Restaurant review: Minh & Kok, Causeway Bay - Thai and Viet favourites

Minh & Kok, which is named after Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok, is inspired by street food from Vietnam and Thailand. The airy interior, furnished with tile, rattan and wood elements, creates a relaxing ambience, and the cosy outdoor dining patio will probably prove appealing as the cooler autumn weather approaches.

The menu listed a good selection of meat, seafood and vegetarian options. The green papaya salad (HK$58) had crunchy strands of the fruit, which was tossed with a spicy fish sauce dressing alongside tomato, French beans, toasted peanuts and shrimp. It looked innocent, but the heat numbed our tongues.

Tom yum fish soup (HK$58) was different from the spicy version that's the norm in Hong Kong. The generous chunks of fish were cooked perfectly in a clear, light broth, which was sour, but lacked layers of flavour.

We preferred the thick broth of the laksa noodle soup with prawns (HK$78). Topped with half a soft-boiled egg, the rich, nutty fragrance of the broth went very well with the smooth, thick egg noodles.

We also enjoyed the steamed minced pork rice parcel (HK$52). The filling was a flavourful mix of crispy jicama and minced meat. The deep-fried shallots on top added a nice crunch to the soft rice wrap.

The shrimp and sweet potato fritter (HK$48) was a pleasant surprise, too. It had a great presentation — the shrimp was deep fried on a bed of shredded sweet potato and made for a crunchy treat.