Kam Fung Restaurant

Wow, what an adventure it took to get here. It was pouring rain, and my sister and I were deadset on finding this spot to satisfy our over ten year craving of that real deal bo lo bao (pinaepple bun). Somehow, the directions and map in the Unilocal app and Google Maps put it in locations about a 15 minute walk from each other, and we went to the wrong spot first.
Either way, it was almost worth the extra effort. The bun itself was well made and flavorful, but the kicker was that it was not warm enough to melt the butter on the inside. That’s a big no-​no in my book. The butter eventually succumbed to either the lukewarm heat coming from the bun, or the heat that was coming from the outside as we sat fairly close to the door, but I was already more than halfway finished.
We also ordered the iced almond milk drink which I don’t even remember the name of, only when it’s time to order it. It’s like a brain tick or something, but that drink was so god damned refreshing with the perfect amount of sweetness!
This place really is a hole in the wall, with quick and efficient service. Thank god for that AC and those wall-​mounted fans! It’s a tight fit in there, and you can see/​hear/​get knocked into by their staff while they bring out piping hot bo lo baos out from the back. Apparently, I did not get one of those…

There’s nothing like a legit old-​school HK café, and Kam Fung fits the bill perfectly for that. Ir’s located just a few short minutes away from the MTR station, and is well worth the search (pro tip: it’s located on the right side of the street, down the right fork in the road).
Trying to kill time on a Friday night before dinner, the boy and I ended up at Kam Fung searching for a few small bites. While they were regrettably out of chicken pies, we did pick up a bolo bao (pineapple bun) with ice butter, that was literally one of the best we had the entire week.
A favorite for locals as well, be sure to drop by for a pineapple bun, and thank me later!

If you want be like the locals, come here. Quick service, simple recipes, and delicious pineapple buns.

Mmm, pineapple bun.
So I had never had a pineapple bun before so I cannot tell you if this is a good one or a bad one. But they are famous for them, so I’d say good one. Also, they were delicious, so I really say good one.
Apparently this is a good Hong Kong institution. It’s a tiny spot with tiny tables that are shoved into each other, so you’re almost in your neighbour’s food. But who cares, get lost in the delicious. All the delicious. Eat the delicious.

I love this place. very clean and fast service… perfect pineapple buns, great egg sandwiches, macaroni … simple breakfast with decent coffee

Food:
–Milk tea: ³⁄₅ — smooth, but could have had a stronger tea flavor
–Pineapple bun: quite dense. top has a pineapple flavor. wish the bun were warmer, despite having it at about 1pm on a weekend and many people ordering it. expected the busyness would mean hotter buns
–Preserved veggies and minced meat rice noodle: the preserved veggies and minced meat on top were a bit cold, but flavor was fine
Service:
Overall, the service was quite friendly, and the people were nice and made jokes.
Set with the noodles, pineapple bun, milk: $ 35

Small and crowded, can’t get any more HK traditional than that.
Didn’t order much the couple of times I was here but I didn’t need too.
Chicken pie, egg tart, pineapple bun, iced milk tea. Good enough to almost me make cry.

We came to this café to try in particular their milk tea, which was written up in some local food writeups. We also tried a brunch combo that consisted of a ham and egg bun, macaroni and ham, and a fried egg, and then also added a red bean drink. Overall, 3 stars, as we found the place to be more interesting for the tiny setup and brusque service, than extraordinarily good. The milk tea was good, as it is in most places, but not standout good. The macaroni and bun were ok good. The server brought the fried egg out last, the milk tea in between food items, and overall was pretty haphazard on the delivery — basically delivered whatever and whenever the cooks delivered. The space is tiny as some have mentioned, and I did indeed have to turn my body sideways to fit into our two person table by the wall. The men’s washroom is the tiniest ever, just barely fitting in upon shutting the door! Interesting place to check out, but we won’t ever be back.

