Red Penny Thai

148 Kam Sheung Rd, Kam Tin, Yuen Long
Visited 3rd September 2009Hand up who's been to Kam Tin? Well Red Penny Thai isn't in Kam Tin, but kind of way out the back of Kam Tin somewhere and if you're riding your bike it feels like the middle of nowhere. Yet on entering this big, outside restaurant it’s a surprisingly classy setup. Lots of white, Thai style statues and big water feature give place more than a hint of being in Thailand rather than the back blocks of the New Territories. The location suggests that it’s probably a restaurant that’s more aimed at those thyat drive rather than rely on public transport or pedal power.

The menu has all the usual Thai favourites as well as a few Vietnamese dishes. We were with a big group, but strangely everyone ordered their own dishes and I ended up sharing with a friend. We ordered Chang Mai style ox-tail, water spinach with belacan, rice and garlic bread. I thought the ox-tail was pretty good - the meat was tender, though the sweetish sauce was perhaps a little too runny. The big serve of water spinach was disappointing; it was over-powered by the fishy shrimp paste and was way too salty. Oh yeah the garlic bread; what is it with garlic bread and Thai restaurants in Hong Kong? It's not a traditional Thai dish, yet seems to be the most popular dish on every Thai menu. Anyway are garlic bread was OK, though not quite crisp enough for my tastes. To drink it was a couple of bottles of Singha; served in a beautifully chilled glass.

Res Penny Thai has a lot going for it, especially the outdoor dinning area. I was generally impressed with the service; they managed to correctly deliver six different orders and the correct bills to the same table. My only complaint was that it was a little difficult to get a new beer. The food wasn’t overly cheap, but was fair value at $264 for the two of us; the oxtail was $98, the water spinach $58 and the beers $28 a pop. But to be honest I’m not the biggest fan of Red Penny Thai. The food is OK, but rather unexciting and I feel there are plenty of better Thai places around.