Shanghai - Flavours of China’s new dine-in space in Sector I offers an authentic look at the diversity within Asian cookery along with a binge-friendly menu that’s not too experimental, and lines up some old school favourites. The restaurant launched its first outpost in Dum Dum in 2020 and quickly gained a lot of popularity, even amid the shifting directives around indoor dining. The newest Shanghai outlet is a dynamic 90-seater space spread over 2500 sq ft area, with a red-black-white colour memo, smattered with muraled walls and quirky themed props.
"We wish to be recognised as one of the best Oriental fine dining restaurants in Kolkata and gradually extend our footprint across the country,” says Dipak De, Founder and Director, Shovona Hospitality & Restaurant LLP, who also confirms that the diner intends to move beyond mainstream Chinatown specialities and offer a taste of exceptional flavours across Asia.
“Most Asian brands in the city specialise in Chinese numbers, especially the ones that have been popularised in the Tangra region of Kolkata, which used to be famous for its Chinese eateries. Shanghai finds its uniqueness with the variety of Asian cuisines that are on offer. We have tried to bring out authentic South-East Asian flavours in our menu which is why we have a few Thai and Indonesian delicacies as well, which is great for diners who have interesting palates. But we’re aware that foodies in Kolkatans absolutely love Chinese food so 80% of our menu sticks with Chinese while the rest 20% works with recipes from across Asia,” De shares.
Phong Kari Poo (Thai-style stir-fried crab curry), General Tso’s chicken, Crispy pork in hoisin sauce, Roast mutton in Hong Kong style, Chilli mustard prawn, Roast lamb in Charsui sauce are some of the big specialities. You can even find authentic fish ball soup (that has its origin in the Fujian province of Southers China) and bona fide Vietnamese summer rolls. The house specials are simplistic but hearty; the Indo-Bongo Chinese chicken, for instance, falls under the purview of the comfortable fusion Chinese. You’ll also find great appetisers like Tangra-style chilli garlic pepper chicken, Lat Me Kai and even a traditional Som Tam salad.
De shares that though introducing a fine-dining brand amid a pandemic has been tricky, there’s room for experience-forward brands to expand. He also revealed that a third Shanghai outlet in Jadavpur will open its doors pretty soon. “It has been a tough start since we opened our first store during the pandemic; almost everything around us was shutting down. The lockdowns were particularly difficult to negotiate, but we did sail through and stayed afloat in the 1st year and looking forward to taking our venture to new heights,” he tells us.
Our recommendations: Phong Kari Poo, Crispy pork in hoisin sauce, Roast mutton in Hong Kong style, Indo-Bongo Chinese chicken
Price for two: Rs 800