelin-starred chef Andrew Wong, has launched a new Lobster Brunch with dishes specially created to welcome the start of the weekend. Mondomulia’s contributor Adrienne Fung visited the restaurant in Bloomberg Arcade recently to review their new menu.
The other weekend, I had the chance to try Kym’s newest Lobster Brunch, which is available exclusively on Saturdays and includes four courses (£45 per person, plus £15 for two hours of bottomless drinks).
Kym’s, the second restaurant venture from chef Andrew Wong, is situated in the Bloomberg Arcade alongside an impressive lineup of international restaurants including Koya City and Brigadiers from the JKS Restaurant group. Chef Wong made a name for himself in the UK when he re-opened his family’s Chinese restaurant as A.Wong back in 2012 which has since garnered a Michelin star.
While A.Wong’s innovative Chinese cuisine takes influence from many different regions, Kym’s focus has been on perfecting the classic Cantonese art of roasted meats and barbecue.
Fortunately for me, working upstairs from the Bloomberg Arcade I’ve had the opportunity to visit Kym’s quite a few times for both dinner and lunch so when I heard about their latest lobster brunch offering, I was excited to see Chef Wong’s interpretation of brunch, a classically western concept.
The restaurant space at Kym’s is breathtaking. The centrepiece of the restaurant is a glowing cherry blossom tree that will catch your eye from every corner of the restaurant.
The furnishings are sleek and elegant: marble tables, plush leather and velvet booths, and copper trimming. The vibe is modern and swanky. Another focal point of the restaurant is the open kitchen in back where diners get a peak of all the action as well as Kym’s proud display of their beautiful roasted meats hanging in the window.
The lobster brunch at Kym’s starts with a Bloody Mary shot to whet the appetite plus a cold smacked pickled cucumber dish. This classic cucumber dish is one of my favourites and one I always order when I see it on the menu. The acidity from the pickled cucumber combined with the heat from the chilli oil makes for a refreshing start to the meal.
Next, we had a choice of sunny-side up sourdough prawn toast with either candied bacon or smoked salmon or the sunny-side up wild mushroom and truffle toast. We decided to try one of the prawn toast with candied bacon as well as the wild mushroom and truffle toast. We loved the prawn toast which was served hot and crunchy, the perfect vehicle to mop up the oozy runny egg. The candied bacon was also delicious: crisp in texture and nice balance of salty and sweet.
The mushroom and truffle toast was also nice, but fell a bit flat in flavour compared to the prawn toast.
For the main course, we had the option of: Kym’s soy poached half lobster; Tyhoon Shelter style half lobster; or Typhoon Shelter style Aubergine, (plus a bowl of Three Treasure rice to share). Seeing as it’s called the “Lobster Brunch Menu”, we had to go for their lobster offerings!
We loved both the soy and Typhoon Shelter style preparations which were entirely different. The soy poached lobster was delicate and clean in flavour. The lobster was simply poached with green onion, garlic and vermicelli noodles in a savoury soy sauce, paying homage to the main ingredient without other distractions. The lobster meat was tender and succulent.
The Typhoon Shelter preparation, on the other hand, was bold and packed a punch of flavour. The name of this dish comes from the typhoon shelters in Hong Kong where fishing boats used to take shelter during Typhoons back in the day, the biggest one being in Causeway Bay. According to my dad who grew up in Hong Kong, the fishermen who moored their boats in these typhoon shelters began doubling their fishing boats as eateries as a means to make additional money. Patrons could board the boats and enjoy a meal cooked by the fishermen.
The original version of the Typhoon Shelter lobster is actually made with crab, a much cheaper and readily available ingredient, which is then fried with a load of garlic, chilli and aromatic spices. The version at Kym’s definitely did not lack in flavour and if anything, was perhaps a tad on the salty side.
The Three Treasure rice (featuring crispy pork belly, soy poached chicken, and Iberico Pork Char Siu) really highlights Kym’s specialty. To perfect each of these different meat preparations is an art form that takes chefs years to master. Every year when I visit Hong Kong, I’m reminded by how popular Cantonese BBQ is: you’ll find these restaurants on every corner! It’s a humble food enjoyed by all walks of society. Kym’s pays incredible attention to both the quality of the meat itself as well as the technique.
The Char Siu, in particular, has a deep and rich flavour from hours of marinating and the Iberico cut melts in your mouth. This was always one of my favourite dishes growing up and the version at Kym’s is the best I’ve had in London. I was glad to see this incorporated into the brunch offering.
We finished the meal with the yuzu layered cake with cinnamon ice cream. We loved the delicate layers of cake and yuzu cream which reminded me of the famous layered crepe cake I’ve had at Lady M in New York. This version at Kym’s was delicious and the lovely hints of spice from the cinnamon paired well with the yuzu.
We loved the lobster brunch at Kym’s, a unique brunch experience in the City. The portions are extremely generous so go with an appetite. With a lot of plates great for sharing, this is a great option for groups!
Disclaimer: Adrienne was a guest of the restaurant. All opinions are her own.