Besides spending time in the great outdoors, one of our other favorite pastimes is eating.  We have eaten out at quite a few places since we have been here but this is the first time I have decided to include a restaurant review on my blog.  We have had quite a few good and very good meals here so far, but this past weekend we discovered a place that stands out a bit above the others that we have tried so far and I feel a bit more motivated to write about our experience.

This past Saturday lunch I was craving Asian food and as we were at Cedar Square in Fourways, we decided to give Kong a try.  Kong bills itself as an Asian Fusion restaurant and features varied cuisines such as sushi, thai, vietnamese and even grills.  It seems a bit strange to me to mix different asian cuisines in the same restaurant but it is really common here.  It is even common to see sushi offered in the same restaurant as mediterranean fare.

Kong is situated right in the Cedar Square shopping center so parking is not an issue.  I will start with the only negative I have about this place and that is the lack of view.  Kong has a lovely open air dining room looking right into…the parking lot.

View at Kong

The decor at Kong is attractive and the restaurant is quite spacious.  It wasn’t too busy when we were there but I want to go back for dinner one evening as I hear it is really hopping.

Kong Decor

Sushi Bar

Let me move on to the most important part, the food.  While I love all sorts of Asian food, Yannick is usually less impressed.  This time was different.  We usually find portion sizes huge here in Joburg compared to what we are used to so we chose to share a starter of Veggie Spring Rolls.  These were light and fresh and the rich peanut sauce they were served with accented the dish superbly.

Veggie Spring Rolls

For the mains, I couldn’t resist trying the Pad Thai.  This is one of my all-time favorite Thai dishes and I don’t think I have had one this good since I left the US over 13 years ago (unfortunately I have never been to Thailand to get the real deal).  I had tried one other here in Joburg but it was so bland and I was hugely disappointed.  Before my dish arrived, the server brought out a tray of sugar, pepper flakes and 2 types of chilis and carefully explained to me how to properly mix these to bring out the best flavors of the Pad Thai (small spoonful of each with a little more sugar if needed).

Pad Thai Mix’ins

I loved Kong’s Pad Thai !  It was so flavorful and while for the first attempt I went easy on the pepper and chilis, I soon added a bit more of each for a bit more punch.

Pad Thai

Yannick opted for a Duck Curry, requesting it mild and although it came a bit spicer than he had expected, he declared it the best meal he has had so far in Joburg.

Duck Curry

We both eagerly cleaned our plates and there was just no way we could manage dessert, maybe next time.  I also have to mention that the service we received was attentive, professional and welcoming and greatly contributed to a lovely lunch.  We will certainly be back soon as there were many things I would still love to try at Kong, probably for a dinner this time to check out the evening vibe.  Kong even offers an evening shuttle service for 50 ZAR per person , per trip (within a 5 km radius) so if you want to sample a few cocktails you can let Kong get you home safely.  Thanks for a great meal Kong, and see you soon !

Update: as of our visit on May 31 2014 the shuttle service was free.