Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About
    • About Me
    • Tiny Urban Kitchen’s Favorite Equipment
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Asian
      • Chinese
      • Taiwanese
      • Thai
      • Malaysian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
    • Appetizers
    • Soups
    • Salad
    • Pasta
    • Noodles
    • Rice
    • Vegetarian
    • Meat
    • Sweets
      • Baking
      • Ice cream
      • Cookies
    • Misc
    • Kawaii (Cute)
  • Travel / Restaurants
    • United States
      • Boston
        • Jen’s Picks
        • Boston
          • Allston
          • Back Bay
          • Brighton
          • North End
          • South End
        • Cambridge
          • Kendall Square
          • Inman Square
          • Central Square
          • Harvard Square
          • Porter Square
          • North Cambridge
        • Somerville
          • Davis Square
          • Union Square
        • Greater Boston
          • Brookline
          • Arlington
          • Belmont
          • Watertown
          • Newton
          • Lexington
          • Concord
          • Burlington
          • Natick
        • Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Berkshires
      • Vermont
      • Maine
      • New York
      • Washington DC
      • Philadelphia
      • Orlando
      • Chicago
      • Las Vegas
      • California
        • Los Angeles
        • San Francisco
        • Napa
        • Sonoma
      • Seattle
      • Hawaii
    • Canada
      • Montreal
      • Canadian Rockies
      • Toronto
    • Argentina
    • Europe
      • United Kingdom
        • London
        • Oxford
      • Italy
        • Rome
        • Piedmont
      • France
        • Paris
        • Bordeaux
      • Spain
        • Madrid
        • Barcelona
        • Catalonia / San Sebastian / Girona
      • Germany
      • Belgium
        • Brussels
      • Switzerland
      • Greece
      • Finland
      • Norway
      • Denmark
    • Japan
      • Japan Guide
      • Tokyo
      • Osaka
      • Kyoto
    • China (Mainland)
      • Beijing
      • Chengdu
      • Shanghai
      • Shaanxi
      • Shenzhen
      • Xiamen
      • Yunnan
    • Singapore
    • Hong Kong
    • Malaysia
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Australia/New Zealand
  • Michelin
    • Formerly had a star
    • Michelin Recommended
    • 1 Star
    • 2 Stars
    • 3 Stars
  • Jen’s Eating Guides!
    • Boston Restaurants
    • Boston Dishes
    • Tokyo
    • Hong Kong
    • Las Vegas
    • Napa / Sonoma
    • Taiwan (night markets)
    • Taiwanese (casual eats)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part I)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part II)
    • Kitchen Equipment
  • Trip Reports
    • All trip reports
    • Around the World Trip Report
    • New England
    • New York
    • Washington DC
    • Las Vegas
    • California
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Florida
    • Japan
    • China

Kam’s Roast Goose Hong Kong – 1 Michelin Star

November 30, 2017 by Jennifer Che 5 Comments

Kam's Roast Goose Hong Kong

Kam’s Roast Goose Hong Kong

This is one of many posts that are part of the series Jen’s Guide – Best Places to Eat in Hong Kong for Visitors

Roast goose is one of those quintessential Hong Kong foods that definitely falls on the “must-try” lists for any visitor to Hong Kong. Goose is generally hard to find in a lot of countries. In the US, I hardly ever see it in the super market or on restaurant menus. My Singaporean friends who used to live in Hong Kong lament that roast goose is one of the things they make sure to eat when they visit Hong Kong, because it’s hard to get elsewhere.

Right now, Kam’s Roast Goose, which earned a Michelin star almost immediately after it opened in 2014, is most certainly one of the most popular and one of the best.

Kam’s Roast Goose was started by Hardy Kam, grandson of the late Mr. Kam Shui Fai who founded the acclaimed roast goose restaurant Yung Kee Restaurant in 1942. The iconic Yung Kee Restaurant has served all sorts of people for generations and is synonymous with roast goose in Hong Kong. The historic building has one of Hong Kong’s only charcoal fired ovens (grandfathered in before new regulations) and its roast geese have that unique flavor.

It sort of a sad story how Kam’s started in the first place.

After the founder of Yung Kee passed away, a power dispute between the two sons led to various lawsuits. Due to the family’s inability to come to an agreement, the court finally ordered a liquidation of the family business after buyout talks failed.
Kam's Roast Goose Hong Kong
Yvonne Kam Kiu-yan, the daughter of the younger brother, had stated back in 2015, “[m]y father promised to my late grandfather that we would try our very best to take care of Yung Kee. We are still trying very hard to keep the business.”

Sadly, the liquidation order is now in effect. It will find buyers for the restaurant and the building.  They weren’t able to save and keep “Grandpa’s restaurant” within the family. Yung Kee lost its Michelin star in 2011 amidst all the dispute and has failed to regain it.

The heirs of the younger brother still run Yung Kee Restaurant. The sons of the elder brother went on to apply their know-how to open Kam’s Roast Goose, which has immediately become wildly, wildly successful.

Kam's Roast Goose Hong Kong

The crazy line outside of Kam’s Roast Goose Hong Kong

Expect to line up if you come during meal times. Supposedly between 2PM and 5PM is good. We arrived just a bit too late (close to 6PM), and we ended up waiting close to an hour. The restaurant is small, and thus turnover happens but it’s a bit slower.
Kam's Roast Goose Hong Kong Kams-Roast-Goose-1-of-10.jpg
Kam’s imports its geese from a very specific region in China. It uses the same techniques, marinades, recipes, and cooking techniques as the ones used at Yung Kee, passed down from Kam’s grandfather. The one difference is that Kam’s uses a gas oven, whereas Yung Kee is still able to use its “grandfathered-in” charcoal oven.

