Chan Kun Kee 陳根記 - Rhodes, NSW
Since their conception in 2023, I had been meaning to visit Chan Kun Kee for the longest time especially upon reading about their Hong Kong Dai Pai Dong style of cooking which is similar to the sprawling menus of zichar hawker stalls of Singapore paired with the familiar culinary backgrounds of my father’s heritage.
Having recently changed workplaces, I have finally begun to find myself more confident in exploring surrounding suburbs and the spread of cuisines in suburbs nearby and this (along with the looming nostalgia that the Lunar New Year brings) finally brought me to Chan Kun Kee one Friday evening after work.
Walking in, the decor with the tables and plastic stools takes me back home to my childhood- tables wrapped in plastic for easy clean up after disposing of bones, the low plastic stools that made my partner at 1.8m tall complain about his knees, it began to feel familiar- until the food started rolling out. That truly sealed the deal for me.
Another classic 3.7★ on Google, the service was attentive and prompt as we were the only two there until the dinner hour began to roll around and the venue began to fill up with a variety of other locals. A large number of their dishes require individual attention and time to cook to completion- such as their steamed dishes, very much reminiscent of how dishes are gradually rolled out at reunion meals.
To say that I had an Anton Ego moment was an understatement- I felt transported back to my childhood by both the decor and the taste of the food.
The single word I would summarise their cooking style is- care. They take a lot of care and pay a lot of attention to a lot of the other more understated ingredients to their dishes, ensuring that their food lives up to the memory and nostalgia of home.
The prices of Chan Kun Kee were fair, lower than expected with the size of the servings that graced our tables. We walked away with 4 boxes of takeaway, having also ordered a large bowl of congee in addition to the dishes listed above.
They had a good variety of homemade drinks gracing their menu, including a sugarcane and water chestnut drink I used to have back home, yoghurt drinks no doubt made with yakult and the classic HK Milk Tea.
With the spread of items on their menu, return trips are definitely necessary, preferably with more company to try more dishes including their tantalisingly aromatic claypot dishes and hopefully their stone pot dishes, noticeably marked as unavailable when we were there.
Addition dated 10th March 2025-
Shop 5/42 Walker St, Rhodes NSW 2138
