The Kitchen at The Shack brings a taste of French Polynesia to South County – The Boston Globe

The supermarket became a place of both inspiration and solace for Camara. “Coming into a new country where you don’t speak the language, the weather is different, the food is different, people dress different; everything was just different, and trying to assimilate to this new culture, finding ways to fit in, was quite challenging,” he said, “and I found a lot of comfort staying home and cooking.”

Camara’s commitment to cooking was solidified when he went to Johnson & Wales University in Providence. He went on to cook in New York, Miami, Connecticut, and beyond before finding his way to The Surf Shack, a bed and breakfast with a full service restaurant, The Kitchen at The Shack, which opened in Narragansett in July.

Owners Lindsay and Christina Holmes, who meticulously renovated the property they describe as a “turn of the century shacky Victorian,” had a vision for not just the accommodations, but the restaurant and its menu.

“We really dug in and asked, ‘What does the town need from a culinary perspective?’” explained Lindsay Holmes. “As we started to develop the concept, my wife and I both had this kind of eureka moment.” The couple had spent their honeymoon in Bora Bora and Tahiti, where they fell in love with the cuisine. “Obviously it’s very seafood heavy, very fresh, veggie heavy, very citrus heavy, but also very attainable to do in New England.”

Narragansett already does great clam cakes and chowder, she explained, so it didn’t make any sense to compete with eateries that already do that, and do it well, she added. Instead, the couple developed a concept that embraced the coastal lifestyle but with a French Polynesian point of view. “If I’m being totally honest, we worked just as hard on that menu very early on than we did on the building itself,” said Holmes.

Finding the right person to lead their culinary program was daunting, even for this ambitious duo. “When we started the chef search, it was the first time that I had this loud, doubting voice in my head, because I just knew that no matter how beautiful of a building and concept we created, without someone to bring it home, we were just dead in the water,” said Holmes.

When they met Camara, it was kismet. “Before I even had my first bite. I was like, ‘I like this guy. I like his temperament. I like how level headed he is,’” she said. “Then he started cooking, and that was it for me.”

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While The Kitchen at The Shack restaurant touts “French Polynesian-inspired” food, its offerings reach far outside those boundaries. “You’re going to get some Vietnamese flavor profiles, some Thai, some Chinese, some Japanese, some French,” described Camara. “It’s almost trying to bring all these cultures together, but still keeping some Rhode Island flair.”

The Kitchen at The Shack seats 60 on the inside and has a wraparound porch with seating during the warmer months. The decor is sophisticated coastal, punctuated by surfboard-shaped tables and a custom resin bar resembling the sea. While the restaurant touts “French Polynesian-inspired” food, its offerings reach far outside those boundaries.

Although guided by cuisine from half a world away, Camara sources many of his ingredients locally, and often lets the seasonality of local seafood and produce dictate the menu. Much like when he was a newly-arrived teen in the US, Camara has sought out markets, including farmer’s markets, as places to not only support local growers, but to learn more about native foods. “It’s a great way to see what’s available and what’s in season, especially if you’re not from here,” said Camara, who points to the Fisherman’s Memorial Park Farmers Market in Narragansett as a favorite. As his personal passion for markets intertwines with his professional life, it’s not uncommon for his market finds to be the inspiration for new dishes.

Other menu items, including the steamed buns, have become a staple.

“The steamed buns are kind of a play on the Momofuku pork belly buns,” said Camara, referencing the iconic dish synonymous with famed chef David Chang’s New York City noodle bar. “But over there, they steam their buns. I decided to add a little texture to ours and fry them, so you get that fried crispy coating on the outside, but inside is still nice and soft; almost pillowy.”

The beauty of Camara’s bun duo camouflages the dish’s complexity. The pork belly is cured for 24 hours in brown sugar, Chinese Five Spice (a well-known spice blend which typically consists of cinnamon, anise seed, cloves, ginger, and fennel), and, added Camana, “a bunch of other aromatics and seasonings.”

After, the cure is rinsed off the meat, which is then air-dried in the walk-in for another 24 hours at a minimum. “Then it gets cooked in duck fat at 200 degrees for three and a half hours, then it gets pressed overnight, so the belly can be nice and flat and uniform, and then the following day, we slice it into portions, then we’re frying on order. It takes forever,” Camara laughed. The crispy pork belly gets a barbecue glaze before being topped with cucumber kimchi, daikon carrot slaw, scallions, and micro cilantro, creating a handsomely composed dish that’s a labor of love.

Other menu items merge international flavor with Rhode Island roots, including “Dan Dan clams,” a reimagined pasta dish. “It’s kind of my take on a traditional New England linguini and clams, but instead of white wine and garlic butter, we have soy and miso.” Udon noodles replace traditional pasta, and Manila clams, which share some similarities to quahogs, are plump and firm. The umami-forward dish is prepared with house-made chili oil, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves (also known as Thai lime leaves), oyster mushrooms, toasted peanuts, and clam dashi (stock).

A selection of small plates, salads, sandwiches, and main dishes can be found on the menu in addition to Sunday brunch. As they look ahead to the restaurant’s one-year milestone, Camara credits his small but mighty team, which he likens to a “close-knit family,” to The Kitchen’s success. “It’s a team effort from the moment we step in the kitchen,” he said. “You can’t cook if you’re not passionate. You can’t grow if you’re not passionate. I feel like passion drives me, drives my team, it’s really important.”