Now, the first problem was that we got off a stop early because I got all hyphy. Then, we asked this auntie for directions, and that damn bitch pointed us in the opposite direction! After a few minutes of fruitless searching, I called the restaurant.
Restaurant owner: We're at the tram stop, you can't miss it.
Me (meekly): We did.
So we ended up asking the dude who ran this housewares-type shop, and this scary drunk old dude started shouting directions at us, and then offering to walk us to Catchik. DL and I had to move quickly away, which was a bit difficult because my Daydream Nation skirt was hobbling me.
Anyway, we kept walking west, following the streetcar rails, and we ended up finding it. The guys at the Clay Oven were SO NICE! They close at 3 pm but they waited for us, even though we showed up past 3. They never made us feel like we weren't welcome, and we even got free soup!
The restaurant:
My God, the soup was delicious! Lovely garlic and chickpea bits with that strange vegetable that I always see in bakuteh but I have no idea what it's called. Yes, that was a really useful bit of information.
I got a mango lassi, and my God, dudes you have to order it here. It's not powdery at all, tastes wonderfully rich and creamy.
We got lamb butter masala because it came in a bucket. Yeah, we're superficial when it comes to ordering food, but it was really excellent. The lamb was tender, the sauce was rich but not greasy, just lovely.
Saag paneer. So much paneer chunks!! Huge portion, really delicious and creamy.
Paratha, also excellent.
Naan was so fluffy and light that DL and I fooled ourselves into thinking that we could order another paratha and get away with it. Honestly we barely made it, but we did finish everything. It is Chinese New Year, after all, don't want the bad karma of not finishing food!
DL had a young coconut to drink.
We paid about HKD150 each (inclusive of a HKD25 tip), but honestly, that meal could have fed three people comfortably. They also have lunch specials. I would say that the rumours are true, and that the Clay Oven is definitely a contender for one of the best Indian restaurants on Hong Kong Island. Well worth a visit if you're wandering around and taking in the sights of Kennedy Town!
I'll be back to try the Tandoori lamb! The Clay Oven is at 27-31 Catchik Street in Kennedy Town. It's to the right of the streetcar stop, don't be a fool like me. Pay attention, and you'll see it. You can also call them at 2872 6900.
The staff are so super nice, I'm so grateful that they stayed past their closing time to feed us. Afterwards, the owner was so cute and asked me if I was going to post a review on openrice.com. Openrice is Hong Kong's food review site, but the thing is, if you can't read Chinese, don't bother looking at it because the English-language writers are often expats or tourists who don't know how to appreciate good food. Also, a friend in Manila has alerted me that Openrice might redirect you to a local version of their site (local, as in, for you).