By the time we arrived, the simple roast meat over rice dishes were sold out, so we had to order larger portion sizes.

Typically, you can order a particular type of roast meat over rice from the Roast on Rice section of the menu. They cost anywhere between $43 HKD ($5.50 USD) for roast pork over rice to $93 HKD ($12 USD) for a roast goose leg over rice (note – dark meat is much more popular and desired in Asia, and therefore it costs more than the breastmeat).
Kam's Roast Goose Hong Kong
We ordered from the Roasts section and ordered the “Upper” part of the Roast Goose ($150 HKD ($19 USD). The “Lower” part (which includes the legs = $190 HKD / $24 USD) was already sold out by that time.

In short, I guess when you show up near the end of the day at Kam’s, you have a lot less options!

The meat was delicious and the sauce was super flavorful. Kam’s acknowledges that its skin is not as crispy because its focus is on the tender meat flavor.
Kam's Roast Goose Hong Kong crispy roast pork charsui pork belly
We also ordered half and half roast pork:  half crispy roast pork and half roasted charsiu pork belly. The crispy skin was excellent, an the roast pork overall was juicy and flavorful.
Kam's Roast Goose Hong Kong noodles
We ordered some simple noodles to accompany our meal.
Kam's Roast Goose Hong Kong cucumbers
Along with some marinated cucumbers.
Kam's Roast Goose Hong Kong
The place is always packed and the seating arrangement may not necessarily be comfortable. Bryan and I squeezed onto a round table with two other couples, each trying to enjoy its own roast meats without bothering the other people at the table. The less-than-relaxing environment makes people eat quickly, which helps with the line moving.

In general, the roast meat here is very good. I have not sampled enough places around the city to comment on whether it’s worth waiting an hour + for a meal here. I would be inclined just to order take-out or try to come at a less popular time.

I’m glad that the sons are continuing the legacy of their grandfather by learning the business and opening this new restaurant that still honors the methods and techniques that he had learned over the years.

Kam’s Roast Goose Hong Kong
G/F Po Wah Commercial Center
226 Hennessy Road
Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Related Posts
Jen’s Guide – Best Places to Eat in Hong Kong for Visitors
Lei Garden Hong Kong dim sum
I Am Moving to Hong Kong!
Chinese Oven Roasted Duck (Recipe)
Yee Shun Milk Company – double skin milk pudding
Tsuta Japanese Soba Ramen – 1 Michelin Star
Sushi Tokami

Filed Under: Hong Kong, Michelin, Michelin1, Restaurant, Review, World Travel

« Tsim Chai Kee Wonton Noodle – Hong Kong
Social Place Hong Kong – modern Chinese dim sum »

Recent Posts

  • La Dame de Pic – Paris France June 27, 2022
  • Pertinence Paris France June 25, 2022
  • Napa Valley Trip Report June 10, 2022
  • 36 Hour Stopover in London May 29, 2022
  • A Day Trip to Antwerp, Belgium May 28, 2022
  • Arbor Hong Kong May 25, 2022
  • Mono Hong Kong May 23, 2022
  • Summer Palace Iconic Wine Lunch – Hong Kong April 29, 2022

Latest Chinese recipes!

Comments

  1. BostonBestEats says

    December 1, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    I would love to try it, but I’m also sad that Michelin is devaluing their brand by giving stars to places like this (“…the seating arrangement may not necessarily be comfortable.”).

    Log in to Reply
  2. Frances Fung says

    December 2, 2017 at 1:21 am

    Have you tried goose at Yat Lok?

    Log in to Reply
    • Jennifer Che says

      December 11, 2017 at 4:05 am

      Not yet! I’ve read about it here and there. Thanks for the reminder!

      Log in to Reply
  3. poker ceme says

    August 16, 2018 at 2:52 am

    Thanks for finally talking about >Kam’s Roast Goose Hong
    Kong – 1 Michelin Star – Tiny Urban Kitchen <Loved it!

    Log in to Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Jen's Guide - Best Places to Eat in Hong Kong for Visitors! - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
    May 17, 2018 at 1:58 am

    […] known for its charsiu (BBQ meat) and it’s a quintessential dish you must try if you are here. Kam’s Roast Goose is one of the most popular, but be prepared for long lines! They don’t take reservations and lines […]

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Archives

Categories

Awards

Saveur
PFB

BostonGlobe

Most Recent Posts

chocolate

La Dame de Pic – Paris France

en croute

Pertinence Paris France

Napa Valley Trip Report

36 Hour Stopover in London

A Day Trip to Antwerp, Belgium

Arbor Hong Kong

Arbor Hong Kong

Mono HK

Mono Hong Kong

Summer Palace Hong Kong Iconic Wine Lunch

Summer Palace Iconic Wine Lunch – Hong Kong

Lucciola The Hari Wan Chai

Lucciola – Italian food at The Hari Hotel in Wan Chai

beef quesadilla

Studio City by Cali-Mex Causeway Bay Hong Kong

France!

Restaurant Le George Paris
Yam'Tcha Paris
David Toutain Paris
Divellec Paris
Breizh Cafe Paris

Kawaii! (Cute)

Norway!

logo
Food Advertisements by

Chinese Recipes

Okra with Chicken
logo
Food Advertisements by

Shop & Support us!

Spain!

Girona Spain
Amelia San Sebastian

Japan!

Bulgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin
Sukiyaki Imafuku Tokyo
Sushi Ishimaya Tokyo
Disney Sea Tokyo
Tempura Fukamachi Tokyo
Shinjuku Gyoen

Cambridge restaurants

logo
Food Advertisements by
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress