Have you been hankering for a good Pan-Asian lunch, replete with dim sums and baos? Then we have you covered. The new buffet spread at China Bistro might be an apt place to satiate those cravings on your next outing. The outlet that recently reinvented their buffet, retained some of the old favourites like Bao and the Crispy Chicken Cheong Fun and introduced a few new ones that are worth a try.
Flavour fest
After saying hello to the two Chinese Warriors at the entrance, and silently humming to Clean Bandit’s Rockabye playing in the background, we sat down for lunch. As we started sipping on the fragrant Jasmine Tea, that’s usually on the house, the manager of the outlet, Ratnesh Rai tells us that the buffet menu changes every day. “The whole team usually meets in the evening to decide what they will serve the next day,” he said. While we were still enjoying our first burst of calm while sipping the tea, Lemon Coriander Chicken Soup was served. The aroma of lime and coriander was exhilarating. The Apple Basil Martini that arrived soon after was a tad sweet; nevertheless, the drink made of green apple juice with fruit slices deftly placed on the glass was quite refreshing.
Double the fun
For starters we begin with the Kimlee Prawns, fried delicately and slightly sour, is as fresh as it gets. “We use a special chilli sauce to make this dish and like most of the other condiments here, they are made in-house from scratch,” says sous chef, Gopal Behera. Vegetarians ahoy! Do not miss the Potato in Pepper Salt. Sometimes the easiest dishes are the hardest to get right. Up next was the Fish in Pesto Sauce. Basa fish cooked with a generous dose of the green sauce had a melt-in-the-mouth quality about it. However, what was easily the best was the signature dish from the restaurant, the Crispy Chicken Cheong Fun. This Cantonese speciality was a dim sum variant, wrapped in a translucent wrap. Chef Gopal recommends that one must have that in one go, after dipping it in soya sauce. The Barbequed Pickled Bao with a thin layer of cheese and fresh veggies was quite filling.
A sweet finish
Post that we moved on to the mains. The recommended dishes will be Squid in Singapore Chilli and Chicken in Mahalak Sauce, with Veg Fried Rice or Butter Chilli Noodle. We ended our meal on a sweet note, with bite-sized Chocolate Baos, holding warm and gooey chocolate sauce inside. The best bit about the dishes are the well-balanced flavours. They will have you reminiscing about the starters long after you’re done polishing off the dessert.
Price: Rs. 525 (vegetarian buffet) and `584 (non-vegetarian).
Details: 65160999