There’s something about Hong Kong people that is difficult yet easy to understand and explain at the same time.
The older they get, the more sentimental they become. With the recent geopolitical events taking place, the growing disparity between the wealth classes (middle class, blue collars being squashed), real estate pretty much out of reach for everyone, there are still feelings of wanting to cling on to the past. This can be anything from your first kiss, the first time you fall in love, to an ex significant other. But this is far more wide reaching that everyone can relate to, so food is a lot easier to embrace.
Kam Fung has been «keepin’ it real» for a good number of years. A Hong Kong café that is irritating yet iconic at the same time.
If you are a skinny Hong Konger, that is ok, but if you are well over 5 foot 6, weight above 120 pounds, it will feel super cramped in here. And heaven forbid you are seated at the left rear booth seat. The larger booth is fine, but there is a booth that seats ONE per side, and if a stranger is sitting across from you, you may have to sit sideways, unless you like bumping knees (or if you have a dining companion willing to play footsies with you, but I highly suggest you keep your shoes or boots on in here).
What to get here:
Chilled Hong Kong milk tea — this is their signature drink. They take the time and effort to brew the milk tea, and properly chill it, to the point where the flavor does not deteriorate over time. Too many schmoes out there brew the tea and immediately stick it in the cold box! Best of all, it is pre-​chilled, so no ice cubes (and no diluting from them melting). Word of caution, I think they store the milk teas in these red plastic buckets? It’s refreshing either way, even in December (especially if you are visiting and you come from an area that is easily in the 40s/​low 50s, or East Coast… then you will think HK in December is summer like Olaf from Frozen).
Hot milk tea I had here, and in memory was average for HK. Stick with the chilled version.
Egg tart is the puff pastry multi layer version. The big problem is that these guys have been complacent with just doing bare bones and resting on their laurels. Thus if you do not arrive when the baked goods come out of the oven, you are otherwise given a room temperature specimen (lucky if it is not cold from the weather). It’s really hard to compare HK puff pastry egg tarts especially if you have gotten used to Golden Gate Bakery version from San Francisco…
The chicken pie is actually quite good, and in fact very solid! The big downer again is the lack of effort to heat it up. Could have asked for it.
The atmosphere is very interesting, mostly locals when I went, but is mentioned in every single darn guide book out there. Other than the chilled milk tea, the place is cramped, service is brisk/​curt, and seating is very uncomfortable. You are expected to share a table or booth with a stranger especially when dining in the hood anywhere. I guess personal space concept is more or less lost, thanks to real estate and greed.
This is more like a 3.5. It’s not often you find a classic combo of a half decent bakery built in and serving HK café basic food fare. This place would be a super hit in San Francisco.
On the run? Just follow the short line outside and get your milk tea and pastry to go. Though the to-​go cup seems dismal in portion compared to dine in.

Everyone raves about the pineapple buns here but honestly I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s my palate but a sweet bun loaded with butter is… well, just not my kind of thing.
What I do love here is the milk tea. It’s very very good. Brewed strong and balanced with milk it’s a delicious breakfast drink or afternoon pick-​me-​up. It’s always served with sugar and no ice as a standard, but you can get it without sugar if you like. It will arrive with ice as yours will need to be made and chilled fresh.
Sit in for the hustle and bustle and some people watching, or take away if you’re on the move.

I’m no pineapple bun scientist, but if you put that much butter on anything, it’s bound to be delicious. And delicious it was.
If you’re on the hunt for something legitimately «Hong Kong» in a country that’s known for importing food trends from around the world, get yourself to Kam Fung, sit down at one of the cramped, often shared, plastic tables, and order a pineapple bun and Kopi Cham, or coffee milk tea. Sure, you’re just consuming sugar, eggs, flour, and lard with a slice of butter the size of a double-​stuffed Oreo, but
.cow. it is so, so good. The bun itself is slightly crunchy on top and then melts into a sweet, soft dough just under the surface. I couldn’t finish more than half, but oh how my salivary glands begged me to.

金鳳茶餐廳 does brings back a lot of childhood memories.
The deco and vibe is just the same as it was years and years ago…
Here you can get cheap affordable food especially breakfast at 6 am!
Hong Kong Style Milk Tea still serves in the heavy double ceramic mug!
Staff friendly and blunt at the same time…